Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Middle America Is Experiencing a Massive Increase in 3.0+ Earthquakes


Middle America Is Experiencing a Massive Increase in 3.0+ Earthquakes
The Atlantic
The conclusion that at least one environmental group has drawn from this data is that fracking, in one way or another, has caused these earthquakes. The Environmental Working Group notes that more than 400000 wells were drilled between 2001 and 2010, ...
See all stories on this topic »

Japan Heading for Energy Death Spiral?


Japan Heading for Energy Death Spiral?


http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/japan-heading-for-energy-death-spiral/255266/

Nebraska: Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant Unlikely To Restart Before Fall

Nebraska: Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant Unlikely To Restart Before Fall

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to fast-track Kovvada nuclear plant

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to fast-track Kovvada nuclear plant

South Texas 2 nuclear unit enters final repair stage

Southern Califorina Edison Provides Update on Steam Generator at SONGS

Southern Califorina Edison Provides Update on Steam Generator at SONGS

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review

Another large water leak at Fukushima Daiichi that may have reached the ocean and further efforts by politicians to restart shuttered Japanese reactors highlighted the nuclear news from Japan last week.

California's Nuclear Power Woes

California's Nuclear Power Woes

John Daly, OilPrice.com
What a difference a year makes. In early 2011, America's nuclear energy community and its proponents were cautiously hoping that America;s troubled nuclear power industry could experience a renaissance, 32 years after Three Mile Island and 25 years after Chernobyl, the U.S. and USSR's worst nuclear catastrophes. . .

Utilities Betting Big on Nuclear Energy

Utilities Betting Big on Nuclear Energy

Ken Silverstein, Forbes
The almost-retired John Rowe has been making a lot of headlines lately. It’s not just for Exelon’s merger with Constellation that is now this country’s combined nuclear energy powerhouse. It’s because the King of Nuclear is saying he is unsure that the fuel source will expand in the United States. . .

Beware of Gloom in Energy Models

Beware of Gloom in Energy Models

Micheal Lynch, US News & WR
The debate about energy policy and technology (or fuel) choice often involves well-meaning, fresh-faced young analysts who don't notice how old-timers like myself wince when they cite "models" and "analysis" as supporting a position. I actually worked on a model of the world oil market written on a mainframe computer, and remember when, in the 1970s, economic models were treated with near-godlike awe. There was even a rubber stamp made that (facetiously, presumably) said, "This came from a computer and is not to be questioned or disbelieved. "

Obama Wants Very Few of the Above

Obama Wants Very Few of the Above

Jonah Goldberg, Chicago Tribune
In his speech before the Newspapers Association of America/American Society of News Editors Wednesday, likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney accused the president of changing positions to get re-elected. For instance, Romney charged that, "As president," Obama "delayed the development of our oil and coal and natural gas. Now, as candidate Obama, he says he favors an energy policy that adopts an all-of-the-above approach. . ."

$4 Gas Really Isn't that Big of a Deal

$4 Gas Really Isn't that Big of a Deal

Brian Sullivan, CNBC
Okay, okay. Catchy headline aside, $4 gasoline does matter to many people. Gas prices are extremely regressive. They impact the poor much more than anyone else, especially when their gas need is what economists call "inelastic" which is just a fancy word for something where demand doesn't change based on price.

What Nuclear Energy Can Do

What Nuclear Energy Can Do

Tarapur Atomic power Station near MumbaiAREVA’s Chief Commercial Officer Ruben Lazo offers some interesting thoughts and predictions:
“In two years, there will be very strong demand on the [uranium] market, as new reactors start operating, and as new contracts with the existing fleet kick in. …I’m sure that Japan will restart a few reactors this year, and complete all necessary measures to restart many others in 2013 and 2014.”
and
“Responsible governments won’t tie the whole industrial and economic development of their country to a single source of energy,” Lazo said. “Manufacturers want some predictability in power prices that can’t be provided by gas, while nuclear is the only energy that can guarantee some price stability.”
Which is – true – and not often said. Lazo also says the “nuclear renaissance scenario isn’t there anymore,” which I’m not sure I agree with – there are 61 reactors under construction around the world, after all – 65 with the four here - but that’s okay. He’s providing his views and they’re pretty interesting. Read the whole article for more.

