This course, developed for use in secondary and adult education, is an effort to describe the cost-benefit ratio of the various methods of generation of electrical power in an era when the requirement for additional sources of power is growing at an ever-increasing rate and environmental protection is a major concern. This course was written and compiled by an independent committee drawn from educators, engineers, health physicists, members of industry and conservation groups, and environmental scientists. Among the topics discussed are the increasing need for electrical power and methods for meeting this need, nuclear power and fossil fueled plants, the biological effects of nuclear and fossil fueled plants, wastes in the production of electric power, plant site considerations, energy conservation, and the environmental effects of electrical power generation. The appendixes include a glossary of terms, a bibliography, a decision-making model and a brief outline of the procedures which must be followed by a utility in order to construct and operate a nuclear power plant. (BT)