Tuesday, August 5, 2014

PennEnergy's Daily Power Update 8/5

Energy News & Insights
Energy News: Militants target Iraq's two biggest dams Sunni militants launched a three-pronged attack over the weekend in a drive to capture Iraq's Haditha and Mosul Dams. …more>>

Mississippi Power, Sierra Club settle coal power dispute Mississippi Power and the Sierra Club reach a settlement that will see the closure or conversion of certain coal assets and end litigation over the Kemper project and Plant Daniel. …more>>

Dismantling San Onofre nuclear plant will cost $4.4B, span two decades Southern California Edison has laid out a draft plan for dismantling the twin reactors at the San Onofre nuclear power plant and restoring the property north of San Diego over two decades, beginning in 2016. …more>>

Inovateus helps develop solar power facility on Superfund site in Indiana The 43-acre solar array is the first solar farm built on an existing Superfund Site with previous ground contamination. …more>>


Renewable energy projects being put into new companies called yieldcos Energy companies are wrapping renewable energy projects and other power-related assets that generate steady cash into new companies they hope attract investors hunting for dividends. …more>>

Con Edison prevents thousands of outages with post-Sandy upgrades Con Edison's post-Sandy storm hardening improvements have spared customers 20,000 outages so far this year. …more>>

Malaysia eco-housing project to include hybrid solar and wind system WindStream Technologiesto deliver the company's patented SolarMill hybrid solar and wind system technology for a new eco-housing project in Malaysia. …more>>

Great News! Transatomic Snags $2 Million Investment from FF Science for New Reactor Design

Transatomic Snags $2 Million Investment from FF Science for New Reactor Design

We generally don't pay much attention to news from the venture capital community here at NEI Nuclear Notes, but for one day we're happy to make an exception for this announcement from Transatomic Power:

Transatomic Power, developers of a breakthrough in nuclear reactor design, announced today that FF Science, an investment vehicle of Founders Fund, has invested $2 million to assist the company with its seed stage development. The funds will be used for bench-top laboratory testing and refinement of the company’s designs and computer models.

How Many Minutes to Midnight? Hiroshima Day 2014 By Noam Chomsky

How Many Minutes to Midnight?
Hiroshima Day 2014
By Noam Chomsky
If some extraterrestrial species were compiling a history of Homo sapiens, they might well break their calendar into two eras: BNW (before nuclear weapons) and NWE (the nuclear weapons era). The latter era, of course, opened on August 6, 1945, the first day of the countdown to what may be the inglorious end of this strange species, which attained the intelligence to discover the effective means to destroy itself, but -- so the evidence suggests -- not the moral and intellectual capacity to control its worst instincts.
Day one of the NWE was marked by the “success” of Little Boy, a simple atomic bomb. On day four, Nagasaki experienced the technological triumph of Fat Man, a more sophisticated design. Five days later came what the official Air Force history calls the “grand finale,” a 1,000-plane raid -- no mean logistical achievement -- attacking Japan’s cities and killing many thousands of people, with leaflets falling among the bombs reading “Japan has surrendered.” Truman announced that surrender before the last B-29 returned to its base.
Those were the auspicious opening days of the NWE. As we now enter its 70th year, we should be contemplating with wonder that we have survived. We can only guess how many years remain.
Click here to read more of this dispatch.http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175877/tomgram%3A_noam_chomsky%2C_why_national_security_has_nothing_to_do_with_security/#more

U.S. installs more than 61-GW of wind; 14-GW more under construction

http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2014/08/u-s-installs-more-than-61-gw-of-wind-14-gw-more-under-construction.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Utility%20Dive&utm_campaign=Issue%3A%202014-08-05%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter

SCE asks for review of SONGS decommissioning plan

http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2014/08/sce-asks-for-review-of-songs-decommissioning-plan.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Utility%20Dive&utm_campaign=Issue%3A%202014-08-05%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter

How 4 utilities are using big data

AEP, Vattenfall, Austin Energy and City of Palo Alto Utilities show that no-one-size-fits-all.