Arnie Gundersen Authors Another Shoddy Report

Arnie Gundersen Authors Another Shoddy Report

Nuclear consultants Fairewinds Associates and anti-nuclear activists Friends of the Earth are at it again with a new “report” that seeks to create concern, with little to no substance, over steam generator tube leaks at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The report, “Steam Generator Failures at San Onofre,” claims that without a thorough root cause analysis of why the plant’s recently installed steam generator tubes have become worn, that:
“…radioactive releases might be significantly larger than those that occurred after the January 2012 tube leak. Such an accident would cause implementation of the California emergency evacuation plan and closing of the San Clemente beach and Interstate I-5, potentially for an extended period of time.”
Fairewinds’ opinion misleads the general public to believe that the plant already released a large amount of radiation, which in fact, it has not. In a February 17 press release, Southern California Edison (SCE) clarified:
The radioactivity released to the atmosphere during the steam generator tube leak was barely measurable – 4E-5 millirems or 0.00004 millirems -- which is 200 times less than you would receive by having a smoke detector in your home for a year.

A Key Moment for Maryland and Offshore Wind

A Key Moment for Maryland and Offshore Wind

About five days ago, the Maryland House of Delegates passed a key bill supporting and incentivizing the creation of approximately 40 large wind turbines off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. The House bill passed by 88 to 47. Now this bill is in the Maryland Senate Finance Committee.
At AREVA we are strong supporters and producers of offshore wind technologies, and see its huge potential in the American marketplace as a key energy and economic solution. We think this letter to the editor at the Washington Post shows a great deal of wisdom:

The Top Short-Term Threat to Humanity: The Fuel Pools of Fukushima

The Top Short-Term Threat to Humanity: The Fuel Pools of Fukushima

The Top Short-Term Threat to Humanity: The Fuel Pools of Fukushima

The Top Short-Term Threat to Humanity: The Fuel Pools of Fukushima

The Greatest Single Threat to Humanity: Fuel Pool Number 4

We noted days after the Japanese earthquake that the biggest threat was from the spent fuel rods in the fuel pool at Fukushima unit number 4, and not from the reactors themselves. See this and this.
We noted in February:
Scientists say that there is a 70% chance of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hitting Fukushima this year, and a 98% chance within the next 3 years.
Given that nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen says that an earthquake of 7.0 or larger could cause the entire fuel pool structure collapse, it is urgent that everything humanly possible is done to stabilize the structure housing the fuel pools at reactor number 4.
Tepco is doing some construction at the building … it is a race against time under very difficult circumstances, and hopefully Tepco will win.
As AP points out:
The structural integrity of the damaged Unit 4 reactor building has long been a major concern among experts because a collapse of its spent fuel cooling pool could cause a disaster worse than the three reactor meltdowns.

MIT PhDs’ Startup Envisions Molten Salt SMR Burning Spent Fuel

MIT PhDs’ Startup Envisions Molten Salt SMR Burning Spent Fuel

Going Nuclear

Going Nuclear

Chet Susslin
Gregory Jaczko: “We’ve got a long way to go.”

NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko discusses nuclear’s future and agency turmoil.

Nukes and Tanning Beds: How the Same Risk Can Feel SO Different

Nukes and Tanning Beds: How the Same Risk Can Feel SO Different 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-ropeik/nukes-and-tanning-beds-risk_b_1402562.html

Have DOE Subsidies Failed the Energy Industry?

Have DOE Subsidies Failed the Energy Industry?

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/04/03/have-doe-subsidies-failed-the-energy-industry.aspx

Pilgrim nuclear plant's license renewal faces more appeal efforts


Pilgrim nuclear plant's license renewal faces more appeal efforts
The Patriot Ledger
Coakley asked the court to force the NRC to re-evaluate Pilgrim's environmental impacts and risks in light of last year's nuclear meltdown in Japan. Coakley also wants the NRC to address the measures that would be used to reduce those risks before a ...

