US energy industry needs ‘backup,’ can’t run on ‘just wind and solar’: Former BP Chief Scientist Steve Koonin

As the renewable energy debate and how much to invest in it rages on in Washington, former BP chief scientist and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary of Science under the Obama administration Steve Koonin warned on "Cavuto: Coast to Coast" Friday that the U.S. energy industry can't fully rely on wind or solar power.

UNDERLYING ENERGY MARKET CONDITIONS COULD SIGNAL PAIN FOR CONSUMERS THIS WINTER AND BEYOND

STEVE KOONIN: We need to worry about the reliability and affordability of energy. We also need to be developing emissions-like technologies and then slowly deploying them so we don't disrupt society.

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We can't run the system on just wind and solar because there are long periods, up to two weeks when they won't produce any electricity at all. So we need backup, and that's probably going to be some combination of nuclear and batteries.

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