The fission of 100 grams of uranium releases far more energy than the combustion of 100 grams of coal.
To give a rough comparison:
- The fission of uranium-235 can release about 200 MeV (million electron volts) per fission event, translating to approximately 24,000 megajoules of energy per kilogram of uranium.
- In contrast, the combustion of coal releases about 24 megajoules of energy per kilogram.
Thus, the energy released from fission of uranium is orders of magnitude greater than that released from the combustion of coal when comparing equal masses.