Cleantechinvestor.co.uk, Renewable Energy, Biofuel, Investment - Editor's Letter

OOPS. Your Flash player is missing or outdated.Click here to update your player so you can see this content.

Cleantech magazine, a Cleantech Investor publication

Editor's Letter - Infocus: Nuclear Energy, February 2008

First published in InFocus: Nuclear, a supplement to Cleantech magazine January/February 2008. Copyright Cleantech Investor 2008

Dear Reader,

The definition of clean technology, or ‘cleantech’, varies according to the individual. However, there is a broad agreement that cleantech stretches beyond the scope of purely ‘renewable’ energy. Drivers behind cleantech investment include environmental considerations (of which greenhouse gases/the global warming issue is just one, albeit a highly important one), concerns about ‘peak oil’ and worries about ‘energy security’.

Nuclear energy may offer a solution to the global warming issue, in the form of a source of energy which is largely free of CO₂ emissions. However, there are still concerns about the questions of nuclear waste and safety. Nuclear energy also potentially offers a solution to peak oil and energy security. The latter is perhaps the driver behind cleantech investment which is most strongly driven by geopolitical factors – and the large overlap between the nuclear energy industry and the nuclear defence industry adds to the contentious nature of nuclear energy.

A number of respected cleantech gurus (not least, Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder, the authors of the book “The Clean Tech Revolution”, for whom we have the highest respect), are of the opinion that nuclear energy is not cleantech. However, at Cleantech magazine – after much debate – we have taken the decision to address the issues being thrown up by the resurgence of interest in nuclear energy. This special supplement marks our first coverage of the topic and has been written in the light of the UK Government’s decision to embrace nuclear energy. Nigel Hawkins looks at which companies are likely to invest in the nuclear energy sector in the UK; Andrew Hore looks at some of the UK quoted companies which provide services to the nuclear industry – and we have also invited Friends of the Earth to respond to the UK Government’s decision.

From a technology perspective, nuclear fusion offers massive potential to provide an inexhaustible source of energy. Nuclear fusion is where nuclear energy as clean technology really comes into its own. Denis Gross reviews the state of research into nuclear fusion – and guest writer Alex Monroe comments on General Fusion, a company which is close to making the ‘holy grail’ of nuclear fusion a commercial proposition.

Going forward, we aim to include periodic comment on nuclear energy in Cleantech magazine. We will inevitably focus on the investment opportunities which are arising in the area – but we also aim to address the political and social issues which may arise as a result of the nuclear reawakening.

Anne McIvor, February 2008

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it