Nuclear defence is all hot air
If Bernard Durand wants nuclear power rather than wind energy (comment, April see here) can we assume he is willing to have the radioactive waste created buried in his garden?
The side-product of such “clean” energy has to go somewhere. Nuclear power may not produce greenhouse gases but it is not clean and it is certainly not renewable.
France is investing in wind energy because Europe is committed to increasing the percentage of electricity produced by clean, renewable sources.
The policy is known charmingly as a bouquet énergétique, which means not putting all a civilisation’s eggs in one basket.
When he says such turbines are “two or three times more expensive”, what is he comparing them with? Is he implying that a nuclear power station is cheap to build and run?
When opponents of wind energy talk of the high price per MW, they usually “forget” to factor in the vast subsidies, paid to the nuclear industry, including research, capital outlay and security. They also ignore clean-up costs.
The more we invest in wind and solar, the more competitive these technologies will get and the more prices will fall.
There are difficult choices to be made if we are to live like we do and protect our environment. There is a debate to be had but we shouldn’t start off by assuming all the benefits are on one side and the disadvantages on the other.
Nick INMAN, near Marciac
