Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Method of Electricity Production

Typre	Advantages	Disadvantages
Biomass	Renewable. No net CO₂ produced.	Often smelly
Fossil Fuels - Oil, Coal, Gas	Cheap/ Power station cheap to build and quick to start and stop. Gas quickest, then oil, then coal	Produces CO₂ and other pollutants. Non renewable.
Nuclear	Little fuel required. No CO₂ produced. Suitable for baseload - power station always running.	Expensive. Produces radioactive waste. Occasionally one blows up and contaminates a wide area. Power stations are very difficult and dangerous to dismantle.
Tidal	Predictable power output. Renewable. No CO₂ produced.	Expensive. May result in habitat destruction of wildlife.
Wave/wind/Solar	Renewable. No CO₂ produced. Now becoming very cheap.	Unsightly and unpredictable
Hydroelectric	Controllable power output. Quick to turn off and on. Can act as energy store. Renewable. No CO₂ produced.	May result in habitat destruction of wildlife.
Geothermal	Controllable power output. Quick to turn off and on. No CO₂ produced.	Deep drilling Required.