A former state regulator and member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission argues that subsidizing reactors to keep them running is unnecessary and will be bad for consumers and the environment.
A nuclear engineer makes the case that nuclear power plants are important resources and should receive economic rewards for providing steady supplies of carbon-free electricity.
Alex Fattal, University of Technology Sydney and Nicky Ison, University of Technology Sydney
The electricity market that covers most of Australia is designed to have periods of high prices, to attract new generators. But there may be better ways to encourage electricity investment.
There’s a wider trend towards linking the energy and climate portfolios, and not before time – the race is on towards a low-carbon economy, and joined-up policy gets faster results.
It’s not just about finding money for things like solar panels – poorer households can also find it harder to gain access to reliable information about the green energy options they do have.
Australia’s energy policy has lost its way over the past couple of decades, which is unfortunate because the challenges – to move to a low-carbon economy without high prices – have never been tougher.
Photovoltaics and wind energy now have such a large head start that no other low-emission generation technology has a reasonable prospect of catching them.
Peter C. Doherty, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
There are several areas where Australia could be a world leader in innovation. If we can identify them and focus our efforts there, we could generate some genuine benefits here and abroad.
South Africa’s nuclear plans have been put on hold. In light of recent events in the country, pressure is being put on the government to halt the process.
The Coalition has asked CSIRO to develop a “roadmap” towards commercialised clean energy. It’s a good idea as long as the plan is clear, and there’s enough money behind it.