Archive for January, 2013
January 31, 2013
World:
¶ The German electric utility E.ON is considering closing a European gas-fired power plant. According to the company, generation of electricity from coal and gas has become “largely uneconomic to operate”, because of the rapid growth in using renewable resources. [Energy Business Review]
¶ The Chinese government plans to increase its goal for solar-power installations in 2015 by 67 percent to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Emissions from coal-burning plants are blamed for smog in Beijing, which reached record levels this month. [Business Week]
¶ The Cumbria Council has rejected having a nuclear waste dump in their county. The vote overrides an earlier vote by Copeland in support. [Liverpool Daily Post]
… The Cumbria Council’s vote deals a blow to UK government hopes for a place to store waste. Without a site for waste storage, building new nuclear plants becomes much more difficult. [Telegraph.co.uk]
US:
¶ A report from the US DOE says wave power, tidal power, run-of-river hydroelectric power, and new hydroelectric dams could supply half the electrical power needed in the US. [PennEnergy]
¶ Proposals are being pushed that would allow the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to be increased. Unsurprisingly, some of the biggest polluters in the US are among those pushing them. [SustainableBusiness.com]
¶ Green energy groups are dropping out of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because of its efforts to overturn renewable power standards in a number of states. [The Hill]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
January 30, 2013
World:
¶ Developers are investing heavily in Scottish offshore wind power. [North American Windpower]
¶ BP has issued its Energy Outlook report, in which it says what it expects in the future of energy. BP’s vision for 2030 is that renewable power will grow slightly, fossil fuels will still dominate, and carbon emissions will increase 26%. [Carbon Brief]
¶ Scotland is planning to cut its carbon emissions for power generation to 50 g/MWh by 2030, mostly by installing wind turbines. [Resource Magazine]
¶ The Copeland Borough Council in Cumbria has voted in favor of allowing the search for a UK depository in Cumbria to go forward, citing economic benefits. Other borough councils of the area are set to vote today. [in-cumbria]
¶ The International Atomic Energy Agency says there was no explosion at the uranium enrichment plant in Iran, as had been widely claimed in the media over the last two days. [UPI.com]
US:
¶ New research indicates that the E15 blend of ethanol and gasoline can damage vehicles made since 2001. [Sacramento Bee]
¶ North Carolina state agencies and universities have cut fossil fuel use by 19.9% since 2004. [Triangle Business Journal]
¶ BP has entered a guilty plea in a manslaughter case for its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster, accepting a $4 billion fine in a plea bargain. [Reason]
¶ Entergy is appealing the ruling of the Vermont Public Service Board saying it was operating without a valid Certificate of Public Good. The case is going before the Vermont Supreme Court. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, renewable power, wind power
January 29, 2013
World:
¶ With national elections coming in September, Germany plans to cut consumer electricity prices by sharing the cost of the switch to renewable energy more evenly with companies. [Reuters AlertNet]
¶ A panel of experts at the Nuclear Regulation Authority endorsed a draft report saying a geological fault line running directly under a reactor building at the Tsuruga nuclear plant is probably still active. This may make a restart of the reactor impossible. [Asahi Shimbun]
¶ New safety guidelines for tsunami protection from the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority could delay restarts of a number of reactors. [Asahi Shimbun]
US:
¶ The US Defense Department’s renewable energy capacity will quadruple by 2025, according to Pike Research. [Environmental Expert]
¶ A study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory says the US will not be able to recycle nuclear waste for at least another 20 years. This means that the waste will have to be buried. [Forbes]
¶ The Fort Calhoun nuclear plant has more concerns being raised, more NRC inspections, and no end in sight for its outage, which has continued for nearly two years. [Kansas Watchdog]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, renewable power
January 28, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ A small start-up company in California claims to have produced a design for solar PVs that makes the cost of electricity from solar less than those of coal and natural gas. [Triple Pundit]
