"dirty" electricity

     A woman wrote a comment on a website recently about "dirty" electricity. She was sure that the electricity in her house was dirty, because she heard that coal was burned to make it. She was misinformed about the electricity, but not about the dirt--not exactly. The electricity made from burning coal is the same as any other electricity. The electricity made from a nuclear reactor is the same as any other electricity. When it gets to your house, it's just electricity, and all of it is the same. The "dirt" happens where the electricity is made--where the coal is burned. There may be more smog there, and more air pollution. When people talk or write about "clean" electricity, they are promoting sources of electricity that don't pollute the air as much as burning coal does, and that don't leave nuclear waste behind. The burning of coal may be miles from where the electricity is consumed, but it still pollutes the air, so many people are opposed to it--because of its "side effects" or "marginal costs"--not because the product ( electricity ) is any different.