Stephen Thomas (professor)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Thomas is a professor at the University of Greenwich
Business School, working in the area of energy policy
. Before moving to the University of Greenwich in 2001, Thomas worked for 22 years at the University of Sussex
.
Business School, and has been a researcher in the area of energy policy
for over 25 years. He specialises in the economics and policy of nuclear power
, liberalisation and privatisation of the electricity
and gas industries, and trade policy on network energy industries. Professor Thomas serves on the editorial boards several periodicals including Energy Policy, Utilities Policy, Energy and Environment, and International Journal of Regulation and Governance.
Before moving to the University of Greenwich in 2001, Thomas worked for 22 years at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex
.
". In May 2009 he said:
In terms of the nuclear power industry in the USA, Thomas said, in May 2009:
University of Greenwich
The University of Greenwich is a British university located in the London Borough of Greenwich, London, England. The main campus is located on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, a central location within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.-History:The history of the...
Business School, working in the area of energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
. Before moving to the University of Greenwich in 2001, Thomas worked for 22 years at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
.
Research work
Stephen Thomas is professor at the University of GreenwichUniversity of Greenwich
The University of Greenwich is a British university located in the London Borough of Greenwich, London, England. The main campus is located on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, a central location within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.-History:The history of the...
Business School, and has been a researcher in the area of energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
for over 25 years. He specialises in the economics and policy of nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
, liberalisation and privatisation of the electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and gas industries, and trade policy on network energy industries. Professor Thomas serves on the editorial boards several periodicals including Energy Policy, Utilities Policy, Energy and Environment, and International Journal of Regulation and Governance.
Before moving to the University of Greenwich in 2001, Thomas worked for 22 years at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
.
Views on nuclear power
Thomas has been critical of the idea that the nuclear power industry is undergoing a "nuclear renaissanceNuclear renaissance
Since about 2001 the term nuclear renaissance has been used to refer to a possible nuclear power industry revival, driven by rising fossil fuel prices and new concerns about meeting greenhouse gas emission limits. At the same time, various barriers to a nuclear renaissance have been identified...
". In May 2009 he said:
We've been waiting in vain on a 'Nuclear Renaissance' in Europe since the early 1990s. Even before the recent collapse in energy prices and the financial downturn, it was clear that all of the talk of a new resurgence in the prospects for nuclear reactors was just that: talk.
In terms of the nuclear power industry in the USA, Thomas said, in May 2009:
U.S. efforts to revive nuclear ordering, begun in 2002, were originally expected to get a new plant on-line by 2010. Even if there are no further delays, the earliest a new plant could be on-line is now looking closer to 2020. In the meantime, the nuclear industry has upped its demands for taxpayer-backed loan guarantees to build demonstration plants from about $5 billion to more than $100 billion. The prospect that these demonstration plants would lead to unsubsidized ordering now looks fanciful.
Selected publications
- with Mycle Schneider and Antony Froggatt (2011). World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2010-2011: Nuclear Power in a Post-Fukushima World, Worldwatch InstituteWorldwatch InstituteThe Worldwatch Institute is a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C. Worldwatch was named as one of the top ten sustainable development research organizations by Globescan Survey of Sustainability Experts.-Mission:...
. - with Mycle SchneiderMycle SchneiderMycle Schneider is a nuclear energy consultant based in Paris, and lead author of The World Nuclear Industry Status Reports...
, Antony FroggattAntony FroggattAntony Froggatt is an energy policy consultant and a senior research fellow at Chatham House. He is co-author of the The World Nuclear Industry Status Reports.-Biography:...
, and Doug Koplow. The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2009 Commissioned by German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety, August 2009. - International Perspectives on Energy Policy and the Role of Nuclear Power, Multi-Science Publishing, 2009.
- The grin of the Cheshire cat, Energy Policy, vol 34, 15, 2006, pp 1974–1983.
- The British Model in Britain: failing slowly, Energy Policy, vol 34, 5, 2006, pp 583–600.
- The UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Energy & Environment, vol 16, no 6, 2005, pp 923–935.
- Evaluating the British Model of electricity deregulation, Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, vol 75, 3, 2004, pp 367–398.
See also
- David ElliottDavid Elliott (professor)David Elliott is Professor of Technology Policy at the Open University. He has created several courses in Design and Innovation, with special emphasis on how the innovation development process can be directed towards sustainable technologies...
- Andy StirlingAndy StirlingAndy Stirling is Professor of science and technology policy at Sussex University. He has a background in the natural sciences, a Master's degree in archaeology and social anthropology and a D.Phil in science and technology policy ....
- Gordon WalkerGordon Walker (professor)Gordon P. Walker is professor in the Department of Geography and Lancaster Environment Centre at Lancaster University. Professor Walker is the author of many publications on environmental justice and inequality, and community energy initiatives which involve embedding renewable energy at the local...
- World Nuclear Industry Status ReportWorld Nuclear Industry Status ReportThe World Nuclear Industry Status Report is a yearly report that explores the global challenges facing the nuclear power industry. The reports show that the share of nuclear-generated electricity in the overall global energy production has decreased in the 2000s...