Veteran New York Times energy reporter Matthew Wald takes a pragmatic look at the trade-offs associated with investment in a number of alternative energy sources in “Getting Power to the People,” a special in-depth feature appearing in the September/October 2007 issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Wald considers variables such as the cost of fuel inputs, capacity factor, and the price of carbon capture technology, and discusses how they affect energy prices for consumers. “There is a future on the grid for almost everything: coal, natural gas, nuclear power, gasified biomass, and probably wind and solar as well,” Wald concludes. “What remains is to determine the proportions.”
Additional materials include selected graphs that illustrate baseline energy concepts and a summation chart that offers energy source comparison at a glance.
Also in this issue of the Bulletin: Want the truth about the hidden world of hazardous waste disposal and the arms trade" It’s all about knowing how something gets from point A to point B. Sergio Finardi, a logistics expert who independently tracks the international freight transport system, talks to the Bulletin about subterfuge and foul play rampant in the transport business, and about how he knew that the United States had decided to invade Iraq a year before it happened.-Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