Video: Cost of completing reactor at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant rises by up to $2 ...


Video: Cost of completing reactor at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant rises by up to $2 ...
Chattanooga Times Free Press
1973 -- TVA begins work on Watts Bar Nuclear Plant and five other nuclear plants. 1979 -- Three Mile Island makes headlines with a nuclear accident. TVA cites projections for slower load growth and begins deferring nuclear construction.
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Opening up about nuclear safety at TMI


Opening up about nuclear safety at TMI
Yorkdispatch.com
The public will have a chance to hear about Three Mile Island's safety performance in 2011 during an open house held by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday. NRC staff, which oversee the plant for the federal government, will discuss their ...

Fighting the Legacy of Enrico Fermi


Fighting the Legacy of Enrico Fermi
CounterPunch
Here sits a legacy of narrowly averted nuclear catastrophes and others waiting to happen. The Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station is home to Fermi 1 that suffered a partial fuel meltdown in 1966 inspiring a book by John Fuller and song by Gil Scot ...

Going Nuclear National Journal



AFP
Going Nuclear
National Journal
By Olga Belogolova Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has had a tough year. The normally obscure agency was thrust into the limelight after a triple meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March 2011.

BraveNewClimate

http://bravenewclimate.com/2012/04/07/ifr-fad-12/

IFR FaD 12 – lessons learned from fast reactor capital costs

by Barry Brook
This is the third of a four-part series of extracts from the book Plentiful Energy — The story of the Integral Fast Reactor by Chuck Till and Yoon Chang.
Reproduced with permission of the authors, these sections describe and justify some of the key design choices that went into the making the IFR a different -- and highly successful -- approach to fast neutron reactor technology and its associated fuel recycling.
These excerpts not only provide a fascinating insight into a truly sustainable form nuclear power; they also provide excellent reference material for refuting many of the spurious claims on the internet about IFR by people who don't understand (or choose to wilfully misrepresent) this critically important technology.
The third extract looks at the history of costs for commercial fast reactors to date (e.g., Superphenix in France). What can this tell us about the possible future costs of the IFR? (the final part will do a comparison with light water reactors). This section is drawn from pages 274-277 of Plentiful Energy. To buy the book ($18 US) and get the full story, go to Amazon or CreateSpace. (Note that the i

What must be said By Günter Grass

http://pulsemedia.org/2012/04/07/what-must-be-said/ 

What must be said

April 7th, 2012
By Günter Grass
Why have I kept silent, silent for too long
over what is openly played out
in war games at the end of which we
the survivors are at best footnotes.
It’s that claim of a right to first strike
against those who under a loudmouth’s thumb
are pushed into organized cheering—
a strike to snuff out the Iranian people
on suspicion that under his influence
an atom bomb’s being built.
But why do I forbid myself
to name that other land in which
for years—although kept secret—
a usable nuclear capability has grown
beyond all control, because
no scrutiny is allowed.
The universal silence around this fact,
under which my own silence lay,
I feel now as a heavy lie,
a strong constraint, which to dismiss
courts forceful punishment:
the verdict of “Antisemitism” is well known.
But now, when my own country,
guilty of primal and unequalled crimes
for which time and again it must be tasked—
once again, in pure commerce,
though with quick lips we declare it
reparations, wants to send
Israel yet another submarine—
one whose speciality is to deliver
warheads capable of ending all life
where the existence of even one
nuclear weapon remains unproven,
but where suspicion serves for proof—
now I say what must be said.
But why was I silent for so long?
Because I thought my origin,
marked with an ineradicable stain,
forbade mention of this fact
as definite truth about Israel, a country
to which I am and will remain attached.
Why is it only now I say,
in old age, with my last drop of ink,
that Israel’s nuclear power endangers
an already fragile world peace?
Because what by tomorrow might be
too late, must be spoken now,
and because we—as Germans, already
burdened enough—could become
enablers of a crime, foreseeable and therefore
not to be eradicated
with any of the usual excuses.
And admittedly: I’m silent no more
because I’ve had it with the West’s hypocrisy
—and one can hope that many others too
may free themselves from silence,
challenge the instigator of known danger
to abstain from violence,
and at the same time demand
a permanent and unrestrained control
of Israel’s atomic power
and Iranian nuclear plants
by an international authority
accepted by both governments.
Only thus can one give help
to Israelis and Palestinians—still more,
all the peoples, neighbour-enemies
living in this region occupied by madness
—and finally, to ourselves as well.


In Defense of Günter Grass

Friday, April 6, 2012

Does thorium have a future as an alternative to uranium?


Does thorium have a future as an alternative to uranium?

Creamer Media's Engineering News - ‎Apr 5, 2012‎
Irecently attended a thorium conference in Cape Town hosted by the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. There is a concerted effort to revive the idea of thorium as a better and 'greener' alternative to uranium.

Algae Is Not Endive: The Future of Biofuels in the United States

Algae Is Not Endive: The Future of Biofuels in the United States

http://www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=9581

Shale Shocked: 'Remarkable Increase' In U.S. Earthquakes 'Almost Certainly ...

Shale Shocked: 'Remarkable Increase' In U.S. Earthquakes 'Almost Certainly ...
ThinkProgress
As hydraulic fracturing has exploded onto the scene, it has increasingly been connected to earthquakes. Some quakes may be caused by the original fracking — that is, by injecting a fluid mixture into the earth to release natural gas (or oil).

Japan Nuclear Power: New Safety Standards Set Ahead Of Restarting Reactors

Cut nuclear reliance to zero: Japan energy minister
Reuters
By Risa Maeda | TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan should aspire to phase out nuclear power completely, its energy minister said on Friday, even as the government struggles to persuade a wary public that it is safe to restart reactors after the world's worst ...
Japan Nuclear Power: New Safety Standards Set Ahead Of Restarting Reactors
Huffington Post
(AP Photo/Tokyo Electric Power Co.) TOKYO — Japan is setting stricter, clearer safety guidelines for nuclear power plants to ease public concern about restarting reactors idled after the disasters a year ago. Facing a national power crunch, ...
Japan sets new safety standards for nuclear plants
Fox News
TOKYO -- Japan announced new guidelines Friday for how its nuclear power plants try to prevent disasters like last year's meltdowns, as the government aims to ease public concern about restarting idled reactors. Facing a national power crunch, ...
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CHINA TO DROP SOLAR ENERGY TO FOCUS ON ...

Tom Nelson: CHINA TO DROP SOLAR ENERGY TO FOCUS ON ...
By Tom
China will accelerate the use of new-energy sources such as nuclear energy and put an end to blind expansion in industries such as solar energy and wind power in 2012, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao says in a government report published ...
Tom Nelson

XE.com - China may face some energy tightness-energy head


XE.com - China may face some energy tightness-energy head
China may find itself facing tight coal, power, oil or gas supplies in some regions or at some time, even though current energy markets are basically in balance, head of the National Energy Administration said in a government meeting on ...
XE Forex News

Growing Food Demand Strains Energy, Water Supplies


Growing Food Demand Strains Energy, Water Supplies
National Geographic
Excessive water pumping has strained both water and energy supplies in India, China and other hot spots around the world. Photograph by Anupam Nath, Associated Press The northern region of Gujarat State in western India (map) is semi-arid and prone to ...

Saudi petrochemicals giant expands in China

 Saudi petrochemicals giant expands in China
Atlanta Journal Constitution
(SABIC) Technology Centre and Greater China Headquarters in Shanghai, China Friday, April 6, 2012. SABIC, one of the world's largest chemical producers, has begun work on a $100 million new technology center in Shanghai, focusing on alternative energy ...