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/how-4-utilities-are-using-big-data/293968/

At the U.S.-Africa Summit, Economics, Electricity and Terrorism

http://www.defenseone.com/politics/2014/08/us-africa-summit-economics-electricity-and-terrorism/90548/?oref=defenseone_today_nl

Carnival of Nuclear Energy 220

Carnival of Nuclear Energy 220 is up at nextbigfuture

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/08/carnival-of-nuclear-energy-220.html

Monday, August 4, 2014

U.S. Department of Energy Increases Access to Results of DOE-funded Scientific Research

August 4, 2014 - 10:49am

News Media Contact

202-586-4940

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy is introducing new measures to increase access to scholarly publications and digital data resulting from Department-funded research.
The Energy Department has launched the Public Access Gateway for Energy and Science – PAGES – a web-based portal that will provide free public access to accepted peer-reviewed manuscripts or published scientific journal articles within 12 months of publication.
“Increasing access to the results of research funded by the Department of Energy will enable researchers and entrepreneurs to capitalize on our substantial research and development investments,” said Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. “These new policies set the stage for increased innovation, commercial opportunities, and accelerated scientific breakthroughs.”
As it grows in content, PAGES will include access to DOE-funded authors’ accepted manuscripts hosted primarily by the Energy Department’s National Labs and grantee institutions, in addition to the public access offerings of publishers. For publisher-hosted content, the Department is collaborating with the publisher consortium CHORUS -- the Clearinghouse for the Open Research of the United States.
PAGES contains an initial collection of accepted manuscripts and journal articles as a demonstration of its functionality and eventual expanded content. Additional metadata and links to articles and accepted manuscripts will be added as they are submitted, with anticipated growth of 20,000 to 30,000 articles and manuscripts annually.
The Energy Department’s Office of Science also has issued new requirements regarding management of digital research data by Office of Science-supported researchers. All proposals for research funding submitted to the Office of Science will be required to include a Data Management Plan that describes whether and how the digital research data generated in the course of the proposed research will be shared and preserved.
The new requirements regarding management of digital research data will appear in funding solicitations and invitations issued by the Office of Science beginning Oct. 1, 2014. A statement of the new requirements, including guidance on the development of a Data Management Plan, can be found on the Office of Science website. Other Energy Department research offices will implement data management plan requirements within the next year.

MIT Turns Solar Steam Into Cheaper Energy, Clean Water

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/04/mit-turns-solar-steam-cheaper-energy-clean-water/

FAS: Advancing U.S. Leadership in Nonproliferation and Nuclear Energy through Effective Partnerships

FAS Roundup: August 4, 2014

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Advancing U.S. Leadership in Nonproliferation and Nuclear Energy through Effective Partnerships

Although the United States still has the largest number of nuclear power plants in the world, it does not dominate global nuclear power. While the United States was the leading nuclear power supplying nation more than thirty years ago, the reality today is clearly that the U.S. nuclear industry is only one of several major suppliers. In a new FAS issue brief, Dr. Charles Ferguson takes a look at options for the United States to gain back leadership via a cooperative approach. The brief analyzes what nations could be effective partners for the United States in furthering nonproliferation while providing for the continued use of peaceful nuclear energy.

Read the issue brief Advancing U.S. Leadership in Nonproliferation and Nuclear Energy through Effective Partnerships.

From the Blogs

When the Administration Asks Itself to Declassify: In preparing its recent report on the Section 702 surveillance program, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) demonstrated an unusual mode of declassification, in which one executive branch agency asks another agency to declassify information. In this case, the process was remarkably productive, and it may offer a precedent for future declassification efforts. In what the PCLOB staff termed a “lateral declassification” model, it was an executive branch agency (i.e., the PCLOB itself) — rather than Congress or members of the public — that pressed another government agency (ODNI, NSA, CIA, FBI or Justice) to declassify specific information.

Russia Declared in Violation of INF Treaty: New Cruise Missile May Be Deploying: The United States publicly accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in the State Department's 2014 Compliance Report which was released on July 29. Russia is accused of launching a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) in 2007. Yet, there is a lack of details in the unclassified report about the specific violation. Hans Kristensen writes that the accusation is likely to stir up calls for the U.S. to abandon the INF Treaty and arms control efforts, which would undercut benefits from existing and future agreements.

