Accomplished international businessman Fritz Gautschi most recently served as president and CEO of ALSTOM and ABB, companies focused on energy equipment and systems design and manufacturing. Fritz Gautschi completed the International Senior Management Program at Harvard Business School and is the author of A Post Fukushima World: America’s New Energy Landscape.
To address a growing global energy supply crisis, the United States must continue to pursue self-sustaining energy strategies. Nuclear energy, which refers to the energy released from an atom’s nucleus, does not need to be pumped out of the ground and does not create dangerous emissions. In addition to the environmental advantages, nuclear energy is a reliable, stable energy source. Because nuclear reactors do not rely on variable conditions such as wind and sun, nuclear reactors produce power over 90 percent of the time, and most are designed to operate for more than 40 years. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power costs are stable and competitive, unaffected by market fluctuations. In recent years, nuclear reactors have become safer, more efficient, and more powerful, all increasing nuclear’s viability as an energy source.
To address a growing global energy supply crisis, the United States must continue to pursue self-sustaining energy strategies. Nuclear energy, which refers to the energy released from an atom’s nucleus, does not need to be pumped out of the ground and does not create dangerous emissions. In addition to the environmental advantages, nuclear energy is a reliable, stable energy source. Because nuclear reactors do not rely on variable conditions such as wind and sun, nuclear reactors produce power over 90 percent of the time, and most are designed to operate for more than 40 years. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power costs are stable and competitive, unaffected by market fluctuations. In recent years, nuclear reactors have become safer, more efficient, and more powerful, all increasing nuclear’s viability as an energy source.