 Saudi's SABIC plans $100 mln China R&D centre
Reuters
| RIYADH, April 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), the world's largest chemical producer by market value, said it was planning to invest $100 million to build a technology research and development centre in China.

Fukushima Daiichi plant leaks radioactive water, TEPCO says

Fukushima Daiichi plant leaks radioactive water, TEPCO says
Up to 12 tons of radioactive water seeped from a pipe at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, the company reported. Some of the water could have poured from a drainage ditch into the sea, said TEPCO spokesman Osamu Yokokura. "There will be similar leaks until TEPCO improves equipment," said Kazuhiko Kudo, a Kyushu University professor. Bloomberg

Japan minister says country should reduce nuclear power dependence

 
  • Japan minister says country should reduce nuclear power dependence
    Japan needs to curb its nuclear energy dependence from pre-Fukushima Daiichi incident levels as soon as it can, said Japanese Trade Minister Yukio Edano. His remarks came as the government is studying whether to restart idled nuclear plants. The country obtained 30% of its power supply from nuclear facilities before the March 2011 incident. Reuters

Officials propose new requirements for reactor restarts in Japan

Officials propose new requirements for reactor restarts in Japan
Japan's nuclear plants should meet new safety standards before they are allowed to restart, Japanese officials said. "We've explained to the prime minister the new safety standards," Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano said after a meeting with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Reactors should pass primary stress tests and they should be capable of handling a Fukushima Daiichi-type incident, according to a draft of the standards. The Wall Street

NEI questions value of study on health risks near reactors

NEI questions value of study on health risks near reactors
The Nuclear Energy Institute criticized a proposed pilot study by the National Academy of Sciences that would examine cancer risks near nuclear plants using data from Dominion's Millstone nuclear plant in Connecticut and five other facilities. "The committee is recommending that significant resources be applied to a project that is looking for a needle in a haystack -- when a needle may not even be there in the first place," said Ralph Andersen, chief health physicist at NEI. "Based on our initial review of the report, it is not clear how the recommended study would produce scientifically defensible results that would serve to allay public concerns." The Day (New London, Conn.)

TVA RELEASES COST, SCHEDULE ESTIMATES FOR WATTS BAR NUCLEAR UNIT 2

TVA RELEASES COST, SCHEDULE ESTIMATES FOR WATTS BAR NUCLEAR UNIT 2

Power Engineering Magazine -
The Tennessee Valley Authority released on Thursday the findings of a seven-month construction review at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2, detailing cost and time estimates to complete the facility. Based on the findings to date, we will be asking the ...

Video: Cost of completing reactor at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant rises by up to $2 ...

Chattanooga Times Free Press - ‎17 hours ago‎
by Pam Sohn Preston D. Swafford, TVA chief nuclear officer and executive vice president for nuclear generation, left, looks on from behind as Tom Kilgore, president and CEO of TVA, speaks during a news conference at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in ...

TVA ups Watts Bar reactor cost to $4.5 bln, online 2015

Citizens for Legitimate Government - ‎Apr 5, 2012‎
TVA ups Watts Bar reactor cost to $4.5 bln, online 2015 --Reactor cost up from $2.5 billion estimate 05 Apr 2012 US government-owned Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) said on Thursday it now sees the new reactor at the Watts Bar 2 nuclear power plant in ...

Beginning again, more intelligently: TVA leaders re-evaluate, adjust budget

Nooga.com - ‎20 hours ago‎
By Chloé Morrison Tennessee Valley Authority President and CEO Tom Kilgore outlined the plan to complete Watts Bar 2 Thursday. (Photo: Staff) The pressure is on to finish Watts Bar Nuclear Unit 2 within the newly set timetable and budget.
 TVA: Watts Bar 2 project to cost as much as $4.5 billion
The Tennessee Valley Authority raised the estimated construction cost of a second reactor at its Watts Bar nuclear plant in Tennessee to as much as $4.5 billion and adjusted its start-up schedule for the reactor to between September and December 2015. "Watts Bar Unit 2 remains a cost-effective solution for meeting the region's base load power needs with clean energy at a competitive rate," said Tom Kilgore, TVA's president and CEO. "We will see Watts Bar 2, the two reactors in Georgia and two in South Carolina come online by 2020," said Mitch Singer, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute. Reuters
 

NRC ups performance rating of TVA's Sequoyah 1


NRC ups performance rating of TVA's Sequoyah 1
BusinessWeek
TVA says its operation of a Sequoyah Nuclear Plant reactor has improved and federal safety authorities have relaxed the frequency of inspections. The federal utility said on Thursday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had changed the status of ...