Identity Intelligence and Special Operations: “Identity intelligence” is a relatively new intelligence construct that refers to the analysis and use of personal information to identify intelligence targets of interest and to deny them anonymity. Recently, an updated U.S. Department of Defense publication on special operations noted this month that “Identity intelligence products enable real-time decisions in special operations worldwide.”

U.S.-Russia Economic Relations and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as sanctions on Russia, protecting civilian flights from missiles, measuring the loss of manufacturing jobs and defense surplus equipment disposal.

FAS in the News

Aug 1: Newsweek, "Marshall Islands Nuclear Lawsuit Reopens Old Wounds"
Jul 31: Global Security Newswire, "Pakistani Leader Said Intent On Developing New Nuclear 'Understanding' With India"
Jul 31: International Business Times, "CIA Director John Brennan Admits Spies Monitored Senate Computers, Apologizes"
Jul 31: Global Security Newswire, "Russia May Be Deploying Missile Tied To Treaty Violation"
Jul 31: The Guardian, "CIA Admits To Spying On Senate Staffers"
Jul 31: Huffington Post, "Ukraine And The Media Drumbeat"
Jul 30: The Times of India, "The Indian-American Finger On US Nuclear Button"
Jul 30: Center for Public Integrity, "Unpaid Tax Debts Surprisingly Frequent Among Those With U.S. Security Clearances"
Jul 28: The Guardian, "Senators Consider Obscure Rule In CIA Torture Report Declassification Debate"
Jul 25: Huffington Post, "Malaysia Air Flight 17: Let Grief, Not Anger, Guide Us"

Four Things The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Can Do For Beyond the Grid Solar

Underneath those numbers lies an even more exciting idea -- that energy access can develop just like communications have. All across the developing world -- but especially in Africa -- mobile phone technology has leapfrogged land line telephones entirely. In fact, three out of every four new mobile phone subscribers are now in the developing world. The same cannot be said of energy access.

Research from Group Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) shows how both energy and water access lag far behind the penetration of cell phones in Africa. In total, 411 million people worldwide, the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa, have a mobile phone but no way to charge it. It's this convergence of un-electrified populations and mobile phones that is creating a tremendous new opportunity for solar power.

http://theenergycollective.com/guayjguay/452191/four-things-us-africa-leaders-summit-can-do-beyond-grid-solar?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

What are the Capacity Factor Impacts on New Installed Renewable Power Generation Capacities?

http://theenergycollective.com/jemillerep/450556/what-are-capacity-factor-impacts-new-installed-renewable-power-generation-capaciti?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Sudan Committed to Legal Framework of Nuclear Power Use

http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=238710

Solar vs nuclear power in space

http://enformable.com/2014/08/solar-vs-nuclear-power-space/

Nuclear Power in Brazil, Market Outlook to 2025, Update 2014

Nuclear Power in Brazil, Market Outlook to 2025, Update 2014 - Capacity, Generation, Deployment Trends, Investments, Power Plants, Regulations, and Company Profiles

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2099171

Fukushima updates

Fukushima updates 7/4/14 -

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of compensation funds fraud... The shroud covering unit #1 will be removed... Tepco has posted its latest quarterly report on F. Daiichi... The first evacuation-zone produce has been shipped to market... Japan’s ruling political parties call for increased decontamination efforts... Tsunami projections for the Takahama nuke station must be upgraded.

http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-accident-updates.html

AREVA Awarded Contract for the Construction of a New Waste Disposal Facility in the United States

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140804-901483.html

New Well at Callaway Nuclear Plant Reveals Tritium, Cobalt-60

http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2014/08/04/new-well-at-callaway-nuclear-plant-reveals-tritium_2c00_-cobalt_2d00_60-080402.aspx#.U9-unxm5I7A

Workers Brace For Life After Vermont Yankee

http://digital.vpr.net/post/workers-brace-life-after-vermont-yankee

Edward Davis, Senior NIC Fellow: EPA’s Proposed Clean Power Plan Needs to Strengthen The Role of Nuclear Energy Emission Free Generation

By Edward M. Davis

http://www.nucleartownhall.com/blog/edward-davis-senior-nic-fellow-epas-proposed-clean-power-plan-needs-to-strengthen-the-role-of-nuclear-energy-emission-free-generation/

Pursuing Energy Failure, Again and Again

Pursuing Energy Failure, Again and Again
Policy makers can never resist the urge to “just do something.” And it never works.

