nuclear power

nuclear energy in Japan/shutterstock

Japan increased the use of fossil fuels for power generation 21% in 2012, following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.[read more]

Ask an expert on clean tech what the largest barriers to a low carbon energy future are, and chances are they will list higher technology costs, policy barriers, or the need for new infrastructure to accommodate novel energy sources.[read more]

This is the Part III of my review of Doug Koplow, Union of Concerned Scientists report titled, Nuclear Power: Still not viable without subsidies. Part I offered some definition of subsidies, and noted that very large government subsidies to the renewable power industry had not made renewable generated electricity cheap. Part I noted...[read more]

Japan, U.S. plan a nuclear waste site in the remote desert state Reuters reports that Japan and the United States plan to work together to build a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Mongolia. The announced purpose of the site would be to take back spent fuel from countries that buy new nuclear reactors from manufacturers in both...[read more]

After reviewing Poland's energy policies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) concludes the country is on the right path towards a cleaner, more secure energy future. Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the IEA, says his organization's recent assessment of Poland's new energy strategy (EPP 2030) shows the plan will shift the country'...[read more]

Panacea Oil, IV's and Prescription bottles on canvas. Deidre DeFranceaux, American, contemporary, 1997. (Private Collection.)

Thus guest post is by NNadir, who cross posts on Nuclear Green, posts from his Daily Kos blog (http://www.dailykos.com/user/NNadir).  NNadir is legendary among pro-nuclear bloggers. Part of my paen to consumerism this Christmas, besides writing a diary at DailyKos about the collapse of the ice shelf at the North Pole, was...[read more]

Reverse engineering is usually thought of as a software development practice, but it can be used to produce the design of all sorts of products. One of the best known cases was the design of Intel instruction set microprocessors by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Inte. originally licensed AMD to produce copies of its 8086 and 8088 micro-...[read more]

Bank report says prospects are going south, but consultant says the real name of the game is managing risk A new report by Citigroup on the prospects for equity investors in the nuclear energy industry casts doubt on prospects for profits.  While the report is focused on Europe, its authors claim their findings have equal weight in...[read more]

The Platts Small Modular Reactor meeting attracted about 250 registered attendees. That might seem like a rather small number to people who are used to industry gatherings where the attendee list can be measured in the thousands, but this meeting was taking place at one of the newer and more expensive hotels in Washington and the...[read more]

I don't know anyone who could gaze at the images of oil-slimed pelicans, gulls, and sea turtles and not feel revulsion and regret. Yet beyond the urgent need to plug the gushing well, protect the coastline and fisheries, and restore the Gulf Coast environment as rapidly as possible, we cannot allow our entirely appropriate emotional...[read more]

Dialog and changes are needed with Congress, regulators, and government The future of small modular reactors (SMRs), with power levels less than 300 MW, will be brighter in the next decade, but only if a daunting series of nearly two dozen issues get attention from a cross-section of policy makers, regulatory agencies, and the...[read more]

On June 16, 2010, Amy Goodman's Democracy Now hosted a roundtable discussion on energy that included Amy, Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, Monique Harden of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, and Amory Lovins, founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute. The quartet spoke for 30 minutes and covered a wide variety...[read more]

Despite a close vote in parliament, polls show strong support for new reactors to tackle climate change Sweden’s parliament overturned June 17 a 30-year-old ban on new nuclear reactors, adding to the renewed momentum behind nuclear energy in Europe as countries try to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The Riksdag voted by a narrow 174-...[read more]

UK government retreats from nuclear renaissance The BBC reports June 17 an {L}80 million loan to Sheffield Forgemasters has been axed as part of budget cuts being implemented by the new Liberal government. The loan would have funded development of a facility to build critical components for the next generation of nuclear reactors in...[read more]

In less than two weeks, I will be attending the Platts Small Modular Reactor meeting being held in Washington, DC on June 28 and 29. Electric Utility Consultants, Inc. (EUCI) is hosting a Small, Modular, & Mini Nuclear Reactor Workshop July 19-20, 2010 in Arlington, VA. I received an invitation yesterday to speak at a conference...[read more]