Archive for August, 2012
August 31, 2012
Japan:
¶ The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is promoting development of low-cost, high-efficiency technologies to convert electricity generated by renewable energy sources into hydrogen. Hydrogen can be stored, transported, used as a fuel, or used as a feedstock for fuels or chemicals. As a fuel or fuel feedstock, it can be used with solar or wind for load leveling. [The Denki Shimbun]
World:
¶ Italy now has more electricity supplied by solar than by wind. Over 25% of all electricity generated in Italy is from renewable power. [Wind-Works.org]
¶ Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd has submitted plans for what would be the largest wind farm on Earth, in the Moray Firth. At a cost of £4.5 billion, it would power a million homes in 2020. Donald Trump is objecting loudly. [Edinburgh Evening News]
¶ Cracks found in the Doel Unit 3 reactor have caused inspections of the reactors built by Rotterdam Drydock Company because they are assumed to be manufacturing flaws. Nuclear Physicist Nils Bøhmer, general director of Bellona Foundation, believes the cracks are a result of the radioactivity in nuclear reactors, are an indication of age, and will occur in all reactors, in time. [Bellona]
US:
¶ The NRC has denied a license for the Calvert Cliffs 3 reactor. The reason is that the reactor is owned by a French company, and US law requires a majority share be US owned. [The Associated Press]
¶ The US corn crop has been hit badly enough by the drought that it is severely impacting the ability to make ethanol for gasoline. [EIA – Today in Energy]
¶ Coal is becoming less important in western states of the US, and carbon emissions are being reduced, as old coal plants are being replaced by natural gas and renewable power sources. [Denver Post]
¶ US Insurance companies are being advised, in a Forbes editorial, to rethink rates based on increasingly bad weather accompanying global warming, and encouraged customers to adopt climate-change mitigation plans. [Forbes]
¶ A cost benefit analysis is underway for reactors at San Onofre. [KPBS]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 30, 2012
Technology:
A program at Drexel University is increasing the efficiency of dye-sensitized photovoltaics. [Product Design & Development]
Japan:
¶ Algae can remove cesium and strontium from water, so algae will be used as part of cleanup efforts, with mechanical harvesting. [Zacks.com]
¶ Japan has a trial operation starting for its first offshore floating wind farm off the coast of Goto Islands, Nagasake Prefecture. The wind farm installed a trial 100 kilowatt turbine equipped with an 11-meter rotor diameter on a 60-meter tower. [Marinelink]
US:
¶ Renewable power generation is growing in the US. New installations are more than double those of coal, and catching up with natural gas. In the last four years, US renewable electric production capacity has grown by 79%. Solar has increased 285%, and wind 172%. [Power Engineering]
¶ In parts of drought-struck Midwest, some farmers are getting an income by harvesting the wind. [Huffington Post]
¶ In California, geothermal power is having trouble competing with solar. [Forbes]
¶ The tidal power project in Eastport, Maine, is progressing. It is receiving $10 million from the DOE. [Electric Power & Light]
¶ The Connecticut River Watershed Council says Vermont Yankee is discharging too much hot water into the Connecticut River. [Commons]
¶ An employee of GE Hitachi has filed a whistleblower lawsuit, claiming he was placed on probation for refusing to make a change in an alarm plan because he believed it would be a violation of NRC regulations. [StarNewsOnline.com]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
August 29, 2012
Technology:
¶ Big companies are putting big investments into development of power storage technology. [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
Japan:
¶ The government has acknowledged that most Japanese people favor doing away with all nuclear reactors. [The Japan Times]
¶ Aomori Prefecture is no longer allowed to ship Pacific cod after two cases in which fish with exceptionally high readings of radioactive cesium were found. [Asahi Shimbun]
World:
¶ E.ON and RWE, the two largest electricity utilities in Germany, have both said they will not build any more fossil fuel generation plants. The plants are simply not needed, despite phasing out nuclear power. New fossil fuel plants already being constructed are being fitted out for a baseload/peaking combination. [CleanTechnica]
¶ German renewable development has slowed in some respects, as the country has to deal with the changes caused by a huge increase in renewable power, high feed-in tariffs, and an old grid. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ Indian grid-tied solar power has risen from 2.5 megawatts in 2011 to 1040 megawatts in 2012. [Invest in India]
¶ The Indian government estimates the potential for that country’s small hydro power capacity is 19,750 megawatts. [Invest in India]
US:
¶ Exelon is dropping plans to build a nuclear plant in Texas. The price of natural gas is low, and nuclear power will be unable to compete in the marketplace for the foreseeable future. [Chicago Tribune]
¶ Public lands are being made available for solar farms. [Solar Novus Today]
¶ A new facility in Tulare, California, will produce jet fuel from algae fertilized with gas emissions from a waste treatment plant. They expect to make about half a million gallons per year initially, and hope to expand to six times that eventually. [Biofuels Digest]
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Tags: Fukushima, Germany, hydro power, nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 28, 2012
