Good to see a heavy hitter like Pickens enter the arena. Sad to see that he dismissed nuclear from the equation early in the discussion. Wind is a great resource, but it has a BIG footprint. Ultimately, wind may contribute significantly to our domestic energy needs, but nuclear is the obvious choice to provide our base load. Nuclear even dove-tails nicely into alternative energy transportation needs. Nukes like to run at full capacity 24/7. During off-peak hours, nuclear plants can generate electricity for charging 3rd generation electric vehicles or even generate hydrogen for new fuel-cell vehicles. It is the best (and cleanest) solution to our domestic energy needs.
Have a look at the new Pebble Reactor technology;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_reactor
Do I want one in my backyard? Hell yes! Small footprint. Safest, cleanest power source we have. No need for cooling towers. You can build them anywhere.