Technology:
¶ Highview Power Storage, a company in the UK, has been operating a prototype energy storage unit for two years. Excess power from wind farms is used to liquefy nitrogen, which can then be boiled off to produce power when it is needed. [Extreme Tech]
Japan:
¶ Japan Petroleum Exploration has retrieved oil shale from below the Ayukawa oil and gas field in Akita in northern Japan, and hopes to be able to extract fuel from the area. [Reuters]
¶ TEPCO is removing fuel from a reactor at Fukushima Daini. [The Japan Times]
¶ The Hakodate municipal government is considering filing a lawsuit to stop construction of a nuclear plant in nearby Oma, Aomori Prefecture. Hakodate has a population of about 280,000. [The Daily Yomiuri]
World:
¶ The EU commission is being accused in parliament of dodging the tough safety questions on nuclear power, failure to address important issues, and having no proposals to close unsafe reactors. [TheParliament.com]
¶ Wales has relaxed rules to allow certain organizations to install solar panels and some other renewable energy devices without planning permission. [Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine]
US:
¶ An independent poll of registered voters in areas served by San Onofre shows 50% want the plant shut down, and 30% want it to continue generating power. [U-T San Diego]
¶ The US nuclear power industry is trying to get export controls eased, so it can sell nuclear technology to such countries as China and Russia. [Sydney Morning Herald]
¶ A new poll by Hart Research shows Americans love solar. Among swing voters, 59% say developing solar is very important. The poll covers a lot of other questions about power. [CleanTechnica]
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