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The article analyzes the industrial implications of atomic energy. A series of industry analyses was conducted to study the possible economic impact of atomic energy worldwide. There were three issues asked, including the possibility of cost reductions in energy industries, the possibility of atomic energy to encourage the introduction of a new production technique, and the possibility of changes in manufacturers location due to geographical equalization of power costs. The study concluded that the nuclear district heating might be available only at a cost low enough to compete and the substitution of nuclear district heating would not provide large cost savings.

The article discusses the peaceful uses of atomic energy. Experts believe that atomic energy can be utilized to produce electric power. This belief stems from the claim of atomic scientists of the revolutionary economic effects of atomic energy. However, the economic usefulness of atomic power has failed to materialize. To realize the atomic energy's significance, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower campaigned for "Atoms for Peace" before the United Nations. In this campaign, he emphasizes the goal of his administration to remove the control of atomic energy from the military and entrust it in the hands of those who know how to adapt it to the arts of peace.

The paper discusses long-term trends in relationships between energy use and the overall productive efficiency of the American economy. While total energy consumption grew strongly during the twentieth century, the intensity of energy use (i.e. the energy/GNP ratio) fell persistently much of the time. Thus, there were simultaneous long-term improvements in labor productivity, total factor productivity, and energy productivity. The historical record appears to be at odds with conventional beliefs that gains in productive efficiency depend upon the rising intensity of energy use in production processes. A key role in bringing about these counter-intuitive results is assigned to what is referred to as the 'energy-technology productivity nexus , in which the quality of particular energy forms such as electricity and liquid fuels (along with closely linked changes in energy-using technologies) played a critical part in leveraging the overall efficiency of production. As a result of these energy form-dependent improvements in productive efficiency, outputs grew more rapidly than all inputs, including the inputs of energy. The more recent past stands in sharp contrast to the long-term record. While energy efficiency (as measured by energy/GNP) showed strong gains during the late 197O's and early 198O's, the growth in overall productive efficiency was severely retarded. Implications for the future of suggested linkages between the quality of particular energy forms and technological progress are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]