Residents Rethink a Nuclear Neighbor


Residents Rethink a Nuclear Neighbor

Wall Street Journal - ‎21 hours ago‎
By TAMARA AUDI SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—For three decades, the reactor domes of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station have been fixtures on the coastline here less than five miles south of this surfer's paradise. "You see it, you just don't think about ...

It's Not Over: Government Plans for the Worst: Forced Evacuation of ...

It's Not Over: Government Plans for the Worst: Forced Evacuation of ...
Even more alarming is that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and other agencies have warned that the nuclear storage pools (the containment units that are being used to cool the nuclear fuel) have been damaged and may ...
LewRockwell.com

You have got to see this: a new kind of battery - Objectivist Living

You have got to see this: a new kind of battery - Objectivist Living
This TED is about a new kind of batter Liquid Metal Battery. If this thing lives up to its potential it will be possible to store significant amoun...
www.objectivistliving.com/forums/index.php?showtopic...

Southern California Edison Update on Steam Generators at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

NEINetwork just uploaded a video:
Southern California Edison President Ron Litzinger provides an update on the repair of steam generator tubes at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). More

Vermont Yankee is Not Fukushima

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 12:19 PM PDT
Vermont Yankee is not Fukushima

PennEnergy Update: This Week's Most Popular Oil & Gas News

This Week's Most Popular Oil & Gas News
OGX denies oil spill
ASC conducts annual oil spill drill
India more than doubling natural gas pipeline capacity
API calls EPA "premature" in E15 gasoline decision
Offshore Mozambique appraisal drilling program completed by Anadarko
Oil rich Mississippi Lime play focus of new joint venture agreement
Falling oil tanker rates a growing safety concern
Natural gas flow temporarily rerouted by Williams Partners
New horizontal well spud at South Oklahoma Project
Offshore Norway oil field begins production for Lundin Petroleum

Senate votes against ending oil subsidies

Senate votes against ending oil subsidies
The proposal would have ended $4 billion in tax breaks given to oil companies for oil exploration.
Full Article

U.S. imposes further sanctions on Iranian oil exports

U.S. imposes further sanctions on Iranian oil exports
The U.S. has approved a new round of sanctions against Iran, as President Barack Obama continues efforts to deter its potential development of nuclear weapons.
Full Article

Governing Energy: Full Faith and Credit

Governing Energy: Full Faith and Credit
Today, governments stand behind their monetary vehicles and the strength of their currency is a function of the perception of their long standing reputation.
Full Article

Prof. Richard Muller (UC Berkeley) explains nuclear meltdown and chernobyl

Prof. Richard Muller (UC Berkeley) explains nuclear meltdown and chernobyl



A nice video of a lecture at UC Berkeley.
Can a nuclear reactor blow up like an atomic bomb?
What happened in Chernobyl 1986?
What is a nuclear meltdown?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeVIzHEh7a4

“Fukushima : The First Five Days”

How would it feel to be inside a power plant control room during a nuclear accident? The book “Fukushima : The First Five Days” gives you an idea. It puts you inside (and outside) the control rooms at Fukushima Daiichi from March 11 through March 15, 2011. The narrative comes directly from control room records released in June, 2011, supplemented by reputable sources and the author’s personal experience of more than 20 years in nuclear operations and engineering. Will Davis of Atomic Power Review says the book is “…a narrative which is factual yet readable; accurate, yet dramatic; thorough, yet not burdensome…This is a story which cannot be put down!” This book does not advocate or oppose the use of nuclear energy as a source of electricity. It lets the facts speak for themselves. The book is only available electronically in PDF and mobile formats (Mobi and EPUB) for downloading. Want to know what happened during the first five days at Fukushima? Go to…
http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-the-first-five-days.html

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Energy Storage: Renewable Power's Best Friend?