By Robert Bryce

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/384312/pursuing-energy-failure-again-and-again-robert-bryce

Nuclear Lessons for the World

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/opinion/nuclear-lessons-for-the-world.html?_r=0

Beware the Armchair Terrorist By Llewellyn King

Beware the Armchair Terrorist By Llewellyn King
http://www.whchronicle.com/?p=2359

Why does conventional wisdom ignore hormesis?

By Bill Sacks and Greg Meyerson
What we are about to say flies in the face of the conventional wisdom. There is no automatic reason for anyone to believe or trust our comments, so we provide some sources at the end that allow the reader to do further investigation. And for the sake of brevity we will for the most part make categorical statements, claims which rest on voluminous evidence that the reader may have to study, just as we have done, in order to get over the speed bump that the conventional wisdom invariably represents. Therefore consider this an introduction to the topic of radiation “hormesis,” intended to open doors, rather than an attempt to convince–-an impossible goal of a single commentary, particularly under the circumstances.

In light of repeated assertions that all ionizing radiation is harmful no matter how high or how low the dose, the existence of a beneficial health effect may be surprising. But nearly a century of laboratory experimentation and epidemiological observation of both humans and animals supports the protective response region and contradicts the conventional wisdom. Why then does the concept that all ionizing radiation is harmful hang on with such tenacity, and how did it gain a foothold against all evidence to the contrary?

http://atomicinsights.com/why-does-conventional-wisdom-ignore-hormesis/

Indian nuclear must grow 15 times for clean future

Areva losses belie order book

California, Mexico partner to promote low carbon economy - FierceEnergy

US NRC Blog Update: Come visit us on Facebook!

U.S. NRC Blog

Come visit us on Facebook!

by Moderator

Stephanie West

Social Media Public Affairs Specialist

We are always looking for fresh ways of sharing information about our activities with the public. And the rise of social media has provided us an array of tools to expand our interactions, and reach new and ever-growing audiences.

But as a government agency, we take a deliberative approach to doing something new. We launched this blog more than three years ago, started tweeting later in 2011, and in 2012, debuted our YouTube channel and moved our extensive photo collection to Flickr.

Today we’re expanding our social media presence by launching the official NRC page on Facebook. We hope you will check it out, like us and visit often—we have lots of interesting things planned. We’d also like to hear from you. Comment on our posts, and send your ideas and questions to us at OPA.RESOURCE@nrc.gov. At least once a month we’ll host an open forum and we welcome your input.

As we said when we launched our blog, social media is not the place for formal communications with us. Visit our website, www.nrc.gov, for further information on interacting with the NRC in an official way. If you have a safety concern, you can contact us here.

We are excited about using this new tool and hope to hear from you on Facebook!

Moderator | August 4, 2014 at 10:15 am | Tags: Facebook, NRC, social media | Categories: General | URL: http://wp.me/p1fSSY-1sm

All-in-one system offers green power for off-grid homes and farms

All-in-one system offers green power for off-grid homes and farms
London, UK (SPX) Aug 01, 2014 - An innovative 'trigeneration' system fuelled entirely by raw plant oils could have great potential for isolated homes and businesses operating outside grid systems both in the UK and abroad. Developed by a consortium led by Newcastle University and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), through the RCUK Energy Programme, the small-scale combined cooling, ... morehttp://www.energy-daily.com/reports/All_in_one_energy_system_offers_greener_power_for_off_grid_homes_farms_and_businesses_999.html

Dispelling a certain mythology

http://www.neimagazine.com/features/featuredispelling-a-certain-mythology-4327109/

Complimentary analysis of nuclear new build market

With 73 reactors under construction, 172 planned and 309 proposed, the nuclear new build market represents trillions of dollars worth of investment worldwide over the next 15+ years.

