nto a coal bed exposed on the side of a hill; the auger pushes out the coal as it rotates.
Nuclear energy as a source of electrical energy on a commercial basis began a little over a decade ago. By 1974, the United States produced about thirteen million kilowatts of nuclear power on-line, representing less than 1% of the electric generating capacity of the country. This figure is expected to jump to 150 million kilowatt by 1980, and to double again in five years. By 1990, it is expected this source will account for some 500 million kilowatts. This method does not produce energy by the familiar combustion processes associated with the use of fossil fuels; instead, nuclear energy is derived from the conversion of relatively small amounts of matter. Vast amounts of ores containing these nuclear fuels are available, but the challenge is to recover this material economically and convert it into energy.
Coal is formed from the remains of trees, and most of the world's coal beds seem to represent accumulations of plant material in swamp
...