Best option 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

So solar/wind power are not the solution to climate change concerns of environmental activist Michael Shellenberger. To summarize his TED Talk posted yesterday, that's because:

• they require very large land masses and transmission lines
• they are dangerous to large birds and other endangered species
• electricity is generated only 10-30% of the time
• they are expensive
• they require 17x more materials to construct than nuclear plants

Safety and waste disposal are the biggest worries about nuclear power. But compared with all other power sources over time, nuclear has caused the fewest deaths per unit of electricity. Nuclear waste is the only waste product of power generation that is safely contained.

image

Both governments and companies are returning to nuclear. British jet engine maker Rolls-Royce is working on reactors. Bill Gates is partnering with a South Korean company. The U.S. government this year awarded $60 to various different nuclear projects. 

Go here to get caught up on innovations for nuclear power -  SMR's (small modular reactors) and thorium-based reactors. It's not your grandpa's nuclear reactor anymore.

from Bloomberg