Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF VARIOUS METHODS OF ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION

Vladimir Grachev and Olga Pliamina

Abstract

The paper discusses environmental and economic performance of various energy sources: coal, gas, shale gas, oil, wind, sun, water, atom, etc. The authors provided data on the environmental performance of various methods of energy generation, demonstrated contribution of the different types of energy sources to the electricity generation, discussed their prospects and listed the most environmentally friendly energy sources for the sustainable development. The authors also proposed a cumulative complex index of the impact on the environment.