Technology:
¶ Cargo ship designers are turning to wind to power ships. (Ships powered by wind – what will they think of next?) [Bend Bulletin]
¶ Scientists at MIT have bioengineered bacteria to produce fuel from fructose. They intend to get the bacteria to make it from carbon dioxide. (The article does not address the question of what happens when the bacteria get away from the lab and start making fuel in the soil.) [Gizmag]
Japan:
¶ Responding to a Reuters poll, 19% of big businesses said the country should abandon nuclear power altogether, 40% said nuclear should provide 15% of the power, and about a quarter said they want to have nuclear provide 25%. [Japan Today]
¶ A poll on the upcoming election showed that for 47% of voters, nuclear power is a top concern. [Asahi Shimbun]
World:
¶ The IAEA is saying that despite safety improvements since the Fukushima Disaster, improving safety is an urgent concern. [Huffington Post]
¶ Improved solar power is not being used in Israel, because of government bureaucracy. [Washington Post]
US:
¶ Sapphire Energy has made its first harvest of 81 tons of algae biomass. They aim to produce a million gallons of fuel per year on a 300 acre farm. [EcoSeed]
¶ The New York Independent System Operator’s 2012 report, it says closing Indian Point could cause blackouts and increase power costs. NYISO, which oversees the state’s power grid, issues its report every other year, and drew the same conclusions in the 2010 edition. [The Journal News|LoHud.com]
¶ Millstone’s Unit 2 is back in operation, as water temperatures have gone down. [TheDay.com]
¶ One of the reactors at San Onofre is being defueled. This is considered a sign that the reactor will not be brought back into service. [North County Times]
¶ Four thousand members of the National Guard are being called out to help with equipment around the massive sinkhole in Louisiana, as Hurricane Issac approaches. [Examiner.com]
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Tags: biomass, distributed power, Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
August 27, 2012
Japan:
¶ Japan will conduct thyroid tests on children outside Fukushima Prefecture, to determine whether last year’s nuclear accident in the prefecture has anything to do with the lumps found in the thyroid glands of 36% of the children in Fukushima Prefecture. [The Japan Daily Press]
¶ It is looking more and more like the Japanese will phase out nuclear power generation altogether. [The Japan Daily Press]
… A growing number of members of the Japanese parliament want to end nuclear power. [Asahi Shimbun]
World:
¶ With too little supply and too much demand, blackout-weary Egyptians are looking for change. Despite low electricity prices, small-scale solutions are becoming attractive. [Egypt Independent]
¶ Indian farmers are starting to get solar-powered milking machines. Since they are powered directly by batteries, which can be charged by diesel generators or the grid, they can be used even during the monsoon season. [Dairy News & Analysis]
¶ China is investing $373 billion in energy-saving projects and pollution control by 2016. [OilPrice.com]
US:
¶ Currently, seven governors are requesting that the US waive the ethanol requirement for gasoline. In the drought, there is insufficient supply of corn. [Oregon Natural Resources Report]
¶ At the Chena Hot Springs Renewable Energy Fair, near Fairbanks, Alaska, there was talk of year-round greenhouses where banana trees grow under LED grow lights and cars powered by scrap cardboard. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]
… Both Senators Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Wyden, D-Oregon, attended the fair. Both talked about the importance of renewable energy, proving there is more to Chena Hot Springs than Alaska bananas. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 26, 2012
Technology:
¶ A more energy-efficient and precise way to manufacture thin-film photovoltaic cells is to give up conventional heating systems for manufacture and use microwave ovens instead. [Nanotechnology News]
Japan:
¶ The Onagawa nuclear plant was much closer to the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the disaster than Fukushima Daiichi was. Even so, it did not have a meltdown. The person behind this is an engineer who believes that the three most important inventions in human history are alcohol, the board game “go”, and nuclear power, in that order. He prevented the meltdowns because he did not trust bureaucrats, and believed their safety standards are insufficient. [OregonLive.com]
World:
¶ Radiation from Fukushima could be deadly in Uganda. Used cars from the exclusion zone are being sold there. Radioactive material are said to be present in potentially lethal amounts on the dashboards and bodies. [Daily Monitor]
¶ Palestinians living on the West Bank are trying to break their dependence on Israel for energy. One result is a new solar-powered vehicle. [Arab American News]
¶ Conventional power generation, mostly coal and nuclear, has left 60,000 villages in India without electricity. Now, renewable sources can provide them with power more reliable than the grid, and they can do it at lower cost and faster. [Power Engineering]
US:
¶ The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is testing microgrids, which are being called the ultimate in energy democracy. [CleanTechnica]
¶ The most heavily discussed matter in the energy news right now is the question of whether ethanol should be added to gasoline, when it comes from food stocks and a drought is going on. The accompanying article is an example. [Baltimore Sun]
… But we must ask the question: How renewable is the gasoline/ethanol mix?
