Figure 1. A model of alpha decay, showing the ejection of an alpha particle from a nucleus.[1]Alpha decay is a nuclear decay process where an unstable nucleus changes to another element by shooting out a particle composed of two protons and two neutrons.[2] This ejected particle is known as an alpha particle and is simply a helium nucleus. Alpha particles have a relatively large mass and a positive charge. This large mass means alpha particles can't go very far through the air, or get very de...| energyeducation.ca
Gamma decay is one type of radioactive decay that a nucleus can undergo. What separates this type of decay process from alpha or beta decay is that no charged particles are ejected from the nucleus when it undergoes this type of decay. Instead, a high energy form of electromagnetic radiation - a gamma ray photon - is released. Gamma rays are photons that have extremely high energies which are highly ionizing.[1] As well, gamma radiation is unique in the sense that undergoing gamma decay does ...| energyeducation.ca
A non-dispatchable source of electricity generates electrical energy but cannot be turned on or off in order to meet societies fluctuating electricity needs. It is the opposite of dispatchable sources of electricity which are very flexible, being able to change their output fairly quickly in order to meet electricity demands. Non-dispatchable electricity sources are often highly intermittent, which means that they are not continuously available due to factors that cannot be controlled (ex. th...| energyeducation.ca
Figure 1. Solar power is intermittent, and is non-dispatchable without an energy storage system because of cloud cover and limited daytime hours.[1]Intermittent electricity is electrical energy that is not continuously available due to external factors that cannot be controlled, produced by electricity generating sources that vary in their conditions on a fairly short time scale. Sources of intermittent electricity include solar power,[2] wind power,[3] tidal power, and wave power.[4] Althoug...| energyeducation.ca