This first article talks about new technologies that are inexpensive and have a rapid deployment that will make moving away from nuclear, and, in the end, carbon fuels, much quicker and cheaper than expected and do away with the problems people image that solar and wind are too inconsistent to be relied on. With Germany showing a lot of innovation in the transition from nuclear to green energy, they are likely to be the leader of the world on this transition.
ZERI.ORG: “Therefore it is no surprise that in spite of the massive subsidies and legal protection, in 2010, renewables, solely covering wind (193 GW), waste to energy (65 GW), hydropower (80 GW) and solar (43 GW) globally have a larger installed capacity than nuclear (375 GW), well before the trilogy of disasters demonstrated that the impossible does happen. Now that the Pacific and Indian Ocean rims are off-limits for any new nuclear power project, the question is how will the world go forward in its quest to generate renewable and affordable energy?”
http://itsoureconomy.us/2012/07/the-exit-of-nuclear-based-on-consensus-and-cash/
This article talks about the drop of coal as an electricity source. For the first time in our history, natural gas and coal produce equal amounts of energy. Gas has its problems for the environment, but getting away from coal means tremendous savings for the environment.
TREE HUGGER: “Recently published electric power data show that, for the first time since EIA began collecting the data, generation from natural gas-fired plants is virtually equal to generation from coal-fired plants, with each fuel providing 32% of total generation. In April 2012, preliminary data show net electric generation from natural gas was 95.9 million megawatthours, only slightly below generation from coal, at 96.0 million megawatthours.”
We are going to have a very different energy mix in the next ten years — thank goodness. This is happening despite the existing nuclear, coal and carbon fuel industries doing their best to prevent it and bought off politicians allowing them to slow us down. Imagine what it would be like if we had a responsive government. We could be carbon-free and nuclear-free within 20 years.
