Is nuclear energy the answer to a sustainable future? Experts are divided
Nuclear power has been touted as a proven, safe way of producing clean energy, but why isn’t it more widely adopted?
Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images
As the world pushes toward its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, nuclear power has been touted as the way to bridge the energy gap — but some, like Greenpeace, have expressed skepticism, warning that it has “no place in a safe, clean, sustainable future.”
Nuclear energy is not only clean. It is reliable and overcomes the intermittent nature of renewables like wind, hydro and solar power.
“How do you provide cheap, reliable and pollution-free energy for a world of 8 billion people? Nuclear energy is really the only scalable version of that, renewables are not reliable,” Michael Shellenberger, founder of environmental organization Environmental Progress, told CNBC.
Governments have started to pour money into the sector after years of “treading water,” according to a report by Schroders on Aug. 8.
According to the report, there are 486 nuclear reactors either planned, proposed or under construction as of July, amounting to 65.9 billion watts of electric capacity – the highest amount of electric capacity under construction the industry has seen since 2015.
Only a few years ago, the International Energy Agency had warned that nuclear power was “at risk of future decline.” The report in 2019 said then that “nuclear power has begun to fade, with plants closing and little new investment made, just when the world requires more low-carbon electricity.”
Schroders noted that nuclear power is not only scalable, but much cleaner — emitting just 10-15 grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt hour. That’s competitive with both wind and solar energy and substantially better than coal and natural gas.
Nuclear power is also the second largest source of low carbon energy after hydro power, more than wind and solar combined, Schroders said.
Shellenberger’s view is that renewable energy is reaching the limits of what it can achieve in many countries. For example, hydroelectric power is not viable in all countries, and those that have them are “tapped out,” which means they cannot exploit any more land or water resources for that purpose.
Nuclear power is a great alternative, with “very small amounts of waste, easy to manage, never hurt anybody, very low cost when you build the same kind of plants over and over again,” he added.
That’s the reason why nations are having a second look at nuclear power, Shellenberger said. “It’s because renewables aren’t able to take us where we need to go. And countries want to be free of fossil fuels.”
Nuclear safety
Twelve years after Fukushima, we’re just getting better at operating these plants. They’re more efficient, they’re safer, we have better training.
Michael Shellenberger
Environmental Progress
In an interview with CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” last week, Adam Fleck, director of research, ratings and ESG at Morningstar, said the social concern around nuclear power is “somewhat misunderstood.”
While the tragedies in Chernobyl and Fukushima cannot be forgotten, using nuclear is one of the safest ways to produce energy, even taking into consideration the need to store the nuclear waste.
“Many of those [storage facilities] are highly protected. They’re protected against earthquakes, tornadoes, you name it. But there’s a reason why there hasn’t been a significant tragedy or concern related to storage of nuclear waste.”
Shellenberger said: “Twelve years after Fukushima, we’re just getting better at operating these plants. They’re more efficient, they’re safer, we have better training.”
There have been new designs for nuclear power plants that have also enhanced safety, “but really what’s made nuclear safe has been the kind of the boring stuff, the stuff of the trainings and the routines and the best practices,” he told CNBC.
Too expensive, too slow
So, if nuclear has been a tested, proven and safe way of generating power, why isn’t it more widely adopted?
Fleck said it boils down to one main factor: cost.
The extra time that nuclear plants take to build has major implications for climate goals, as existing fossil-fueled plants continue to emit carbon dioxide while awaiting substitution.
Greenpeace
“I think the biggest issue of nuclear has actually been cost economics. It’s very costly to build a nuclear plant up front. There’s a lot of overruns, a lot of delays. And I think, for investors looking to put money to work in this space, they need to find players that have a strong track record of being able to build out that capacity.”
But not everyone is convinced.
A report by global campaigning network Greenpeace in March 2022 was of the position that besides the commonly held concern of nuclear safety, nuclear energy is too expensive and too slow to deploy compared to other renewables.
Greenpeace noted that a nuclear power plant takes about 10 years to build, adding “the extra time that nuclear plants take to build has major implications for climate goals, as existing fossil-fueled plants continue to emit carbon dioxide while awaiting substitution.”
Furthermore, it points out that uranium extraction, transport and processing are not free of greenhouse gas emissions either.
Greenpeace acknowledged that “all in all, nuclear power stations score comparable with wind and solar energy.” However, wind and solar can be implemented much faster and on a much bigger scale, making a faster impact on carbon emissions and the clean energy transition.
Nuclear power is a “distraction” from the “answer we need” — such as renewables and energy storage solutions to mitigate the unreliability from renewables, said Dave Sweeney, a nuclear analyst and nuclear-free campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation.
“That’s the way that we need to go, to keep the lights on and the Geiger counters down,” he told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Friday.
When it comes to battery longevity, it appears that brand matters. A recent study published by Germany’s ADAC revealed tangible, real-world differences in how the high-voltage batteries in PHEVs age across manufacturers. The results: Mercedes’ batteries came out on top, Mitsubishi trailed behind.
A recent study by the German motoring group ADAC (think of it as Germany’s equivalent of America’s AAA) and data analysts at Austrian battery firm AVILOO analyzed more than 28,500 state-of-health (SoH) measurements from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) across six years and several vehicle brands. While the study found that battery degradation for most brands remains within a range consistent with an average vehicle lifespan, it turns out that one of the strongest predictors of battery longevity was the brand of vehicle tested.
In other words: not all hybrid batteries are created equal, and it seems like you really do seem to get what you pay for with batteries from traditionally pricer brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volvo out-performing those from mainstream car brands like VW, Ford, and Mitsubishi. Here’s how ADAC broke it down:
In terms of brand comparison, Mercedes-Benz models generally show very stable battery performance up to a mileage of 200,000 kilometers. This contrasts with Mitsubishi, whose PHEVs already exhibit significant degradation even at low mileages, although this stabilizes somewhat over the course of their lifespan.
Battery degradation in vehicles from the Volkswagen Group and Volvo remains within an unremarkable range even with higher proportions of electric driving. BMW models show a noticeable variation across the entire field, depending on electric usage. In Ford models, battery capacity decreases remarkably early, regardless of the specific user group. However, predictions regarding battery condition at higher mileages are not possible due to the limited number of tests.
ADAC | GOOGLE TRANSLATE
So, what are the big takeaways here, besides the notion that more expensive products tend to be built better than cheaper ones? It seems like most PHEVs are maintaining more than 80% of their batteries’ SoH after 200,000 km (~120,000 miles), with some of the higher-performing batteries doing significantly better.
Still totally fine
Again, the ADAC results shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that the Mitsubishi PHEV models aren’t perfectly serviceable, reliable offerings – just that some cars that cost a lot more than the Mitsubishi tend to have batteries that last a little longer under typical driving conditions.
ADAC also adds that, if frequent electric-only trips are on your agenda (as they are on mine), a fully battery-electric vehicle may be the smarter pick, as their batteries go through fewer charging cycles and tend to last longer than PHEV batteries as a consequence.
At the end of the day, it’s a straightforward choice: align your powertrain with your intended daily use, and your battery will have an easier, longer, and healthier life.
SOURCES: ADAC, AVILOO; via Motorpasión.
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At EICMA 2025, Honda finally pulled back the curtain on its first full-size electric motorcycle with the first-ever public unveiling of the Honda WN7. As someone who’s followed the electric motorcycle space for over a decade, I’ve been waiting a long time to see Big Red bring some serious voltage – and it looks like that moment has arrived.
The WN7 isn’t just a compliance bike or a modest scooter like we’ve seen for years from Honda – it’s a legitimate full-size motorcycle, albeit still a commuter motorcycle and not something you’d likely want to take on a cross-country trip.
Designed as a naked street bike in Honda’s “FUN” category, the WN7 features a peak output of 50 kW (67 hp), putting it in a similar performance class to a 600cc internal combustion motorcycle. With 100 Nm of torque, it even rivals liter-class bikes in terms of torque off the line, promising quick acceleration and agile city or highway handling.
Honda’s development team leaned into the EV strengths with a design philosophy they call “Be the wind.” The goal is apparently a ride experience that’s quiet and immersive, letting you hear the world around you while still delivering that satisfying EV torque hit.
Visually, the WN7 sports a sharp silhouette and a horizontal LED light bar up front – a design element Honda says will become the face of its entire electric lineup. It also features a new colorway exclusive to Honda’s EVs: a black body accented with golden mechanical components.
