Renewables are superior to nuclear, says UK think tank

LONDON, England, July 6, 2005 (Refocus Weekly)

Public support to renewables should rise to the levels which historically have been given to nuclear power, in order to “re-level the economic playing field” for renewables and allow the technologies to achieve their full potential.

The UK government should remove the existing direct and indirect subsidies to nuclear that ‘feather bed’ its prospects, says the New Economics Foundation in a report that compares the costs of renewables with nuclear, and assesses the contribution of each to the economy and security of electricity supply for Britain. “There is the need for an International Agency for Renewable Energy to represent the sector at the global level and to balance the already existing nuclear equivalents.”

“Nuclear power has been promoted as a solution to climate change and an answer to energy security; it is neither,” the report concludes. “On the one hand, as a response to global warming, it is too slow, too expensive and too limited. On the other hand, it is more of a security risk in an age of terror-related threats, than a security solution.”

“It is clear that a new wave of nuclear power stations could only be built with some form of large public subsidy but, given that the public purse has limited resources, the government must make the best investment on the taxpayers’ behalf,” it explains. “In this case, the danger is that the huge and unpredictable costs of nuclear power will crowd out vital investment into renewable energy, as it has done for decades already.”

The cost of new nuclear power has been underestimated by a factor of three while the potential of small-scale renewables has been critically overlooked, says ‘Mirage & Oasis: Energy choices in an age of global warming.’ The report was released to coincide with the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy.

Nuclear has been promoted as the answer to climate change and energy insecurity, but wind, solar and geothermal could, in theory, each individually meet all of the world’s energy needs. “Practically, a broader combination of renewable energy sources than is currently utilized, tapped into with a range of micro, small, medium and large-scale technologies, and applied flexibly, could more than meet all of our needs.”

“Without sustainable, reliable supplies of energy, the world faces a future in which climate change and fuel shortages will combine with catastrophic results,” says author Andrew Simms. “The poorest and most vulnerable will suffer the worst but a resurgence of interest in nuclear power, justified by voodoo economics, stands to hinder and potentially derail renewable energy.”

“An unacknowledged benefit of microgeneration is that it puts people back in touch with where energy comes from,” the report concludes. “We have taken fossil fuels for granted for too long, and ignored the importance of living in balance with the ecosystems upon which we depend.”

“Renewable energy is a great reminder that also offers us the chance for greater independence,” it adds. “It is possible that nuclear power has only survived for as long as it has because its true costs have been hidden from us, and because its radioactive emissions are invisible.”

One benefit of micropower is that it generates electricity at point of use to avoid the need for large-scale grid connections and the 10% loss in transmission. The range of technologies would provide an annual net benefit to Britain of £35 million because the generators use little or no fuel.

“Renewable technology is in its infancy compared to nuclear, meaning that research and development invested in renewables will reap exponentially more benefits than for nuclear,” it notes. “The UK has an over-abundance of resources to meet the government’s target of cutting GHG emissions and increasing the uptake of renewable energy without even taking account of savings from effective measures for energy conservation and increased efficiency that reduce demand.”

“Current total funding for renewables should at least match that which was made available to the nuclear industry during its period of peak research and construction,” and local authorities should set targets for the uptake of microgenerators and allow them as permitted developments. A full range of fiscal incentives should be provided, such as stamp duty concessions for buildings with green heat and green power facilities, and tax allowances on renewables investments, as well as an obligation for all electricity suppliers to purchase electricity from microgenerators.

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