Get a complimentary breakdown of all critical nuclear construction statistics here: http://bit.ly/1xtBa9M

This exclusive insight will provide you with:

Latest updates on Combined Operating Licence Application status’ in the USA to ensure you understand where the new build market will take off next in North America
Analysis of the global nuclear new build industry including market share, country breakdown and construction timelines to help you map out your construction strategy
Insight into new PWR, LWR and advanced reactor designs and their licensing status in the US to keep you up-to-date with NRC design certification progress

Any feedback is welcome!

Best wishes,
Siobhan

Siobhan O'Meara
Senior Industry Analyst
Nuclear Energy Insider
+44 (0) 20 7375 7512
US Toll Free: +1 800 814 3459 + Ext: 7512

PennEnergy's News & Insights 8/4

Energy News & Insights
Panel wants TEPCO execs charged over Fukushima nuclear crisis A Japanese judicial panel has recommended that three former TEPCO executives face criminal charges over their role in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. …more>>

Study finds hidden, uneven price of piecemeal energy policies MIT researchers find the national and regional impacts of U.S. regulatory policies for mitigating climate change. …more>>

Floods claim lives, inundate coal-fired power plant in the Balkans Severe floods caused by excessive rainfall hit the Balkans, claiming the lives of two, inundating the Kostolac power plant and causing damage across central Serbia. …more>>

Siemens hands over Chana 2 combined cycle power plant to EGAT Siemens with its Japanese partner Marubeni, hands over the Chana 2 combined cycle plant to the Electric Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). …more>>

SunPower breaks ground on 135 MW solar facility in California SunPower Corp. has started construction on the 135-megawatt Quinto Solar Project in Merced County, Calif. …more>>

Biofuels: Kansas congressman hit by farmers' backlash When Republican congressman Tim Huelskamp from Kansas' First District refused to back away from his co-sponsorship of a bill that would phase out a renewable fuel program, many of his rural constituents took note. …more>>

Yingli, AMB partner on solar power projects in Poland Yingli Solar has formed an alliance with AMB Energia for solar projects totaling 30 megawatts in Poland. …more>>

AMSC introduces new 2 MW wind power turbine American Superconductor (AMSC) introduces a new 2 MW wind turbine specially designed for low wind speed conditions. …more>>

Big data confirms climate extremes are here to stay

Big data confirms climate extremes are here to stay
Boston MA (SPX) Aug 01, 2014 - In a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, published by Nature, Northeastern researchers Evan Kodra and Auroop Ganguly found that while global temperature is indeed increasing, so too is the variability in temperature extremes. For instance, while each year's average hottest and coldest temperatures will likely rise, those averages will also tend to fall within a wider range o ... morehttp://www.terradaily.com/reports/Big_data_confirms_climate_extremes_are_here_to_stay_999.html

NRC Commissioner Candidates Stephen Burns and Jeffery Baran

From Atomic Insights:

NRC Commissioner Candidates Stephen Burns and Jeffery Baran

http://atomicinsights.com/nrc-commissioner-candidates-stephen-burns-jeffery-baran/

The Obama Administration, under the direction of influential Senators, has provided the names of two people to fill vacancies on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Rod Adams discusses their qualifications and positions. He cautiously endorses Burns and warns about Baran's lack of any relevant education or experience.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Mothballing nuclear plant to cost Taiwan NT$4bn over 3 years

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140802000023&cid=1102

Science Is Not Democratic

Science Is Not Democratic

Since the 1980s. the distrust of scientists in the United States has become a growing ideology used for political purposes. It is extremely dangerous to our democracy. Obama touched on this very subject recently while speaking to the League of Conservation Voters.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/08/03/science-is-not-democratic/

World's poor need grid power, not just solar panels

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22329804.400-worlds-poor-need-grid-power-not-just-solar-panels.html#.U93inhm5I7A

Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire