Nuclear power has, worldwide, received billions, if not trillions, of dollars of investment. By comparison the renewables industry has received tiny grants from central government and, despite a lack of funding and running forty years behind in terms of the attention of governments, it is holding its own with an expanding market share. As of the 8th of July 2011 the US was more reliant on renewable energy than nuclear [i] according to the Energy Information Administration.  All of this was accomplished despite massively disproportionate funding. According to the primary Congressional report on the subject:  “Energy research and development (R&amp;D) intended to advance technology played an important role in the successful outcome of World War II. In the post-war era, the federal government conducted R&amp;D on fossil fuel and nuclear energy sources to support peacetime economic growth. The energy crises of the 1970s spurred the government to broaden the focus to include renewable energy and energy efficiency. Over the 33-year period from the Department of Energy’s inception at the beginning of fiscal Year (FY) 1978 through FY2010, federal spending for renewable energy R&amp;D amounted to about 16% of the energy R&amp;D total, compared with 14% for energy efficiency, 26% for fossil, and 37% for nuclear. For the 63-year period from 1948 through 2010, nearly 12% went to renewables, compared with 9% for efficiency, 25% for fossil, and 50% for nuclear.” [ii] Put simply the renewables industry has been outspent but is still producing more energy in the world’s largest consumer.  [i] “US Renewable Energy Production Now Greater Than Nuclear”. Future of Energy Blog. 8 July 2011.  [ii] Fred Sissine. “Renewable Energy R&amp;D Funding History: A Comparison with Funding for Nuclear Energy, Fossil Energy, and Energy Efficiency R&amp;D”. Congressional Research Service. 26 January 2011.