High School

Rank the following by their power output, from highest to lowest.

A. Nuclear power plant, Solar panel, Wind turbine
B. Wind turbine, Solar panel, Nuclear power plant
C. Solar panel, Nuclear power plant, Wind turbine
D. Nuclear power plant, Wind turbine, Solar panel

Answer :

Final answer:

The correct answer is option d: Nuclear power plant, Wind turbine, Solar panel. The ranking of power output from highest to lowest is Nuclear power plant, Wind turbine, Solar panel.

Explanation:

Nuclear plants have the highest output, followed by wind turbines, and solar panels produce the least, based on global averages.

This ranking is based on the average global production in gigawatts (GW) as well as the characteristics of each power source. Nuclear power plants have a high power output, due to the energy captured from the radioactive decay of elements, and they do not produce CO2 directly during electricity generation.

Wind turbines also produce a significant amount of electricity by transforming wind energy, but less than nuclear plants. Solar panels, although capable of matching or exceeding societal energy demands and growing rapidly in efficiency, currently produce less power than both nuclear plants and wind turbines when considering the average global production.