Japan:
¶ A Stanford study says the Fukushima Disaster may have caused up to 1300 cancer deaths. The authors of the same study applaud the Japanese government for its actions after the disaster took place. [Bloomberg]
¶ For the second time in three months, a Japanese nuclear plant has been found to be sitting on top of a geological fault. All nuclear plants are being checked, and law says they may not be constructed atop faults, so at least some will be shut down. [Reuters India]
¶ TEPCO is removing two fuel assemblies from the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 spent fuel pool. [Associated Press]
World:
¶ Electric buses are being equipped with PVs as a standard item in China. The PVs extend the life of lithium batteries by as much as 35%. [Global Times]
US:
¶ Entergy profits are up, and the company expects to earn $3.49 to $4.29 per share for the year. This figure includes losses of $1.36 related to Vermont Yankee. [The Advocate]
¶ Dennis Kucinch complains that the NRC is lowering standards to allow Davis-Besse to continue operation. [Huffington-Post]
geoharvey 
July 18, 2012 at 1:01 pm
Renewable energy such as wind and solar have bright futures, and will play a large role in any future energy program – but they can never hope to satisfy baseload
requirements of a city.
July 18, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Clay, I disagree.
In 1980, the DOE said line losses were 8.9%, and this meant transmission of AC power was cost effective at a distance of 2500 miles, and for high voltage DC, it was 4000 miles. Line losses were reduced to 6.9% using technology of the 1995 era, and today, the most advanced technology reduces them to 2.5%. Effectively, this means you can produce electricity anywhere in North America and sell it cost effectively anywhere in North America.
When the wind isn’t blowing in Texas, it is blowing in Kansas, or the Dakotas. The available wind power in the central US is a multiple of our total demand, and it is always blowing somewhere there. This is just wind, and just in the central US.
Properly developed, renewable power can work for baseload, and it does not require anything fancy to do it.