The role of nuclear and renewable energy

Alan Brew — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:02:58 +0000

Political, social and environmental consequences of climate change have become global concerns. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, would seem to have certain future as part of our national energy future. The alternative energy industry is a nascent one; traditional energy companies are some of the most profitable and powerful on earth. It is likely that the two will work side by side in creating America’s energy future. It is also likely that one will become part of the other, just as the Internet, once hailed as the alternative business model to traditional bricks and mortar businesses, found a viable future as an essential new channel for those companies it once threatened to displace.

The challenge for renewable energy companies is how best to position themselves in the energy equation before the technologies become swallowed up in someone else’s brand.

There are elements of the same Internet zeal in certain quarters of the renewable energy industry that doing a disservice to its future. Renewable energy is the only future. The only way. The rejection of nuclear is part of this. Critics of nuclear power argue it is not a renewable energy source. It is not “green” they say because the waste must be stored for hundreds of thousands of years.

No energy source is perfect. No single energy source will solve our problems. Nuclear energy is an essential part of the mix.

Read the reference Reuters article at:

Seize nuclear or miss targets, investment: IAEA
Reuters
Investment in renewable energy and efficiency programmes would allow countries to meet emissions targets without nuclear, they say. (read more of the news article)

Branding and the new energy equation » Nuclear

The role of nuclear and renewable energy