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 25, 2012
Japan:
¶ The Japanese Industry Ministry plans to amend legislation to allow direct disposal of nuclear waste without reprocessing into new fuel. [Asahi Shimbun]
¶ Japanese beef is being cleared by US authorities for export to the US. It was already not permitted at the time of the Fukushima Disaster because of foot-and-mouth disease, but since the disaster had to be tested for radiation as well. [Farms.com]
¶ A Japanese home improvement company is planning to invest ¥100 billion ($1.27 billion) on 250 solar power plants with a total capacity of 500 megawatts. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ The uranium industry is hoping for an increase in prices because of new reactor construction in China. [Melodica.net]
¶ Europe’s resistance to shale gas could boost renewables. [Utility Products]
US:
¶ Wells Fargo is funding solar power for low-income homes in Colorado. [Denver Business Journal]
¶ Professionals, investors, and philanthropists from the Santa Barbara area have considering community-supported solar power as an innovative new way to help Santa Barbara’s non-profit organizations. [Santa Barbara Edhat]
¶ Some Florida public schools are getting power from solar arrays. This is a benefit in hurricanes, when the schools will be used for emergency shelters. [The Herald|HeraldOnline.com]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 24, 2012
Japan:
¶ Some Japanese reactors need further seismic research done. [Bloomberg]
World:
¶ After India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) issued a report saying nuclear regulators were too lax and the country was heading for a Fukushima-like disaster unless they changed, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board answered by saying they were doing enough for safety already. [Business Standard]
¶ First Solar is building unsubsidized solar farms in India. Factories to build panels will be put up in India as part of the business plan. [eco-business.com]
¶ North Yell, in Shetland, Scotland, will have the world’s first community-owned tidal turbine. [eGov monitor]
¶ The cracks in the Doel Unit3 reactor are not the same ones that were found in 1979, according to a spokesman for the Belgian nuclear regulatory agency. The ones in 1979 were in a different part of the reactor, and evaluated at the time, and found not to be a problem. [MyrtleBeachOnline.com]
US:
¶ Plans to use weapons-grade plutonium for MOX fuel have been stalled. Testing on the fuel cannot begin before 2016, and will take nine years. [The Aiken Leader]
¶ Mitt Romney’s energy plan appears to be to continue drilling for oil, but do it harder and faster by making federal permitting easier. [Denver Post]
… A unique, different interpretation is that Romney is saying rather subtly that he is embracing renewable power. [Business Insider]
¶ A manufacturer of solar-powered furnaces wants to set up shop in Vermont. [Boston.com]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, renewable power, solar power
August 23, 2012
Japan:
¶ Demand for power has declined 6.3% in Japan, despite hot weather. Critics are pointing out that restarting the Ohi plants has proven unnecessary. [The Japan Times]
¶ Prime Minister Noda was not moved in his meeting with protesters. [The Japan Times]
¶ Plutonium has been found in ten locations tested in Fukushima Prefecture. [The Japan Daily Press]
¶ The Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture is freezing plans to build nuclear plants there. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ The national auditor’s report on India’s nuclear safety warns of a Fukushima or Chernobyl-like disaster if the nuclear safety issue is not addressed by the government. [NDTV]
¶ The cracks found in two Belgian reactors, which led to their being shut down, were first found in 1979, before they even went online. [ABC News]
US:
¶ Federal regulators have approved an experimental wave power electrical generating station. It will be sited off the coast of Oregon. [Electric Co-op Today]
¶ Fort Calhoun’s restart will be delayed until December of 2012, or later. [Reuters]
¶ Power plants are dumping increasingly hot water into lakes and rivers, increasing stress on ecological systems. [Channel 6 News Online]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, renewable power
August 22, 2012
Technology:
¶ New solar panels can be made with earth-abundant metals, such as copper and zinc, instead of rare earth elements, making solar panels less expensive. [Phys.org]
Japan:
¶ Fish taken 20 km (12.5 miles) from Fukushima Daiichi show the highest levels of radiation yet recorded in Japanese seafood. [The Voice of Russia]
¶ The Japanese government is likely to decide to phase out all nuclear power, according to sources in the government. The decision will be made before new elections, nearly half of citizens want to eliminate nuclear power altogether, and the current government has low approval ratings at present. [Wall Street Journal]
… The National Policy Minister has told reporters he favors ending any reliance on nuclear power. [The Japan Times]
¶ Prime Minister Noda has met with representatives of the anti-nuclear protestors. The protestors reiterated demands that all reactors in Japan be decommissioned, including the two at Ohi that were restarted. [Wall Street Journal]
World:
¶ Construction of Korean nuclear reactors is being delayed because of slow government approvals, along with the usual problems of construction. [Yonhap News]
¶ Philippine renewable projects continue to grow. UPC Renewables Philippines is pursuing two more wind power projects with a combined capacity of 134 megawatts. [Manila Standard Today]
US:
¶ The Fort Calhoun nuclear plant is under new management. It went offline since April of 2011 for refueling, but was prevented from restarting because of a flood, a fire, and other mishaps. [World Nuclear News]
¶ The Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Co. has started making solar-powered boats at its plant in Rome, New York. [Syracuse.com]
¶ A study by agricultural economists at Purdue University finds that even a partial relaxation of the ethanol mandate could reduce food prices significantly. [The Washington Post]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
August 21, 2012
Economics:
¶ Probable reasons are cited for GE’s stated belief that new nuclear reactors are too expensive to be feasible. [Green Chip Stocks]
Technology:
¶ Gas Technology Institute, a developer of fuel technology, announced a new system producing gasoline and diesel fuel from non-food renewable materials. [Science Daily]
Japan:
¶ An old movie that examined the risks of nuclear is drawing new audiences: “Ashita ga Kieru: Doshite Genpatsu?” (Tomorrow is disappearing: Why the nuclear plant?). [Asahi Shimbun]
World:
¶ China asked the US to remove some stimulus measures for the renewable-energy industry, saying they’re against World Trade Organization rules. [Bloomberg]
US:
¶ Xcel’s Colorado Community Solar Gardens Developer Initiative was sold out in thirty minutes. In fact, it was oversubscribed by 200%. [Triple Pundit]
¶ A third of the workers at San Onofre are being laid off, leading to speculation that the plant will not be brought back online. [Los Angeles Times]
¶ The lawsuit brought by three environmental groups against the NRC over Seabrook is based on a requirement that the NRC consider alternatives to nuclear power, and such alternatives exist in the area. [New Hampshire Business Review]
¶ During the first half of 2012, nearly all new electric plants were powered by natural gas and renewable power. The new plants tended to be of much smaller size than what was usually built in the past, and many new plants were peaking generators, which deliver power at times of peak demand. [Power Engineering]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 20, 2012
Technology:
¶ Researchers have developed a way to have solar components track the sun passively, with no moving parts and no use of electricity. [Energy Matters]
Japan:
¶ Newly released video shows TEPCO made plans to abandon Fukushima Daiichi as the disaster was unfolding. Previously, TEPCO officials had denied this. [The Daily Yomiuri]
World:
¶ Between August 8 and August 18, there were ten events at nuclear plants. Eight reactors had unplanned shutdowns, at least one of which is probably permanent, there was a fire at a nuclear facility in the UK, and a large leak of radioactive water was found at Fukushima Daiichi. [DigitalJournal.com]
US:
¶ In southern California, temperatures went up, but electricity demand went down. San Onofre’s idled reactors are being largely replaced by conservation. [MENAFN.com]
¶ Installed capacity of solar electric generation in the US increased almost 100% in 2011. Among utilities and other commercial operations it rose 145% and 132% respectively. In the same time, residential installations rose 25%. [SmartPlanet.com]
¶ At the large sinkhole in Louisiana, a metal casing has been driven into the ground, and crews are almost ready to begin their work of drilling an observational well. Meanwhile, natural gas continues to bubble up, and no one is clear on where it is coming from. [The Advocate]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 19, 2012
Japan:
¶ Russian scientists are studying the consequences of the Fukushima Disaster. [The Voice of Russia]
¶ Thirty percent of big businesses polled said renewable energy offers a viable alternative to nuclear. Only three of 109 companies polled said there was no replacement for nuclear. [Equities.com]
World:
¶ A Malayan company is building a pilot plant to digest palm oil mill waste and use the product to generate electricity, reducing carbon emissions greatly in the process. [EcoSeed]
¶ As had been feared, other reactors built by Rotterdam Dry Docks may have cracks like those in the Doer Unit 3 reactor. A reactor in France seems to have the same problem. There are ten reactors built by the same company in the US, and a number of others elsewhere. [Expatica Belgium]
US:
¶ The NRC is considering doing a study of health effects that may arise from normally operating nuclear power plants. [Los Angeles Times]
¶ Frito-Lay’s plant in Casa Grande has been selected Green Business of the Year by the EPA for the Pacific Southwest Region. The company’s sustainability project took plant “off the grid,” while producing zero landfill waste. [TriValley Central]
¶ Texas Brine has begun drilling at the sinkhole site in Louisiana to find whether there cavern there has failed. The sinkhole threatens butane storage in area caverns and gas pipelines. [WAFB.com]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, renewable power
August 18, 2012
Technology:
¶ IBM has a new thin-film PV technology that can be printed or cast, is made of such common elements as copper, zinc, and tin, and has a 11.1% solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency, setting a new record. [eWeek]
Japan:
¶ National policy minister Motohisa Furukawa said that none of the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini should ever be restarted. [The Japan Times]
¶ A number of large solar projects are planned for the Chubu Region of Japan. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ The International Atomic Energy Agency said it has made “significant progress” in a number of key areas of its 12 point Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, which was begun after the Fukushima Disaster. [World Nuclear News]
¶ China increased its wind-generated capacity by over 50 gigawatts in the last year. The increase in capacity has averaged 87% each year for the last six years. [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
US:
¶ Commissioner Liz Miller of the Vermont Department of Public Service is asking the NRC to look into a series of problems at Vermont Yankee. [Boston.com]
¶ Three environmental groups, Beyond Nuclear, Seacoast Anti-Pollution League and the New Hampshire Chapter of the Sierra Club filed suit against the NRC over relicensing at Seabrook. [Seacoastonline.com]
¶ New legislation would enable $50 billion in bonds to be raised for green energy. [SustainableBusiness.com]
¶ New York Governor Cuomo signed legislation promoting solar energy in his state. [PennEnergy]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, Vermont Yankee, wind power
August 17, 2012
Technology:
¶ A new battery design uses paper industry waste for the cathode, reducing the amount and cost of metals needed. [EarthTechling]
Japan:
¶ More information is gradually becoming available about contamination and casualties of the Fukushima Disaster. There was a marked increase in the death rate in Japan after the disaster. Not counting accidental deaths from the earthquake and tsunami, there were 38,700 more in the year following the Fukushima Disaster than there were for the previous year. [Huffington Post]
World:
¶ The entire energy industry is changing because of the changes in the solar PV industry, which is now at 32 GW and growing rapidly. The old energy paradigm is being turned on its head, and utilities are facing enormous challenges. [The Australian]
¶ Thousands of cracks may have been detected in the Doel Unit 3 reactor vessel. [Power Engineering International]
