Each alternate source of energy used to limit carbon emissions has its advantages and disadvantages, panelists said at Boston University Tuesday.

Ben Grambau of multinational energy conglomerate AREVA, Xenia Razinski of Virginia-based business consulting corporation Invar International and Josh and Aaron Mandell of technology firm GreatPoint Energy in Cambridge discussed the future of baseload power ‘- the amount of energy an area requires to operate ‘- to an audience of 40 at the Photonics Center.

The discussion, hosted by the Boston University Energy Club, addressed costs, government interventions and the pros and cons of nuclear energy, natural gas and clean coal.

‘Every technology has its drawbacks, and you have to find the right place and right time,’ Aaron Mandell, who focused on clean coal, said.

Nuclear power, for example, is an expensive industry, Grambau said.

‘With nuclear power, there are large upfront capital costs,’ he said.

Likewise, the drawback of natural gas is also its high production costs, with equipment purchasing and fuel costs being the highest expenditures, she said.

‘To construct a power plant from ground up, it’s about a million per megawatt,’ Razinski, a School of Management alumna, said.

This contrasts heavily with clean coal production, Aaron said.

‘ ‘Coal is the cheapest power and in the U.S. we have the most amount of coal,’ he said.

The estimate for cost of clean coal is $1,500 to $2,000 per megawatt, he said.

Energy Club President Ben Snydacker, an SMG graduate student, asked panel members about the growing development of wind and solar energy production.

‘These developments are not a threat because we need new sources of energy,’ Aaron Mandell said.

‘ ‘There is only so many [wind turbines] you can put in a field,’ Razinski said, noting that wind and solar energy production were not a threat.

Snydacker said the purpose of the panel was to create an open discussion for ideas.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Kimberly Holte said she enjoyed the discussion.

‘I liked the diversity and different perspectives of technology, as well as experts that were knowledgeable about the subject and the engagement of the audience,’ she said.

Rebecca Farmer, a SMG sophomore from the Energy Club, said sheattended the panel to support the club.

‘I was trying to understand the basics of energy,’ Farmer said. ‘And experts in the field discussing areas of expertise are much better than reading a textbook.’