Elementary my Dear Watson.
The problem for the eco-profiteers, is that whatever set of social costs and real costs they use to derive overall cost benefits of 'renewable' energy, the numbers still come out wrong.
Only by demonizing nuclear power and fossil power at an emotional level, can they retain any semblance of moral high ground.
But they have to lie to do that.
By the way geothermal is no more renewable than photovoltaic or wind. Its just a rather bigger source of stored energy we are raiding and in fact it has its limits too..the rate of conduction from the earth's core is not great, and if you raid it too much, it will fall locally.
Neither is hydro 'good' renewable from the eco point of view. Yes it solves the intermittency by introducing storage - natural storage - but that storage itself has a widespread environmental impact in terms of land areas submerged.
The lowest environmental impact of anything is nuclear energy. If the costs of carbon are taken into account, its also the cheapest form. This threatens the fossil AND the eco-renewable industry, who are both united in spreading the FUD around.
The correct view is that what we need is not 'wilful' energy (intermittent renewables) but 'willing' energy - stored energy we can tap as and when we want it and need it.
The highest energy density we know of in terms of extractable energy is given by E=mC^2. Mass destruction releases energy. Nuclear power works. Its compact, reliable, and more flexible than is generally recognised, and its waste products are minuscule by comparison with any other technology. It also uses less scarce materials than most competing technologies. And fuel can be stockpiled for years if necessary at relatively low cost.
In short it ticks every box bar one. The very word introduces electoral fever in the Green consciousness.
Ultimately, however, its easier to change consciousness than the laws of Nature. And a detailed analysis of renewable energy of the intermittent kind shows that it never has, and never will (and never CAN) provide a satisfactory solution in more than a few niche cases.
As to why we are pursuing this impossible dream, I can only surmise that in a continent ruled by PPE's we have to lay the blame on post modern relativism, which decrees that reality is indeed a social construct, (probably reasonably accurate) but makes the alarming leap of faith in thereby positing the hypothesis that it can be changed (up to and including fundamental laws of physics) simply be believing that it can.And, of course, spending suitable large sums of someone else's money as ritual votive offerings, to the new Green Priesthood of Gaia.
If only we had a few technocrats in charge, who had spent frustrating hours debugging network connections...faith, does not help. Nor indeed does spending large sums of money. What is required is the courage and conviction to speak out, and make the point that a biodegradable piece of wet string, or a carrier pigeon, is no substitute for a properly engineered (but less biodegradable) piece of glass fibre....Even if it is dull, teckie, and needs some careful installation procedures to make it work.