… Belgian regulators have shut down a second reactor made by the same manufacturer as Doel Unit 3, fearing it may have the same manufacturing flaws. [EurActiv]
US:
¶ The clean energy sector now accounts for 1.7% of the Massachusetts workforce, employing 71,523 workers. This number is projected to grow by 12.4% in the coming year. [Wicked Local]
¶ US carbon dioxide emissions have dropped to a twenty year low, largely because a low price for natural gas has induced utilities to switch from coal to natural gas. [Morning Sentinel]
¶ Owners of Millstone are looking for ways to operate Unit 2 when water is at higher temperatures. There is some hope that equipment changes will help. [The Day]
¶ The Omaha Public Power District says it cannot reopen Fort Calhoun, so it is turning control over to Exelon Corp. [Omaha World-Herald]
¶ NRC Commissioner William Ostendorff is under investigation for attempting to pressure the NRC Inspector General to stop a safety investigation. [Huffington Post]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 16, 2012
Technology:
¶ A researcher at MIT has found a way to stabilize chlorophyl taken from leaves or blades of grass, clearing the way to using it in photovoltaic panels, and suggesting yet another way to produce electricity from sunlight inexpensively. [Daily News & Analysis]
¶ Carbon dioxide can be used as a feedstock for fuels and plastics. Expectations are that by 2030, improved efficiency will make it possible to take carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere to make plastics; until then exhaust gas from combustion can be used. [EcoSeed]
Japan:
¶ A leak of radioactive water was located after covering the Unit 4 control room with a puddle one cm. deep. The water is described as containing “tens of thousands of becquerels of radioactive cesium per cubic centimeter,” which translates into tens of millions of becquerels per kg. [The Daily Yomiuri]
¶ One study says radiation exposure caused severe mutation in butterflies. Another says human beings got very little exposure to radioactivity. [Perth Now]
World:
¶ Mongolia is expanding its electric production for the first time in twenty-five years with the opening of its first wind farm. Capacity is 50 megawatts. [Green Economy]
US:
¶ Goldwind, a Chinese company, has entered into an agreement with All Earth Renewables to supply Vermont’s Georgia Mountain wind farm with four of its 2.5MW turbines. [Windpower Engineering]
¶ A study by Michigan State University indicates that if the state goes to 25% renewables for its energy by 2025, it would create 74,000 jobs and bring $10 billion of investment into the state. [Smart Grid News]
¶ Communities in the Northeast Kingdom have voted in favor of new wind projects there. [EcoSeed]
¶ A water leak in the containment building at Palisades resulted in a special inspection by the NRC. [PennEnergy]
¶ Petco has recalled stainless steel food bowl for pets because of cobalt-90 in the steel. [Bandera County Courier]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 15, 2012
Japan:
¶ We cannot draw conclusions about human health from Fukushima’s butterflies which exhibit mutations from radiation exposure, according to the scientists who studied them. [Wall Street Journal]
¶ Toshiba is looking for a power partner to help develop nuclear power in emerging countries. [The Daily Yomiuri]
World:
¶ According to the IEA, renewable power generation should reach 6400 TWh by 2017. This will happen because the rate of growth is increasing. [Power Engineering]
¶ The nuclear regulatory agency of Belgium will have a meeting with regulators from around the world on the cracks in the Doel 3 reactor. [Reuters]
US:
¶ Chairwoman Macfarlane says the NRC is looking into the effects of climate change on nuclear plants. It also is addressing waste storage so it can continue with licenses. [The New York Times]
¶ With both units at San Onofre down, and a heat wave going on, the grid is holding up, so far. [UT San Diego]
¶ San Onofre customers are paying the utility $54 million each month for a non-operational power plant. Public Utilities Commission’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates, sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission arguing that any revenues collected while San Onofre remains offline could violate state law. [CBS Los Angeles]
¶ Omaha Public Power District officials hope to start up Fort Calhoun on about December 1. The plant has been offline since April of 2011 for refueling, followed by a flood and a series of events. [Democratic Underground]
¶ A reactor at Prairie Island is being taken offline because neither backup diesel generator functioned during a test. [Examiner.com]
¶ Thirty two percent of new US electric generation capacity in 2011 was from wind power. [Clean Technica]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, renewable power, solar power, wind power
August 14, 2012
Technology:
¶ The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory has issued a report saying fuel cell technology is advancing rapidly. [Hydrogen Fuel News]
Japan:
¶ TEPCO has removed the vessel head from Unit 4 at Fukushima Daiichi, as part of debris clearing so they can remove fuel from the spent fuel pool. [World Nuclear News]
World:
¶ Lithium-ion batteries may provide stable electric micro-grids in many parts of the world without electric service today. [Energy Harvesting Journal]
¶ German utility giant RWE increased its renewable power production by 29% year-on-year in the first half of 2012. One of its plants is a 750 MW coal plant that has been converted to run on biomass. [Recharge]
US:
¶ One of the two reactors at Millstone was shut down because the water in Long Island Sound was too warm. [Wall Street Journal]
¶ A bill before the California legislature would enable community renewable energy in that state. [KQED]
¶ Solar power in Vermont: Yes in my Back Yard! in Charlotte. [equities.com]
… A solar farm is being discussed for Bennington. [NorthJersey.com]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
August 13, 2012
Japan:
¶ Japanese utilities have lost seven years’ worth of profit in the last year. Now they are having to separate transmission from generation and allow competition for the generating stations. [Bloomberg]
¶ Sharp differences of opinion within the ruling Democratic Party of Japan make it necessary for the party to set up a committee to evaluate public opinion. The committee will include advocates for both sides of the issue. [Asahi Shimbun]
World:
¶ The head nuclear regulator in Belgium says it is unlikely the Doel-3 reactor will be restarted because of anomalies in the reactor vessel. [UPI]
