Ziggy Switkowski brands renewable energy 'a cottage industry' | National News | News.com.au
Ziggy Switkowski brands renewable energy 'a cottage industry'
AAP
July 24, 2009 09:44am
THE wind and solar energy sector is "a cottage industry" that can't generate enough power to meet national requirements, the nation's nuclear science chief says.
Ziggy Switkowski, the head of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) said aspirations for contributions from intermittent sources, such as solar and wind, were "laudable".
Dr Switkowski said he was concerned Australia was trying to replace an industrial strength, very efficient energy infrastructure in Australia with "a cottage industry made up of windmills and solar hot water services".
"It is chalk and cheese."
Nuclear energy was the only real alternative to use of fossil fuels if Australia wanted to meet planned emissions reduction targets, he said.
He said nations seeking to meet very aggressive reduction targets were reaching the conclusion that only nuclear power could provide baseload electricity supplies.
"There is no other alternative but to go nuclear," Dr Switkowski said.
The ANSTO chief supports the Government strategy that combines renewable energy, energy conservation, productivity improvements and research of carbon capture and storage technology.
"But realistically when you put probabilities against each of those dimensions, they won't deliver what needs to be delivered."
In a submission to the Government's white paper on energy, ANSTO said nuclear power was safe, reliable, readily available and would become more cost-effective.
In a separate submission, mining giant Rio Tinto talked up nuclear power and called on the Government to make a decision about it by 2020.
However, several Government ministers, including Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson and Treasurer Wayne Swan, have this week poured cold water on suggestions Australia could move towards nuclear power.
Just throwing this out there, he's right.