1.
Does nuclear energy make sense?We can debate this topic endlessly and there are seemingly good reasons that environmental groups and others have changed their views on nukes. Put most simply, it provides steady base power (20% of our electricity today) and is close to "zero carbon." So as a longer interim solution, until the grid and economy are cleaner, it could be logical. But the most compelling argument I've heard against nuclear is not about safety (although, again, how can we not include that in the discussion given what's going on?). No, it's about cost.
For solid analyses on all things energy, I look to long-time expert Amory Lovins and his impressive assortment of in-depth studies. In a couple of reports, "Four Nuclear Myths," and "Nuclear Power: Competitive Economics and Climate Protection Potential," Lovins tackles the economics of building and insuring nukes, among other things. In short, compared to focusing on energy efficiency, nuclear is really expensive. And without going into massive detail on economics, I've always liked the really simple logic around renewables — they have zero variable cost (wind, sunshine, and underground heat are free). Lovins and others put more data around how the economics of renewables will win out over time, but basically, free is hard to beat.
2.
Does any centralized energy make sense?This may be a more heretical question, but it may actually drive us to an answer faster than the question about nuclear power itself: why do we generate energy at large plants on a grid to begin with? There are efficiencies of course, but also massive losses of energy as it steps down from the plant to the grid to our homes and buildings. Instead, why not build a far more distributed energy system? By that I mean solar on every roof, geothermal in every basement, local wind turbines in every neighborhood and on city buildings, and an electric car storing energy in every garage.
This vision of a clean energy grid is not a tree-hugger fantasy; in fact, it's already on its way.
Renewable energy experts have told me that cost of producing solar panels is down 50 to 70 percent in the last few years, a direct result of massive investment in the clean economy by China, which has become a solar manufacturing powerhouse. As solar entrepreneur and CEO of the Carbon War Room Jigar Shah says, "China is doing to solar panels what it did to computers and iPhones — bringing the cost way down."...
Much more at
http://blogs.hbr.org/winston/2011/03/future-of-nuclear-energy.html