photo originally uploaded by Ko(char *)hoo
A group of Fresno, Calif., businessmen and farmers a few months back formed a group to push for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the state’s Central Valley, in part, as a solution to global warming. On Thursday, California Public Utilities Commission president Michael Peevey weighed in on the issue. "It’s a non-starter," said Peevey of the nuke plant proposal, during a press conference at utility PG&E (PCG) before a panel on solar energy began. Peevey, a former utility company executive, said there’s no getting around a California law that bans new nuclear power plant construction in the Golden State until a way is found to dispose of radioactive waste. "That’s not to say there is not a role for nuclear energy in climate change. But it is not going to happen in California." Peevey acknowledged as a "Herculean challenge" a California mandate that utilities PG&E, Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE) must get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and 33 percent by 2030. With PG&E executives standing beside him, he said he’d like to see the utility earn a guaranteed rate of return on capital invested in rooftop solar collectors. "I would also like to see them invest in solar thermal" power plants, Peevey added.
Silicon Valley venture capitalist and green energy guru Vinod Khosla also spoke at the press conference, calling for a carbon tax on fossil fuels to reflect their environmental costs and level the playing field with renewable energy producers.
"Policy makers make markets," Khosla said. "If there is a cost of
carbon in the U.S., what we will have is a low hurdle for renewable
technology. As soon as there’s a cost of carbon, it will increase the
cost of fossil fuels and make renewable energy competitive."
Green Wombat 
Who is this idiot Vinod Khosla? If this moron wants to raise fossile fuel rates…let him pay for it. I don’t want any taxes on fossil fuels…they are already too expensive.
The tax is need it to make a transition from carbon based economy to solar energy. There is a reason why the three big U.S. companies are going broke. They went for the bigger trucks which have a higher profit margin thus neglecting the rest of the market.
We need to think 10 years ahead instead of this American belief, I want it now.
To Jack:
You can do a google search on Vinod? He is one of the most succesful and powerful Venture Capitalist in the Silicon Valley. He is one of the leading people on moving from a carbon base economy to alternative energies to save the planet.
The movement is already on its way. You either adapt or you will be left behind. Look at the previous post. We are close to the tipping point.
It just strikes me as odd, that mankind has been spending years trying to make energy cheaper, and now some folks want to make it more expensive. Energy is the life blood of our economy. This moonbat Vinod can apparently afford the carbon taxes, but the masses may not.
Who is this idiot Vinod Khosla?
He’s a guy who stands to make a ton of money if the carbon tax is implemented.
Way to go, raise oil price to make solar competitive!
Vinod has very noble plans to reduce global warming. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all drive solar cars to work and get our power from wind turbines and hydro-electric damms?
Too bad he is an absolute fool– this is just not going to happen, its a pipe dream supported by headline grabbing politicians.
You want to raise the carbon tax and jack peoples power bills by 50+%? that is absurd.
Why doens’t he keep spending his own billions of dollars to make renewables competitive on their own right, without a carbon tax or tax credits.
Don’t raise the fuel prices!…reduce the number of cars on the road–voluntarily.
HERE’S HOW: A new book, a great plan, “HOW TO LIVE WELL WITHOUT OWNING A CAR” by Chris Balish.
The only realistic way to reduce the use of gasoline in transportation is to make it more expensive. The best way to do it is through a tax. The only realistic way to reduce carbon emissions is to make it cost something. The best way to do this is through a tax. Yes, you will end up paying more for energy. Who says this NEEDS to over-all increase your taxes? Theres such a thing as raising taxes in one area and reducing them in another. Anyone who dosent think that this isnt the best way to deal with this issue isnt thinking hard enough. =)( Alough Vinod Khosla’s motives on this are most likely purely his own greed; it dosent mean that it is a bad idea)
When the government subsidizes nuclear energy R&D, the press calls it a “handout”, or “corporate welfare”.
When taxes and subsidies benefit pet projects like solar and biofuel, its just the opposite.
Incidentally, nuclear subsidies *per MWe* delivered by nuclear plants are much, much less than we spend on solar subsidies. The fact is that nuclear delivers, while solar proponents keep making promises.
Any solar propopent should be required to explain why his utopian promises are any different than the ones from 10, 20, 30 years ago that turned out to be complete frauds.