This speech has been getting noticed ever since literally the moment it occurred, being tweeted and covered by various press…but the TED folks just put the video up.

Here is a key quote (with bolding being from us):

“So let’s look at this fourth factor — this is going to be a key one — and this is the amount of CO2 put out per each unit of energy. And so the question is, can you actually get that to zero? If you burn coal, no. If you burn natural gas, no. Almost every way we make electricity today, except for the emerging renewables and nuclear, puts out CO2. And so, what we’re going to have to do at a global scale, is create a new system. And so, we need energy miracles.

Now, when I use the term miracle, I don’t mean something that’s impossible. The microprocessor is a miracle. The personal computer is a miracle. The internet and it’s services are a miracle. So, the people here have participated in the creation of many miracles.”

From Energy Secretary Chu’s Facebook Page:

Here’s a chart showing the International Energy Agency’s estimate of the combination of technologies that will be needed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the United States – and put the world on a sustainable energy path.

As you’ll see, we need nuclear power as part of a comprehensive solution: investing in energy efficiency, wind, solar, geothermal, carbon capture, energy storage, electric vehicles, and more. In doing so, we are sparking a new industrial revolution that will create millions of new jobs here in the United States and lay the foundation for America’s long-term economic prosperity.

CNN has posted online two juxtaposed opinion pieces that argue nuclear energy issues.

In the first op-ed, “Nuclear Power’s Time has come,” CNN interviews author and environmentalist, Stewart Brand, on his support of nuclear energy.

Looking for a surefire way to cut greenhouse gases, Brand said the alternative to burning coal became clear: “We already had a very good supplier of …electricity. It worked like mad and was as clean as it could be — and that was nuclear.”

Brand concludes: “Look, you’re not going to cure greenhouse gases with nuclear, but curing greenhouse gases without nuclear is approximately impossible.”

In the contrasting opinion piece, Mark Z. Jacobson, a Stanford University professor, discusses why “Nuclear Power is Too Risky.”

Jacobson writes on how the planet can be powered by renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal alone, saying “If our nation wants to reduce global warming, air pollution and energy instability, we should invest only in the best energy options. Nuclear energy isn’t one of them.”

Both pieces debate the current issues concerning nuclear energy. We’ll let you compare the “nuclear argument” yourself.

Let us know what you think.

AREVA, which launched its new global website this month, will host its first Video Chat, live February 24 at 9:30 am (EST) on areva.com. The topic of discussion: “Is nuclear power a sustainable energy source?”

Betrand Barré, the Scientific Advisor for AREVA and Professor Emeritus at the French National Institute for Nuclear Sciences and Technology, will respond directly to your questions on this issue.

You will be able to participate in the dialogue and ask your questions directly on areva.com.

By Katherine Berezowskyj

President Obama’s recent support for nuclear energy has ignited a genuine discussion on the issue. No longer can nuclear energy’s benefits be ignored or scare tactics employed to shut down discussion, the American media is getting behind the facts.

From the Boston Herald:

“Absent nuclear power, any clean-energy policy is largely decorative since the more talked about elements – wind, solar – can only supply power at the margins. Nuclear plants generate 20 percent of U.S. power now and 70 percent of the power considered to come from clean sources.”

read more…

Think you know a lot about clean energy? Challenge yourself and try for
the top score on AREVA’s Clean Energy Quiz.
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AREVA announced today that it has agreed to acquire U.S. solar company Ausra. Ausra is a California-based provider of large-scale concentrated solar power solutions for electricity generation and industrial steam production.

Utilizing Ausra’s management team and proven technology, this acquisition launches AREVA’s new solar energy business on a global scale.

Liddell Solar/Coal-Fired Power

By combining Ausra’s proven technology with AREVA’s years of project experience and world class Engineering, Procurement, and Construction skills, AREVA commits to building the most cost-effective concentrated solar power for energy customers around the world.
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By Jarret Adams

Right now, nuclear energy is expanding around the world. According to the World Nuclear Association, there are 50 reactors under construction across the globe and another 130 (and counting) scheduled to come online over the next decade.

The nuclear renaissance is happening.

Today the world demands clean, low-carbon energy sources to prevent further increases in carbon-dioxide emissions. That is why we are seeing increasing interest in nuclear energy as well as renewable technologies such as wind and solar.

In the United States, nuclear energy is by far the largest source of electricity that does not produce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, 72 percent of the nation’s emissions-free electricity comes from nuclear power.

At AREVA, we believe nuclear energy must be part of any solution to reduce harmful emissions and provide affordable, clean electricity to the country. Nuclear energy is just one part of the equation, a range of clean energy sources, including renewables, are needed. But in realistic terms, the United States would be hard pressed to meet its energy and climate goals without nuclear energy.

From California to New York, companies like AREVA are planning a new generation of nuclear energy plants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received 17 applications to license 25 new reactors and is working hard to review them. Included among these are four AREVA U.S. EPR™ reactors. These four domestic reactors are in addition to the four EPR™ reactors AREVA has under construction worldwide.

These new nuclear facilities will do more than produce clean, reliable electricity. These projects will inject billions of dollars of investment into local communities and create thousands of high-paying jobs.

We must tackle the challenges of reducing emissions and creating a clean-energy economy. Nuclear energy is a reliable, clean-energy source, capable of generating jobs where they are needed most. New nuclear plants should be part of the nation’s energy solution.

Jarret Adams is director of media relations at AREVA Inc. in Bethesda, Md.

By Katherine Berezowskyj

There was a very big announcement for renewable energy today out of Washington State. ADAGE LLC, a biopower joint venture between AREVA and Duke Energy, and John Deere announced the formation as part of the biomass power process. This alliance will bring innovative technology and sustainable methods to enhance fuel supply for the renewable woody biomass power projects.

John Deere Bundler

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From today’s Wall Street Journal, an op-ed by Russian businessman, Oleg Deripaska

Russian businessman, Oleg Deripaska

“It is 50 years since the first commercial nuclear power plants began to generate electricity. Even in the dark days of the Cold War, these reactors, in France and the U.S., were seen as vital to the world’s future. They were expected to mark the beginning of a new peaceful atomic age that would help meet our energy needs.

Nuclear power now generates 15% of the world’s electricity. But a combination of alternative and plentiful energy sources, high costs, the impact of the Chernobyl disaster as well as scare campaigns has meant nuclear power has failed to live up to its pioneers’ loftiest ambitions.

Oil is, however, no longer cheap or plentiful. There are serious worries about future supplies. At the same time, demand for energy continues to accelerate to support the growth of developing economies. Climate change caused by emissions from fossil fuels poses a threat to our quality of life. It is no surprise that the balance is tipping back in favor of nuclear power.”

- Oleg Deripaska