¶ The conservative Australian government, which had been committed to coal, is turning to renewable power because it is cheap. [ABC Australia]
¶ The Spirit of Ireland, an Irish energy project, has hopes to turn that country into a net exporter of electricity by combining wind power with pumped storage. [Power Engineering]
US:
¶ General Motors is investing in solar technology and equipment to provide it with power. It currently has 30 megawatts installed, and plans to double that capacity. [Examiner.com]
¶ The US army is poised to spend $7 billion on renewable energy projects. [TG Daily]
¶ The League of Conservation Voters says the Romney-Ryan ticket is not good for the renewable energy sector. [EcoSeed]
¶ Officials of Texas Brine company, owner of the cavern that may have caused the sinkhole in Louisiana, told residents of the area it will be at least 40 days before they get definitive answers about what is going on there. [WWNO]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, renewable power, wind power
August 12, 2012
Japan:
¶ Increasing numbers of Japanese are embracing geothermal energy, a power source most rejected in the past. [Greener Ideal]
¶ A study of butterflies in the Fukushima area shows high percentages with genetic damage. Over 50% in the third generation of those studied showed damage from the Fukushima Disaster. [Power Engineering]
¶ Canvassing public opinion on the future of nuclear power, the Japanese government has so far received over 50,000 comments. Usually 1,000 is considered a high number of responses. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ The government of Scotland says the goal of meeting 100% of current energy demand with renewable sources by 2020 is achievable. [Power Engineering]
… Solar power is becoming a popular money-saving option for home owners in sunny Scotland. [Scotsman]
US:
¶ The State of Alaska hopes 50 percent of its energy will be renewable by 2025. [KTVA CBS 11 News Alaska]
¶ Nevada’s first wind farm is operational and is generating power commercially. It is rated at about 150 megawatts. [Melodika.net]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
August 11, 2012
Technology:
¶ Researchers at Berkeley have found a way to turn many kinds of metal oxides into PVs, possibly reducing costs. [Ars Technica]
Japan:
¶ The Onagawa nuclear plant was closer to the epicenter than Fukushima, and experienced a tsunami, but IAEA inspectors say the plant was “remarkably undamaged.” [World Nuclear News]
¶ Masao Yoshida, manager of Fukushima Daiichi at the time of the disaster, has spoken about the disaster for the first time in a video released to the public. [The Australian]
World:
¶ Cracks have been found in a Belgian reactor vessel, and it is shut down for closer inspection. [Energy News Live]
… The cracks may cause the reactor to be shut down permanently. Since the issue seems to result from faulty manufacturing, and many reactor vessels were built by the same manufacturer, regulators from a number of countries are meeting to review the situation. [Market Watch]
US:
¶ A huge sinkhole associated with leaking gas has appeared in Louisiana. The sinkhole may indicate collapse of a brine cavern in a salt dome. One and a half million barrels of liquid butane are stored underground in the area and there are natural gas pipelines nearby as well. Clearly, there is concern that a disaster of major proportions could happen. [CNN]
¶ President Obama is considering waving ethanol rules because of the bad corn crop, resulting from widespread drought. [gulfnews.com]
¶ San Onofre has more WORST fatal flaws than you can shake a stick at. [MWC News]
¶ Vermont Yankee has one of the reactors listed as suspect because it was manufactured by the Rotterdam Drydock Company, the maker of the cracked Doel 3 reactor. The cracks are said to be manufacturing flaws. [SimplyInfo]
¶ The case of a Certificate of Public Good for Vermont Yankee, now before the Vermont Public Service Board, may be affected by the NRC’s decision to halt licensing. [Brattleboro Reformer]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 10, 2012
Japan:
¶ TEPCO management was reluctant to use sea water to prevent meltdown at Fukushima, because doing so would ruin the reactors. [The Japan Times]
¶ Just after Unit 3 exploded, Fukushima Governor Sato demanded that TEPCO announce “there was no concern that radiation from reactor 3 may affect human body because the wind blows from North-West.” [Infoshop News]
¶ Asahi Shimbun has an interview with anti-nuclear physicist, Yuko Fujita. [Asahi Shimbun]
¶ At the anniversary of the bombing, Hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombs, talk of the lie of nuclear safety, comparing the meltdowns to the bombs. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ The government of India is not reconsidering nuclear power as a result of the Fukushima disaster, according to the Minister of State. [NetIndian]
¶ Belgian regulators have closed down a reactor at Doel because of possible cracks in the reactor vessel. [Financial Times]
US:
¶ Some clarity is provided on the NRC’s order to stop licensing. The hold on licensing will have no effect on anything other than the actual issuance of licenses. The processes proceed without slowing. The next license to issue will be the relicense of Indian Point (September 28, 2013). [Power Engineering]
¶ A spokesman for the nuclear industry says he is not too worried about the NRC order against issuing licenses. Work will go on unabated. [energybiz]
¶ The Sierra Club is charging that the fossil fuel industry is using underhanded tactics to discredit the growth of renewable energy. [EcoSeed]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, renewable power
August 9, 2012
Japan:
¶ In an address to people gathered for the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, Prime Minister Noda reiterated his government’s commitment to reducing the country’s dependence on nuclear energy. [RTT News]
World:
¶ Microgrids and solar power could be the answer to India’s power crisis. [OilPrice.com]
¶ Australians are converting to solar PVs, even after government support declines. [Energy Collective]
¶ German state development bank KfW plans to put about 100 billion euros ($123.6 billion) into financing the shift to renewable energy in Europe’s biggest power market. [Reuters Africa]
US:
¶ The Obama administration is putting seven large renewable energy projects on the fast track. [The Guardian]
¶ US wind power capacity has reached 50 GW. (Though the article does not say so, this means about 0.0001% of the potential has been developed) [EcoSeed]
¶ Today, the NRC will explain why cracks in the Davis-Besse containment building are okay. [Plain Dealer]
