IMPACT OF POWER PLANTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT: A REVIEW

Industrialization and urbanization have taken a toll on the environment. The air has been polluted to an alarming level. Climate is being unpredictable. Environmental degradation is going to become one of the greatest challenges before us in the near future. The production of electricity is found to be one of the major reasons for the degradation of the environment. Further, the demand for electricity is being increased continuously. To meet out this demand the use of conventional sources mainly thermal power plants has increased but this is done at the cost of the atmosphere. If the conventional sources of electricity are continued to be used unwisely, the atmosphere will be so polluted that life will become difficult on earth. For our future, it is now essential to diversify our energy sources. The renewable, non-conventional sources of energy are thought to hold out a major promise to overcome this energy crisis. Although these sources are considered to be relatively safe except solar energy, they also create pollution and should be used to a limited extent. To warn about the consequences of pollution created by commonly used sources of energy such as thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, hydroelectric power plants, and wind power plants and to promote further research over non-polluting sources of energy, such as solar energy entirely, a review article is presented. In this literature review, a summary of relevant pollution caused by these power plants is presented. The review addresses the classification and the environmental effects of accidents, of using these sources of energy