Energy Storage:
Renewable Power's Best Friend?

The Energy CollectiveLive, Free Webcast from
The Energy Collective
April 18th, 11:00AM ET / 8:00AM PT
Presenting: "Energy Storage and Renewable Power: Is Storage a Solution to Renewable Intermittence and Grid Inefficiency?"

The intermittent nature of natural, carbon-free energy sources like the sun or wind has always been one of renewable power's major limitations, leaving us reliant on fossil fuels or nuclear power to supply the majority of so-called "baseload" power necessary to meet demand. A technology allowing for the storage of energy generated when the sun is shining or wind is blowing for later use could be a game-changer for the energy space, but cost and scalability often present significant challenges for such a project.

Do solutions exist that allow for the large-scale storage of energy in order to improve the efficiency and environmental impact of power generation?

Join us as we discuss:
  • The most promising storage technology ventures and their paths to market.
  • Existing and proven storage projects and the opportunity to build on success.
  • The obstacles to building storage solutions on an effective scale, and ways of addressing these challenges.
  • Whether large, grid-scale solutions, smaller, more distributed storage, or a combination of both offer the most effective strategy.
Join us for this live webinar » to discuss the role of storage in cleaner and more efficient energy.
FEATURING...
Jim Greenberger is the Executive Director of NAATBatt, a trade association of companies in the advanced battery industry working to grow the market for advanced batteries in the United States, primarily in automotive and grid-connected energy storage applications.
Phil Giudice is CEO of Liquid Metal Battery Corporation, a company creating cost effective, reliable, wide spread grid electricity storage solutions, enabling separation of power demand from power supply. Giudice also recently served Massachusetts as Undersecretary of Energy and as Commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources.
Jean-Pilippe Macary has worked for Siemens since 2001, covering functions including product life cycle manager and senior project manager for turn-key power distribution solutions. Currently he is the Head of Infrastructure & Cities Low - and Medium Voltage Power Solutions Product Portfolio Management and Marketing for Innovations SIESTORAGE and SIPLINK.
Jesse Jenkins is Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Breakthrough Institute, and is one of the country's leading energy and climate policy analysts and advocates. Jesse's analysis has been featured in Fortune, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, among many major media outlets. He is founder and chief editor of the WattHead blog and a featured writer at the Energy Collective.

GERMAN SOLAR SUBSIDY SLASH PROMPTS NEW SPATE OF SOLAR BANKRUPTCIES
Plunging prices for solar panels, overcapacity, and a recent, substantial slash of government subsidies for solar power in Germany have prompted a rash of major solar firms to declare bankruptcy. Solar Millennium AG’s U.S. subsidiaries—including Solar Trust of America—filed for Chapter 11 insolvency proceedings in a concerted action on Monday, while giant solar cell–maker Q-Cells filed for insolvency in a German court. Read More »

World is ignoring most important lesson from Fukushima nuclear disaster

World is ignoring most important lesson from Fukushima nuclear disaster

Christian Science Monitor - ‎8 hours ago‎
Fukushima's most important lesson is this: Probability theory (that disaster is unlikely) failed us. If you have made assumptions, you are not prepared. Nuclear power plants should have multiple, reliable ways to cool reactors.

Tepco Reports Another Radioactive Water Leak at Fukushima Plant


Tepco Reports Another Radioactive Water Leak at Fukushima Plant

BusinessWeek - ‎5 hours ago‎
By Tsuyoshi Inajima on April 05, 2012 Tokyo Electric Power Co. said as much as 12 tons of radioactive water leaked from a pipe at its crippled Fukushima nuclear station, the second such incident in 11 days at the same pipeline, raising further doubts ...