¶ The New York Attorney General is disputing the cost estimated by Entergy for decommissioning Indian Point, saying it is about one seventh of the actual amount, arguing that the deficiency is sufficient reason to deny relicensing. [Poughkeepsie Journal]
¶ NRG Energy, which produces enough electricity to power 20,000,000 homes in the US, is starting to make significant profit from renewable energy. Solar projects are being finished ahead of schedule, and the company is increasing investment in the field. [Recharge]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 8, 2012
Japan:
¶ Radioactive cesium, presumably from the Fukushima Disaster, has been found in the sea at some distance from the plant. Places where it was found include seas off Niigata Prefecture, on the west coast, Shizuoka Prefecture, south of Tokyo, and Iwate Prefecture, to the north. [FIS]
World:
¶ Investments in renewable energy are only going in one direction – up. [OilPrice.com]
US:
¶ The NRC has frozen all licensing of nuclear reactors until the situation of its waste confidence rule is resolved. The waste confidence rule was overturned by a Federal Court of Appeals as a result of a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General of New York. [Environment News Service]
¶ Entergy will ask the Vermont Public Service Board for permission to install a new diesel backup generator at Vermont Yankee. [Power Engineering]
¶ San Onofre may lose the right to pass the cost of its new steam generators on to the public, because they failed too quickly. [North County Times]
¶ A new business partnership will bring solar trackers from AllEarthRenewables to southwestern and central Vermont. [VTdigger]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 7, 2012
Japan:
¶ Yukio Edano, the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, told reporters, “I don’t think the zero scenario is negative for Japan’s economy. On the contrary, it can create growth” by driving technological innovation in renewable energy and energy efficiency. [The Wall Street Journal]
¶ Now under state control, TEPCO has released videos showing what was going on when the Fukushima Disaster was unfolding. They show confusion. [The Washington Post]
… The videos show officials at TEPCO considered shooting holes in the sides of reactor buildings to reduce hydrogen buildup during the disaster. [Bloomberg]
World:
¶ Pakistan is trying to build 143,000 megawatts of solar electric capacity. [The Business Recorder]
US:
¶ After noncompliant rebar was found to have been installed for the foundation for a new reactor at Vogtle, owners have been trying to find a way to use it instead of removing it. The latest suggestion is that they make up for its deficiencies by pouring stronger concrete. The NRC has said they could proceed at their own risk while it evaluates the question. [The Augusta Chronicle]
¶ Walmart has put up its first megawatt wind turbine as part of a program to have its power be 100% renewable. [Forbes]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
August 6, 2012
Japan:
¶ The approval rating for the Japanese government has fallen to 22%, leading to calls for new elections. The issue of energy is one of the most important of people’s concerns. [Express Tribune]
¶ According to the doctors attending them, Fukushima cleanup workers are getting depressed and anxious to the point of hopelessness. The doctors warn that errors, or even sabotage, could result. [USA Today]
¶ Close to 70% of those who attended government meetings on nuclear power want to close all nuclear facilities by 2030. Business leaders take a very different view, making the decision on how to proceed difficult for the government. [Asahi Shimbun]
¶ Untruth and unethical practice have been long dominant in the nuclear power industry. Workers at nuclear plants concealed problems, going without dosimeters, as a standard practice for years, according to a number of contract employees. [Asahi Shimbun]
World:
¶ After the blackout that left 600 million people without power, many Indians are noticing that solar power continued to be reliable in poor villages. The idea that India should rely more on solar power, including for grid electricity, is becoming more popular. [energydigital]
¶ Lithuanians will be able to vote in a non-binding referendum on construction of a nuclear plant. A recent poll says 48% oppose the plant, and 19% favor it. [Bloomberg]
US:
¶ US and Japanese groups are preparing for the arrival of 40,000 tons of debris from last year’s tsunami on the West Coast. [ABC Australia]
¶ Global warming makes thermal power plants, powered nuclear and fossil fuel, inefficient. When temperatures rise, output declines, and this has been a problem for a number of US nuclear plants this year. [Truth-Out]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 5, 2012
Science:
¶ NASA scientist James Hansen writes, of extreme weather patterns discussed in a study on weather being published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “The odds that natural variability created these extremes are minuscule, vanishingly small. To count on those odds would be like quitting your job and playing the lottery every morning to pay the bills.” [CNN]
¶ A solar superstorm could play havoc with electric power grids, and in a worst case cause millions of deaths. [Revmodo]
Japan:
¶ Radioactive cesium has been found in Japanese fish and seawater. [RT]
US:
¶ The New York Attorney General opposes the NRC’s resolution of a petition for enforcement of safety rules because it is allowing fire safety violations to continue at Indian Point. [Utility Products]
¶ US toxicologist Janette Sherman published a report linking deaths in the US with radioactivity from Fukushima. [HNN HuntingtonNews]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
August 4, 2012
Japan:
¶ Another Friday protest at the Prime Minister’s residence drew thousands of people. [The News International]
¶ The Environment Ministry conducted a survey of 160 sites for radiation. The highest reading found was 165,000 Bq/Kg in soil at the bottom of a river in Fukushima Province. [Infoshop News]
US:
¶ Mitt Romney wants to “allow the wind credit to expire, end the stimulus boondoggles, and create a level playing field on which all sources of energy can compete on their merits.” The record shows, however, that wind has received only a small fraction of what oil, coal, and nuclear have each year. [Huffington Post]
¶ An Appeals court is putting off ruling on forcing the NRC to act on a license for Yucca Mountain until after mid December. The timing is intended to clarify whether Congress will appropriate funds to evaluated use of Yucca Mountain. [Las Vegas Sun]
