Interesting discussion of hybrid and plug-in hybrids from Steve Specker is president and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) at the SVLG "CEO Show":
Notably, EPRI acknowledges the reality of human-caused climate change though it is an utility industry funded group. They are a big promoter of nuclear power. While some ongoing nuclear is inevitable, it's worth observing that nuclear is attracting no private funding. Already receiving more government subsidies than renewables, nuclear would need enormous additional government support to be viable. The costs and national security considerations put nuclear out of the realm of a major part of the solution.
Updated: Nuclear is acknowledged as high risk by the industry. Only massive government subsidies make it viable. Unlike wind or concentrated solar, nuclear plants take years to build and no private investors dare touch nuclear.
So risky and expensive, in fact, that building new ones won't happen without hefty government support. NRG Energy (NRG), Dominion (D), Duke Energy (DUK), and six other companies have already leaped to file applications to construct and operate new plants largely because of incentives Congress has put in place. The subsidies include a 1.8 cents tax credit for each kilowatt hour of electricity produced, which could be worth more than $140 million per reactor per year; a $500 million payout for each of the first two plants built (and $250 million each for the next four) if there are delays for reasons outside company control; and a total of $18.5 billion in loan guarantees. The latter is crucial, since it shifts the risk onto the federal government, making it possible to raise capital from skittish banks. "Without the loan guarantees, I think it would be very difficult for the first wave of plants to move forward," says David W. Crane, CEO of NRG.
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