nuclear posts, articles, and infographics

Vermont Yankee Lives to Power Another Day

January 20, 2012 by Steve Skutnik
with 462 views

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, supplier of 73% of Vermont's emission-free electricity (and approximately one-third of the state's total electricity), won its day in federal court today, thus granting it the right to keep the doors open and the lights on (for the rest of the state). Vermont resident Meredith Angwin has been... [read more]

Covert Bombing Kills Iranian Nuclear Scientist

January 19, 2012 by Dan Yurman
with 480 views

An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed in Tehran on January 11 by a bomb that was magnetically attached to his car. A driver, who doubles as a body guard, was also killed in the blast. The scientist was identified as Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, age 32, who was a departmental manager at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant. According to... [read more]

The Politics Over Davis-Besse

January 9, 2012 by Dan Yurman
with 361 views

Concrete cracks in the containment structure aren't the reason for anti-nuclear fervor by Rep. Dennis Kucinich U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-OHThe ongoing saga of anti-nuclear opposition to the continued operation of FirstEnergy's (NYSE:FE) Davis-Besse nuclear reactor located on the shores of Lake Erie is linked to a gift to voters... [read more]

2012 Budget Increases Nuclear Energy Research Funding

January 6, 2012 by Jesse Jenkins
with 376 views

Before adjourning to watch yule logs and eat holiday hams, Congress actually managed to pass a 2012 budget bill. ITIF's Matthew Stepp provided us with an early analysis of the bill's impact on energy innovation funding. Funding for key Department of Energy (DOE) innovation offices are up by a modest 2.5 percent relative to the 2011... [read more]

Media’s Scant Attention to Royal Shell’s 1.68 Million Gallon Spill

January 3, 2012 by Rod Adams
with 281 views

Mainstream media outlets treat nuclear energy in a way that is diametrically different from energy sources that advertise heavily.Advertiser supported media sources wrung their collective hands and did everything they could to promote and extend the legs of the story about damage to the Fukushima Daiichi reactors. That frequently covered... [read more]

GE-Hitachi Proposes to Burn U.K. Plutonium Stockpile

December 22, 2011 by Dan Yurman
with 707 views

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has proposed to the U.K. government to build an advanced nuclear reactor that would consume the country’s stockpile of surplus plutonium.The technology is called PRISM, which stands for Power Reactor Innovative Small Module. If accepted, it would be very different than the other proposals to process... [read more]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab: Breakthrough Study of Low Radiation Dose Effects

December 21, 2011 by Rod Adams
with 325 views

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory issued a press release on December 20, 2011 titled New Take on Impacts of Low Dose Radiation: Berkeley Lab Researchers Find Evidence Suggesting Risk May Not Be Proportional to Dose at Low Dose Levels.The press release summarizes the results of a paper that has been published in the Proceedings of... [read more]

Fukushima Happened. Now What?

December 19, 2011 by Rod Adams
with 486 views

In the months and years to come, post-Fukushima, people who influence power plant construction decisions will be making choices that will have a large impact on future generations. In this reflective time of the year, it is important to gather the most accurate lessons learned and to offer some food for thought about the motives that... [read more]

White House Issues Apology By Jaczko

December 13, 2011 by Dan Yurman
with 402 views

Chief of Staff Bill Daley breaks White House silence over escalating conflicts about the NRC The shouting may be over in the long simmering dispute that broke out into the open last Friday at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko has issued an apology via the White House to the other four commissioners... [read more]

Germany's Quixotic Withdrawal From Nuclear Energy

November 28, 2011 by Dan Yurman
with 530 views

It seems to have a lot going on for for a country that is pulling the plug on nuclear energy German Chancellor Angela Merkel hit the big red "stop" button earlier this year calling for the closure of all 17 nuclear reactors that provide about one-quarter of the nation's electricity. Eight reactors have been shut so far with the... [read more]

Does Germany Make a Difference in Global Warming?

November 23, 2011 by Willem Post
with 756 views

In September 2010, the German government announced the following three targets: Renewable electricity: 35% of total electricity production, TEP, by 2020, 50% by 2030, 65% by 2040 and 80% by 2050 Renewable electricity was 16.8% of TEP in 2011 and 19.8% in 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Germany... [read more]

Cold Fusion Heats Up

November 17, 2011 by Silvio Marcacci
with 5,165 views

Cold fusion is considered by many to be the Holy Grail of energy production: a contained, low-energy nuclear reaction that could theoretically produce endless, self-sustaining, and incredibly cheap energy. But, just like the Holy Grail, it has been more myth than reality. Countless scientists have tried to successfully demonstrate cold fusion, and all have failed – until now. energyNOW! anchor Thalia Assuras takes a look at a technology that could change the way we think about energy. [read more]

Sensible Recommendation: 100 mSv/month – Radiation As High As Relatively Safe

November 14, 2011 by Rod Adams
with 169 views

Dr. Wade Allison, the author of Radiation and Reason, was interviewed following a recent visit to Japan. He has a rational recommendation for the international radiation protection community – instead of setting radiation dose limits based on keeping them as close to zero as possible, why not choose levels that are based on keeping the hazard to human beings within reasonable levels. [read more]

How Fast Can Offshore Wind Be Deployed? What Are Its Infrastructure Requirements?

October 29, 2011 by Rod Adams
with 381 views

Guest post by Andy DawsonOne anti-nuclear argument that’s frequently made is that nuclear is slow to deploy – that renewables can make inroads into carbon production rather faster than can building new nuclear stations. I was recently proiked into taking a look at this, in the context of the UK’s 2020 and 2030 CO2 and Renewables targets... [read more]

Bavaria to Swap Nuclear for Fossil Energy

October 28, 2011 by Alex Trembath
with 266 views

Bavaria is expected to trade out their significant nuclear electricity portfolio for fossil generation in the coming decade, according to new analysis from Der Spiegel. While the contribution of non-hydro renewables is anticipated to increase from 10 to 36 percent of generating capacity, the largest increase comes from natural gas, which... [read more]