I'm not against nuclear power, per se, but the way we do it is seriously warped, mostly by its associations with the weaponry.
A uranium mine isn't just a fuel source, it is also part of a military arsenal at the highest level, so really it isn't that surprising to see so little care given to the externalities.
Personally I think that solar/storage is about to outcompete the pants off most everything else anyway, given the ever falling price of modules and the existence of companies like lightsail and gravitypower. http://www.lightsail.com/http://www.gravitypower.net/
I saw my first hybrid solar/natural gas (continually running) power plant commercial on TV the other night from a fossil fuel company (can't remember which one). I think you're right, that solar thermal storage (in hot oil for now and eventually salt) with trough reflectors instead of photovoltaics, will be the eventual winner, even against wind.
My excitement for it is that it relies on 19th century technologies that anyone can implement and doesn't need a fab or another country to provide solid state solar panels.
A uranium mine isn't just a fuel source, it is also part of a military arsenal at the highest level, so really it isn't that surprising to see so little care given to the externalities.
Personally I think that solar/storage is about to outcompete the pants off most everything else anyway, given the ever falling price of modules and the existence of companies like lightsail and gravitypower. http://www.lightsail.com/ http://www.gravitypower.net/
hot gravel edit; oh, and Isentropic - http://www.isentropic.co.uk/