¶ After anti-nuclear activists and labor organizations struck a deal, the executive committee of the California Democratic Party passed a resolution asking for an independent design review and public hearing on the problems at San Onofre. [San Diego Free Press]
¶ Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill that will have significant impacts on the markets for conventional and renewable energy resources. Among other things, the new law enables net metering of smaller projects. [JDSupra]
¶ California got 20.6% of its electrical power from renewable sources in the first six months of 2012. This means the state is exceeding its renewable power goals. [Natural Resources Defense Council]
¶ A new 400 MW solar facility is proposed for Texas. It is expected to create 800 long-term jobs and put $700 million into the local economy each year. [Renewable Energy World]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, renewable power, solar power
August 3, 2012
Japan:
¶ Prime Minister Noda will meet with leaders of the protesters who demonstrate outside his residence every Friday. The meeting will probably take place next week. [The Japan Times]
¶ Unit 5 at Chubu Electric’s Hamaoka nuclear plant had sea water leak into the pressure vessel after the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Now, radioactive water is leaking in the reactor building, indicating serious corrosion. A Chubu Electric spokesman says the company is considering whether the reactor should be decommissioned. [Reuters]
¶ Nuclear advocates in Japan are arguing that the presence of nuclear plants is good for the country because it shows the Japanese have the capacity to make nuclear bombs. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ Germany installed 4,300 MW of solar capacity in the first half of 2012, bringing its total to 28,000 MW. This is an increase of slightly more than 18% over a six month period. [REVE]
¶ Nuclear power is too expensive for much of the world. The initial investment is too high to justify, low natural gas prices and recession are depressing potential markets, it takes years to get a reactor online, and wind and solar are less expensive. [Financial Times]
¶ Renault is running a sales promotion in Spain, in which purchasers of gas-powered station wagons, mini-vans, and sedans get a free electric microcar. [Green Car Reports]
US:
¶ Projected costs to repair the containment building at Crystal River, which were $900 million to $1.2 billion, are still rising, and the owners say they will probably not decide what to do with the plant until next year. [Reuters]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power
August 2, 2012
Japan:
¶ Shunichi Tanaka, who was nominated to head the new atomic regulatory authority, said he expects the reactors at Ohi to shut down if an active fault is found underneath them. [The Japan Daily Press]
… He also advocates a very cautious approach to restarting more nuclear reactors. [The Daily Yomiuri]
¶ Fukushima residents gave government officials an earful at a public meeting on nuclear policy. [Asahi Shimbun]
¶ Prosecutors from three districts are opening criminal investigations relating to the Fukushima Disaster. Both TEPCO executives and government officials are under scrutiny for professional negligence resulting in death, injury, and economic loss. [The Japan Times]
¶ Solar electric generation is growing so rapidly in Japan that some experts expect the country to be the second greatest producer, after Germany. [NewScientist]
World:
¶ A massive blackout hit India, possibly the worst blackout ever. Solar panels maintained electricity for poor, off-grid villages, while wealthier people supplied by grid electricity went without. [Energy Matters]
US:
¶ The NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board considering a license for a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs has decided to delay its decision by a month. Peter Bradford of the Vermont Law School, a former NRC commissioner, said during panel discussion “whatever the NRC licensing board decides … the proposed reactors at Calvert Cliffs and South Texas are not going to be built-in the foreseeable future,” adding that nuclear reactors “always cost too much compared to available alternatives.” [Southern Maryland News]
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Tags: electric power costs, Fukushima, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
August 1, 2012
Japan:
¶ Former Prime Minister Kan held a press conference, in which he announced he wants to get Japan away from nuclear power by 2025, increasing dependence on renewable resources. He is working politically with others to get the plan to do this through the parliament. [The Wall Street Journal]
World:
¶ The Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency are both predicting solid growth in nuclear power generation by 2035. Their work does not address important economic, scientific, and political facts that might indicate otherwise. [Inter Press Service]
¶ While other solar manufacturers are losing money at the moment, First Solar is profitable because its business model includes development of power plants. [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
US:
¶ Apparently differing from yesterday’s news reports that San Onofre’s reactors might be back online by the beginning of 2013, the owners, Edison International, say there is no timeline to restart the reactors. The statement seems to indicate they are still unsure of how the restart would be done, and have not yet decided whether to replace steam generators in both reactors. [Reuters]
¶ Edison International also says its Edison Mission Energy unit could file for bankruptcy unless bondholders agree on a plan to restructure $3.7 billion of debt. [Fox Business]
¶ Millstone is in talks with the NRC about using new Areva fuel assemblies. Since these are hotter in the spent fuel pool, the plant will have to construct a large number of additional dry casks. [I checked into what this might imply – it looks like denser uranium fuel is likely what is intended, rather than MOX.] [theday.com]
¶ New Jersey power company PSEG is asking the state’s regulators to approve an investment of up to $883 million for an expansion of the utility’s solar power programs. [Reuters]
¶ New York utility ConEd has bought two California solar farms with a combined output of 70 MW. [Fresno Bee]
¶ New England’s governors agreed to release a request for proposals to increase renewable power production in their states. [North American Windpower]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
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