This is the second part of my interview with Dr. Terry Surles about energy on the big island of Hawaii. Terry is the program lead for technology integration and policy analysis at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute. He previously has held a number of leadership positions in the broad area of energy and environmental systems analysis, research, and development including Vice President for both Environment and Electricity Innovations at the Electric Power Research Institute, and Deputy Secretary for Science and Technology at Cal/EPA. Terry is extremely knowledgeable about the Hawaiian energy situation and provides a great overview of issues facing the Big Island.

OK, it's time to write something about offshore drilling. When it first came into the spotlight I thought it would quickly disappear. But, it has proven to be a valuable election campaign tool, especially for McCain, with public emotions running high. Perhaps now that the oil price is coming down this issue will not have a strong appeal for much longer.

When discussing the pros and cons of nuclear energy, opponents generally bring up three main concerns: nuclear waste storage, perceived risk of nuclear power generation, and proliferation. In previous podcasts with Professor Burton Richter both storage and risk factors were extensively addressed. In this interview with
Per Peterson, professor of nuclear engineering at UC Berkeley, we discuss nuclear proliferation.
The interview is conducted by Jared Kruzek, a student in my class on renewable energy at Stanford, and the questions were composed by him with fellow students for the class project. The result is an interesting overview of the topic with insightful comments.

Burton Richter is professor emeritus at Stanford University, a 1976 Nobel Prize winner and an expert on nuclear energy. This is the last in our five-part series with Richter.

Part four of our interview with nuclear energy expert, Stanford University Professor Emeritus and 1976 Nobel Prize Winner Burton Richter.

The third installment of our interview with Burton Richter, professor emeritus at Stanford University, 1976 Nobel Prize winner and an expert on nuclear energy.

Listen to the second part of the interview with Burton Richter, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, 1976 Nobel Prize winner and an expert on nuclear energy.

I know: nuclear energy has long had a bad name in the US. I believe, however, that it is an essential part of our future energy portfolio. Nuclear energy is clean, its generation is efficient, its resources are still abundant. Yes, nuclear waste treatment is a great concern. But, what are the current alternatives? I would rather deal with nuclear waste, for which I think we can find solutions, than with an increase in coal-based electricity generation.

To start a debate on the pros and cons of nuclear energy, and hopefully clarify some of the issues associated with it, I talked with Professor Burton Richter, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, former director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and 1976 nobel prize winner. This is part I of a series of four podcasts. I think you will find them insightful.