idaho national laboratory

nuclear energy at EBR-I

Don Miley, Tour Guide at Idaho National Laboratory, takes viewers on a trip to the Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I). EBR-I paved the path for nuclear energy.[read more]

Nuclear energy, like many other highly technical science and engineering fields, was led in the post World War II era by men. In the decades that followed, many women entered the field. An indication of how much that presence has grown is that the Women in Nuclear (WIN) organization now lists 4,500 members, according to a press...[read more]

It allows a national laboratory to test small amounts of commercial spent nuclear fuel In what looks like a ray of sunshine in the historically tense relationship between the Idaho National Laboratory and the State of Idaho, a new agreement expands the lab's ability to conduct tests on commercial spent nuclear fuel in small quantities....[read more]

A top level summit draws a crowd, but did it accomplish anything? The period prior to the start of a new Congress, following a mid-term election, is ideal for interest groups of all persuasions to hold “summits” to get their ideas into the legislative mix. So it was for the nuclear energy industry which gathered under the umbrella of the...[read more]

On December 7, 2010, I attended the New Millennium Nuclear Energy Summit, sponsored by Third Way and the Idaho National Laboratory. The event was held at the Freedom Forum, a part of the Newseum that is located just a few blocks from the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. When I received the press release announcing the meeting, I...[read more]

Credit: Hyperion Power

The project is a partnership between a Department of Energy national laboratory and an entrepreneurial start-up financed with venture capital Small modular reactor (SMR) start-up vendor Hyperion Power Generation has agreed to build a prototype mini-nuclear reactor at a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory Platts reported Sept 9. (See...[read more]

Vertical axis wind turbines appear to be flavour of the year when it comes to small wind turbines. In the UK, supermarket giant Tesco has installed several “Ropatec” vertical axis wind turbines with a rated capacity of 6kW. The latest vertical axis turbine model to come into the test arena is the new Blackhawk Tilt Rotor Wind Turbine...[read more]

Rep. Mike Simpson brings sustained funding for key nuclear energy R&D programs Funding in the next federal government fiscal year (2010) for the  Idaho National Laboratory (INL) will take a jump thanks to the legislative accomplishments of Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) (right).  Simpson's district, which stretches across...[read more]

One of the great things about working in a city like Washington is the occasional opportunity to attend fascinating gatherings of forward thinking people. Yesterday I was able to take a few hours off in the middle of the day to attend a lunchtime talk sponsored jointly by The Heritage Foundation and Third Way titled Beyond Electricity:...[read more]

Omnibus appropriation includes $180MThe Idaho Falls Post Register, which retains published content behind a firewall accessible only to subscribers, has two reports today on nuclear energy that are worth your attention. The first is that the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has done well in the FY2009 budget which was finally cleared by...[read more]

Idaho's representative on the House Appropriations Committee has good news for the site's nuclear energy and cleanup programs. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson (right). a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, announced substantial increases in funding for the Idaho National Laboratory and the...[read more]

Answer - two heads may be better than one The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is facing a formidable challenge with the release of a request for information (RFI) earlier this month by the Department of Energy (DOE). The government wants to hear from firms that think they can build the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) which is...[read more]