Nuclear energy: a safe bet?

In October 2013, the British government gave a green light to the UK's first nuclear power station in a generation.  It will be built at Hinckley Point in Somerset by a consortium which is led by France's EDF Energy and includes Chinese investors. The government is backing nuclear energy and is guaranteeing to pay £92.50 per megawatt hour for the electricity generated, twice the current wholesale price. Professor Keith Barnham of Imperial College, author of The Burning Answer, says there are many reasons to think this is far from a sound proposition - not only do we not know the carbon footprint of nuclear power, but the price guarantee for the consortium may end up being way above the costs of energy in 10 years time, with the taxpayer having to foot the extra bill. This short podcast is an extended extract from Prof Barnham's interview with Dr Radu Sporea of the Surrey University Advanced Technology Institute, in which they discuss the potential for renewables to meet all our energy needs. You can find the full interview between Keith Barnham and Radu Sporea, Solar power, the burning answer?  It looks at the potential of renewables, in particular solar power. Photo: Reactor by Paul Stevens .  Photo taken at the decommissioned nuclear reactor in Dounraey, Scotland