The deal marks Areva's first foray into solar energy and the nuclear giant hopes to have the leading market share in concentrated solar power by 2012, an Areva executive told Reuters in an interview. "This market is set to have 20 gigawatts by the year 2020. Areva has an objective to be a world leader in solar energy," said Anil Srivastava, Areva's senior executive vice president of its renewable energies business group. The executive said Areva chose solar thermal technology -- which uses the sun's heat to create steam to run turbines for electricity -- over other solar power options because it is "the closest" to nuclear plants.
"This market is set to have 20 gigawatts by the year 2020. Areva has an objective to be a world leader in solar energy," said Anil Srivastava, Areva's senior executive vice president of its renewable energies business group.
The executive said Areva chose solar thermal technology -- which uses the sun's heat to create steam to run turbines for electricity -- over other solar power options because it is "the closest" to nuclear plants.
The hundreds of billions that have been spent on hot fusion could have implemented international energy security many times over using dull old thermal solar.
