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Consider nuclear: former chief scientist (Australia)
NUCLEAR power should be considered if the carbon tax does not make renewable energy competitive against coal and fossil fuels, former chief scientist Robin Batterham has said.
His comments echoed those of the chair of climate change at Adelaide University, Barry Brook, who said last week that it was ''inevitable'' Australia would be forced to choose nuclear power, most likely by 2020.
''If geothermal doesn't deliver fairly quickly, that takes that off the list,'' Professor Batterham said. ''If wind doesn't get its economics an awful lot better fairly quickly, there isn't going to be a big increase [in wind power].''
...snip...
Professor Brook told The Sunday Age that even with the carbon tax, solar and wind could not be made competitive against fossil fuels or nuclear power. ''I'm not anti-wind or anti-solar and if they end up becoming more competitive, fine,'' he said. ''I just don't think we can scale them up. ''By 2020, I think the heat will have been turned up to the point where a lot of people, including politicians, will be talking seriously about deploying nuclear … Australia will go nuclear. It's inevitable that it will.''
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/consider-nuclear-former-chief-scientist-20120721-22h24.html
