Technology:
¶ Bioplastics are seen as a way to sequester carbon and reduce costs at the same time. [Green Energy News]
Japan:
¶ TEPCO is bringing in outside experts to monitor reforms. Part of the purpose is to help convince Japanese people to allow Kashiwazaki-Kariwa reactors to restart. [Reuters]
¶ The Science Council of Japan is calling for a new review of nuclear waste disposal. It began the process on 2010, but wants to start over in a way that engages the public. [The Daily Yomiuri]
¶ Debris removal at Fukushima Daiichi is moving along very slowly. [The Daily Yomiuri]
¶ Tests sponsored by the government of Fukushima Prefecture indicate that about 0.5% of the children have thyroid abnormalities. [Asahi Shimbun]
… (Though the article above does not say so, the result it gives contrasts sharply with reports from large-scale private tests, some of which indicate abnormalities in a third to half the children. [Arnie Gundersen speech given earlier this year])
World:
¶ IKEA will soon be selling a thin-film solar system along with a homeowner service package, which includes a full site survey, installation, fitting and a guarantee. [Energy Live News]
¶ Masdar, the state-owned, Abu Dhabi, green energy company, says it will install 41 gigawatts of solar power in Saudi Arabia by 2030. [OilPrice.com]
US:
¶ Entergy is suing the State of Vermont over a new tax on electrical generation introduced this year. [vtdigger.org]
¶ Based on an MIT study, Principal Solar, Inc., a solar holding company, predicts solar grid parity in the US by 2014, in a paper called “Investing in the Power of the Sun: The Capitalist Case for Solar Energy.”
geoharvey 