Nuclear for the Poor, Renewables for the Rich?
By Stephen Leahy
VIENNA, Jun 27, 2011 (IPS)
In a debate about the future of energy, the global south wants to spend tens of billions of dollars on nuclear plants while the global north looks to spend hundreds of millions on decentralised, renewable energy.
At least those were the positions taken by representatives during the BBC TV’s World Debate programme filmed at the 2011 Vienna Energy Forum.
“We must have nuclear energy if India is to develop,” said Srikumar Banerjee, the chair of India’s Atomic Energy Commission.
via Nuclear for the Poor, Renewables for the Rich? – IPS ipsnews.net.
Stumble It!
As long as you keep messing around with wind, solar, geothermal and wave power, the coal industry is safe. There is no way wind, solar, geothermal and wave power can replace coal, and they know it.
If you quit being afraid of nuclear, the coal industry is doomed. Every time you argue in favor of wind, solar, geothermal and wave power, or against nuclear, King Coal is happy. ONLY nuclear power can put coal out of business. Nuclear power HAS put coal out of business in France. France uses 30 year old American technology. So here is the deal: Keep being afraid of all things nuclear and die either when [not if] civilization collapses or when H2S comes out of the ocean and Homo “Sapiens” goes extinct. OR: Get over your paranoia and kick the coal habit and live. Which do you choose? I put quotation marks around “Sapiens” because it is not clear that most “people” have enough brains to avoid extinction when it is clearly predicted and the safe path has been pointed out. Nuclear is the safe path and we have factory built nuclear power plants now.
Asteroid Miner
27/06/2011 at 10:40 pm
Miner, I think you should read the article before commenting. Much of the objection to nuclear is the fact it is extremely costly as I have documented in these articles.
Nuclear Power Costs Skyrocket, Cost of Renewables Plummet
http://stephenleahy.net/2011/03/12/nuclear-power-costs-skyrocket-cost-of-renewables-plummet/
Limited Liability – Nuclear Energy’s ‘Mother of all Subsidies’ http://stephenleahy.net/2011/05/18/limited-liability-nuclear-energys-mother-of-all-subsidies/
And you should also read this detailed analysis of renewables as baseload: http://www.skepticalscience.com/detailed-look-at-renewable-baseload-energy.html
Stephen
28/06/2011 at 2:36 am