Japan rushes to restart reacors to avoid total shutdown


Japan rushes to restart reactors to avoid total shutdown
WAMC
By Linda Sieg and Osamu Tsukimori TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government is racing to get two nuclear reactors, idled after the Fukushima crisis, running again by next month out of what experts say is fear that a total shutdown would make it hard to ...

Adviser promotes modular reactors

Adviser promotes modular reactors
Mid Columbia Tri City Herald
By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer The Tri-Cities has the opportunity to be a leader in the future of nuclear energy, which may lie in small modular reactors, Victor Reis, a senior adviser to the Office of Secretary for the Department of Energy, ...

Nuclear facilities protection adquate for natural disasters, said NRC chief


Nuclear facilities protection adequate for natural disasters, said NRC chief
Government Security News
Natural disaster protections nuclear power plants across the country already have in place are sufficient, said the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at GovSec in Washington DC on April 4. “I'm confident we have a good handle on natural ...

NRC Head, Feinstein to Tour Troubled Nuclear Plant Friday


NRC Head, Feinstein to Tour Troubled Nuclear Plant Friday
Patch.com
Three steam generator tubes in Unit 3 of the nuclear reaction facility failed pressure stress tests by Southern California Edison (SCE), prompting the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin assembling a team of nuclear energy inspection experts who ...

NRC Pilgrim Plant Hearings Appealed by Ma. AG

NRC Pilgrim Plant Hearings Appealed by Massachusetts AG
Bloomberg
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to proceed with hearings on a 20-year license extension for Entergy Corp. (ETR)'s Pilgrim nuclear power plant was appealed by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. Coakley's appeal, filed in the US ...

New USGS Report Links Fracking and Earthquakes

New USGS Report Links Fracking and Earthquakes
Triple Pundit
The paper will directly link an “unprecedented” increase in frequency and magnitude of earthquakes to drilling for oil and gas. This link is not a new one. The USGS already linked about 50 earthquakes in Oklahoma due to fracking.

ANS Update: Kudankulam hot start within reach

American Nuclear Society

Kudankulam hot start within reach

By dyurman on Apr 05, 2012 01:00 am

Tamil Nadu provincial government support pulls rug out from under protest groups By Dan Yurman The long running controversy over the start of NPCIL’s Russian-built twin 1,000-MW VVER reactors at Kudankulam, in India, may be coming to an end. The … Continue reading
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Why Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer to Global Warming By Christian Parenti, AlterNet

http://www.alternet.org/story/154854/why_nuclear_power_is_not_the_answer_to_global_warming


Why Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer to Global Warming
By Christian Parenti, AlterNet

India upgrades submarine fleet

India upgrades submarine fleet

Lahore, Pakistan (UPI) Apr 2, 2012
The Indian navy is about to deploy two new submarines. Indian Defense Research and Development Organization head V. K. Saraswat said that the Indian navy is preparing to receive the two nuclear powered submarines soon as it will induct the Russian Nerpa Akula II class attack submarine and launches its first indigenous built nuclear boat, the INS Arihan

China Sunergy Begins Manufacturing Solar Modules in France

China Sunergy Begins Manufacturing Solar Modules in France

Nanjing, China (SPX) Apr 05, 2012
China Sunergy is pleased to announce that the Company has begun assembling solar modules in France through OEM cooperation with KDG Energy, a French manufacturer of high quality PV modules. The first order will be delivered to Akuo Energy Group, a leading developer, investor and operator of renewable energy plants across the world.

U.S. HEU Shipment Reaches France

U.S. HEU Shipment Reaches France

A shipment of more than 400 pounds of U.S. highly enriched uranium has made it to France, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported on Tuesday (see GSN, April 3).
"The uranium was delivered," National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Steven Wyatt confirmed.
The nuclear weapon-usable material from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee will be converted to power the High Flux Reactor at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, the newspaper previously reported.
"For security reasons, we cannot discuss the mode of transportation or any other specific details regarding this shipment," Wyatt stated by e-mail (Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel, April 3).