With the ever-increasing demand of electricity in the modern world, while encountering the threat of a potential exhaustion of the non-renewable sources, like fossil fuels, on which most of our power production depends. At the same time, we are also facing a constantly worsening problem of global warming and environmental pollution. This situation requires an energy solution, which not only uses renewable energy sources, but should also be environment-friendly.

Some see those characteristics, with the required efficiency for commercial production, in nuclear technology. At present, power production through nuclear technology makes up the 16% of the total power produced in the entire world.

Not only is nuclear energy unlike non-renewable sources like oil and gas when it comes to the instability of their price and their costliness, but is also considered to be close to using renewable energy sources, as it utilizes Uranium as the main fuel of the power plant, an element found in a considerable quantity in the Earths crust. Moreover, power production through nuclear power plants does not involve the emission of any harmful environmental pollutants or greenhouse gases.

Innovations and improvements in the nuclear technology are also being made, and one of the most recent ones is from the Westinghouse Electric Company, which has been able to build the
AP 1000. It is a state-of-the-art nuclear power plant, which is being dubbed as the safest and the most economical nuclear plant available for commercial electricity production today, and has been the first nuclear power plant, which received the Design Certification from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

This power plant, which has been developed after 20 years of research, comprises of the essential parts as in currently operating plants designed by Westinghouse. These parts, which are tested and have proven to be reliable year after year, include reactor coolant programs, steam generators, fuel, digital instrumentation and control, and integrated engineering.

Improved from the existing technology, this new generation of reactors will be offering a number of benefits including increased security and safety, cost-effectiveness and much enhanced efficiency.

The kind of improvements that have been made in the AP1000 reactor, have almost eradicated any chance of human involvement and error in its efficient operation. Its improved design will create a lot of difference in reducing costs and increasing productivity.