There's a lot discussion in IT circles these days about power that has nothing to do with how much clout anybody has. Instead, it's all about how much it costs to consume power and the implication that this has for where we locate our data centers.

Already, we're seeing a lot of interest in locating data centers in places such as Ireland, Iceland and even Siberia, to take advantage of the cooler climates. Likewise, we're also seeing a lot of interest in building data centers alongside rivers that offer access to relatively cheap source of hydroelectric power.

Either way, what's interesting about these options is that they require that companies be able to entice already scarce IT workers into moving to relatively remote locations. This may not be a practical option for every company on the planet, so many of them are looking to retool their existing data centers to lower their power consumption, by either adding more efficient air or water cooling to help keep power costs under control.

That's all well and good, but with oil at $100 a barrel and the value of the dollar conspiring to keep it there, the cost of electricity is not likely to drop significantly any time soon unless other sources of energy are brought to bear.

Of course, the most popular sources of alternative energy in the popular culture today are things like windmills. But the fact remains that nuclear power, as unpopular as that idea may be right now, is a cost-efficient power source. And short of, say, tearing up more Alaskan tundra to increase the supply of oil in the world or burning more coal, it's also one of the most efficient ways to help lower the cost of oil by servicing ever increasing demands for power using something that doesn't burn as much carbon as oil, gas or coal.

There are only so many rivers in the world that can support additional hydroelectric dams and, no matter where they come from, burning more fuels that will only generate more carbon in the environment doesn't seem like the best approach.

So you have to ask yourself: Once all the screaming and shouting is over about politics and the environment, like it or not, is nuclear energy going to be the only truly practical alternative for the foreseeable future?