Lies, damned lies, and energy statistics - why nuclear is so much less than it claims to be Resource Type: Article Published: 2015 It's odd how often the contribution of nuclear energy is overstated by mixing up 'energy' and 'electricity', while a similar trick understates the importance of renewables like wind and solar. Even odder is how the mistake always seems to go the same way, to make nuclear look bigger than it really is, and renewables smaller. Welcome to the nuclear 'X factor'!