Nuclear power goes solar

Austria — Last night Greenpeace was invited by the Austrian authorities to hang a banner from a nuclear power station, unlikely but true. The Zwentendorf nuclear plant was never operated and has been mothballed since the 70s. Today it is to open as a solar power station: our banner simply stated: “Energy Revolution – Climate Solution.”

The plants operation was fiercely contested and in 1978 a national referendum sealed its fate. Nuclear fuel rods were never inserted into the reactor and the concrete plant on the edge of the Danube River in western Austria never produced electricity. It has stood dormant as a testament to Austrian concerns over nuclear energy. Now, a 1.2 million Euro project has turned the nuclear power plant into the largest solar power station in Austria.

A testament to the fact that the only safe nuclear power comes from the sun.