Motley Fool: "Nuclear power a viable option for expanding electrical capacity."

Over at the Motley Fool, Stephen Simpson takes a look at investing in the nuclear energy sector:

New power generation in the U.S. in recent decades has most often meant coal or gas-fired plants, supplemented by hydroelectric facilities and the occasional wind farm.

Unfortunately, all of these options have drawbacks.

Fossil fuel plants have two obvious problems -- pollution and reliance on finite sources of fuel. While progress is being made on the pollution side, recent price history with coal and natural gas highlights the potential threat of supply shortages. Hydroelectric power is an option only where geography permits, and there are growing environmental worries about the impact of dams on waterways. So, too, with wind power -- it's clean and effective, but not viable everywhere.

Nuclear power, then, appears to be a viable option today for expanding electrical capacity without simultaneously increasing our national reliance on hydrocarbons.

Thanks to reader Brian Spears for the pointer.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

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