One of the most interesting engineering decisions is the frameless chassis. Instead of a traditional motorcycle frame, Honda uses the rigid aluminum battery case itself as a central structural element, connecting both the front steering head and the rear swingarm pivot directly to it. This design not only cuts weight but also improves handling by centralizing the mass. It’s a move we’re seeing more frequently, having been employed by other electric motorcycle makers such as LiveWire as part of their S2 Arrow platform.
Honda’s powertrain includes a new liquid-cooled motor with a built-in inverter, delivering its power to a belt-drive rear wheel through a newly designed gearbox. It’s quiet, clean, and torquey – just what you want in a commuter or light touring bike.
The moderately sized, fixed 9.3 kWh battery supports both CCS2 fast charging (20% to 80% in 30 minutes) and Type 2 charging, with a claimed range of 140 km (87 miles) per charge under WMTC standards. Riders also benefit from regenerative braking with customizable deceleration levels, as well as a slow-speed walk mode for precise parking assistance.
No word yet on pricing or exact market release dates, but Honda says the WN7 will be produced in Japan and rolled out in regions “where electrification is advancing.” Perhaps that could be a clue about its entry, or lack thereof, in North America.
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Polestar may not yet be a household name, but these makers of objectively excellent, sporty EVs with Scandinavian sensibilities are doing everything they can to change that — including offering killer post-rebate deals set to take the fight to Tesla.
CarsDirect is reporting a MASSIVE $18,000 lease incentive on the sporty Polestar 3, which starts at around $67,500 for the Long Range Single Motor model and goes up to approximately $79,400 for the Long Range Dual Motor. For those of you like to see the math, that pencils out to ~25% discount from MSRP.
Nationally, the 2025 Polestar 3 features a $18,000 lease incentive. Customers who lease a 2025 Polestar 3 through Polestar Financial Services will receive the brand’s $18,000 Clean Vehicle Noncash Incentive. Customers who buy a 2025 Polestar 3 with cash or through standard financing can get $10,000 Polestar Clean Vehicle Incentive cash towards the purchase.
All Polestar 3 EVs currently offer 0% APR for up to 72 months on purchases plus a $7,500 financing bonus. This is the lowest rate we’ve seen since the vehicle’s launch, and it is now among the best 0% financing deals on an SUV.
The EV deals don’t stop there. Polestar is offering both lease and finance customers who happen Costco members can get another $1,000 off the Polestar 3, making the Swedish/Chinese crossover one of the most compelling new car deals in the business.
Polestar 3 | For the money
If you decide to take Polestar up on their offer, you’ll be getting a genuinely sporty five-seat entry-luxe SUV with a big battery and real, road trip-ready range.
In the US the entry Polestar 3 Long-Range Single Motor (RWD) model starts at the previously-mentioned $67,500 MSRP (pre-rebate), and offers a 111 kWh battery pack good for an EPA-rated range of up to 350 miles. The top-shelf Performance-spec Polestar 3, meanwhile, offers an all-wheel-drive dual-motor setup that Polestar rates at 380 kW (~517 hp) that will launch you across suburbia with a 0–60 mph time in the 4 second range, albeit with slightly less range than the base model: “just” 275–315 mi, depending on wheels/trim.
The other thing a Polestar 3 offers is a bit of neutrality. Polestar hasn’t been shy about what it views as an “opportunity” to snatch up car buyers who want to distance themselves from Elon Musk and the political polarization that’s now associated with the Tesla brand.
The company’s CEO, German auto industry stalwart Michael Lohscheller, told Bloomberg, “For Germany, somebody outside of Germany endorsing right-wing political parties is a big thing. You want to know what I think about it? I think it’s totally unacceptable. Totally unacceptable. You just don’t do that. This is pure arrogance, and these things will not work.”
He’s hoping enough people agree to move the needle on Polestar sales in the US – and the first step to that is for consumers to get behind the wheel of this “masterfully tuned and sneaky-fast SUV,” and see if it’s a fit for them.
One thing is certain, though: at $18,000 less — the Polestar 3 is a lot more likely to be a fit for their budget than it was before! You can find out more about Polestar’s killer EV deals on the full range of Polestar models, from the 2 to the 4, below, then let us know what you think of the three-pointed star’s latest discount dash in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: CarsDirect; images via Polestar.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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