Beside nuclear, the only thing of real promise I have noticed lately was
http://www.coolearthsolar.com/ .
I can't see a way around the building of huge energy storage facilities (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_energy_storage ), which would enable nuclear reactors to constantly run at near maximum capacity at very little extra fuel expenditure, and make the use of the other energy alternatives, solar, tidal, wind, at all viable.