Nuclear Power and Energy

As we watch the Japanese try to control their damaged reactors we hear lots of noise about doing without nuclear power. "We need clean energy" they cry!. However, I have not seen any alternatives that are even close to supplying the amount of power that nuclear power provides today much less in the future. In the US, nuclear power plants supply about 20% of the total energy. In the world it is only 6%. In the world the projected energy consumption will go from approximately 500 Quadrillion BTU to 722 Quadrillion BTU by 2030. We won't get there with wind and we won't get there without nuclear. All things considered we have to use everything we have and continuously improve what we do to get there. Better efficiency, new fuels, more of what we've got and an understanding that to continue to live the lifestyle we have we must continue to use coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, wind and solar and continue to look for more and better. There is no alternative. What are we going to give up? Our air conditioning? Our refrigerators? Our computers, cell phones, i-pods, car chargers, lights, TVs and cable boxes? Our manufacturing capabilty, transportation and commercial? Our population continues to grow. World population continues to grow and as the third world counties become more like us with modern conveniences their energy use will grow exponentially. To those bleeding hearts who think we can do without certain energy sources I would say "get off the grid"