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Conventional power generation
About 65% of the electricity production in the world is generated by fossil fuels such as coal (39%), oil (9%) and gas (16%). The supplies of this feedstock are limited and the production process causes environmental damage. Main problem is the greenhouse effect, caused by the emission of carbon dioxide, CO2, which is emitted during the combustion of the fossil fuels. Other pollutants are sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), associated with acid rain.
Also nuclear energy, accounting for 17% of world electricity generation, makes use of the limited supply of uranium and causes environmental problems. Even though nuclear capacity is likely to rise marginally in the next two years, it will decline thereafter as fewer new plants are constructed and the closure of older, uneconomic and politically impopular reactors accelerates.
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