Killing the Nuclear Zombie

The latest issue of Nature Materials (you don't subscribe?) has an interesting commentary stating, once more, that we don't need nuclear to resolve our energy problems. The article is unfortunately not online::

Furthermore, in the case of PV, there is an answer to the concern that the sun does not shine when we need electricity. Solar radiation has exactly the same time variation as at least two major contributors to electricity demand, namely refrigeration and air-conditioning sunlight is itself directly responsible for these components....

Their suitability for maritime climates such as Japan and UK, which have more cloud than continental regions, has been questioned. However, tests made in outdoor conditions showed that in most Japanese cities a 3rd-generation concentrator system would produce around twice as much electricity per unit area as a conventional flat-plate system....

Nuclear supporters oft en propose the development of both nuclear and renewable resources. Sadly, the playing fi eld is not level. While seeking funding for PV research we have accumulated considerable evidence of a pro-nuclear bias in the UK scientifi c and government establishments. One example is that the UK Research Councils spent seven times as much on nuclear fusion research and development as on PV in 2004/05. Th is ratio would probably be very much higher if the support of the UK Ministry of Defence, which spent £79M on nuclear related research in 2004/05, was included.

We will conclude with the question of legacy. The legacy of the first two generations of nuclear power is that every man, woman and child in the UK is committed to paying over £30 per head per year for at least 25 years to find a way to keep the waste out of the environment and out of the hands of terrorists for over 300,000 years. Does the government wish to be remembered by 10,000 generations as one that added to that waste, or as one that initiated an alternative based on the technology that gave us the mobile phone? Which is likely to be more popular with the electorate?

It's increasingly becoming obvious that solar, wind, and other renewables will be able to outstrip the growth and power of the nuclear industry. Between smarter electrical networks and better energy storage, not to mention conservation and efficiency, there's no longer any need to talk about nuclear. It's dead. Leave it be.

On a related note, Treehugger has an interesting link to a company making a roof tile that combines solar electric and thermal energy, making it overall very efficient. It's also liable to be very, very useful in Canada in the winter, when heating needs increase.