World:
¶ The UK-Ireland agreement that Irish wind farms would provide power to the UK is seen to have exposed anti-renewable rhetoric in Scotland as a politically motivated scare tactic by those opposed to Scottish independence. [SNP]
¶ Windpower is now China’s third most important source of energy, surpassing nuclear. [EcoSeed]
¶ The referendum on nuclear power in Bulgaria had a majority voting in favor of nuclear power, but it failed anyway because voter turnout was too low to be legally binding. [Deutsche Welle]
¶ There are reports of a huge explosion at the Iranian enriching facility that has been such a matter of world concern of late. The government of Iran denies the reports. [Bahrain News Agency]
US:
¶ One byproduct of fracking in Pennsylvania is highly radioactive water. [Timesonline.com]
¶ J. Wayne Leonard is stepping down from his job at Entergy this week. [Rutland Herald]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 27, 2013
Economics:
¶ A report from the World Future Council, based in Hamburg, Germany, says fossil fuels are too valuable to burn, as they can be made into a large number of products and renewable energy can replace them. [Truthdig]
World:
¶ Between 2007 and 2011, renewable energy grew by 67% in Scotland, and enabled an increase in Scottish exports of 65%. The value of the exports went from £3 billion to £5 billion. [SNP]
¶ Bulgarians are voting on the future of nuclear power in their country, but it is possible a low voter turnout might render the referendum invalid. [Deutsche Welle]
¶ Votes are coming up this week on a nuclear dump in England’s scenic Lake District. [The Independent]
US:
¶ After having upgrades to improve fire safety, a grid-scale storage battery is going into service at a wind farm in Minnesota. [Minneapolis Star Tribune]
¶ The San Onofre nuclear plant has been off-line for a year. [U-T San Diego]
… It will probably take many times longer than that to figure out who will pay the costs of the outage. [U-T San Diego]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, renewable power, wind power
January 26, 2013
Opinion:
¶ From the UK: Wind farm nimbyism means 10,000 jobs just went to Ireland. “We’re saving money, but Ireland is getting the work.” [New Statesman]
World:
¶ Central and South American countries are beginning to switch to renewable power. [AZoCleantech]
¶ French special forces troops in Mali are going to neighboring Niger to secure uranium mines run by Areva, the French state-owned nuclear power company. This is the first time the French used special forces to protect assets of a corporation. [CounterCurrents.org]
¶ The health effects from the Fukushima Disaster are beginning to be clearly measurable. A recent study predicts future mortalities from cancer will be eight times as high as earlier studies indicated. [Chemistry World]
US:
¶ A federal court ruled that the EPA must lower certain targets in a biofuel-blending rule, and act considered a blow to the biofuel industry. [The Hill]
¶ The US NRC has further delayed the decision on restarting one reactor at San Onofre nuclear plant. That decision is now scheduled to be made in May. [Los Angeles Times]
¶ Some of the construction workers building two new reactors at the Summer plant in South Carolina have been laid off. Last fall there were problems reported at the plant about incorrect placement of rebar, but it is not known whether that is related to the layoffs. [equites.com]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, renewable power, wind power
January 25, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ The University of Dundee is leading a major new research project on making oceanic wave energy a source of electrical power. [Nanowerk LLC]
¶ Audi makes cars that run on methane. It is developing technology using electric power to make methane from water and carbon dioxide. This power can be supplied when excess is generated by solar or wind. The methane can also be used to replace natural gas. [MIT Technology Review]
World:
¶ The UK announced a £24.2 billion power grid upgrade to allow the country to put more low-carbon energy sources online. [DesignBuild Source]
¶ Ohi, the only nuclear plant running in Japan and the largest in the world, may have to closed down because of new, stricter rules to be proposed by the Nuclear Regulation Authority. [Free Malaysia Today]
¶ The French government intends to propose an energy law that could reduce dependence on nuclear power. [Businessweek]
US:
¶ The US Army has a renewable energy goal of 1 GW by 2025. [Electric Light & Power]
¶ The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has proposed four reforms to reduce the time and cost to process transmission interconnection requests from generating facilities of 20 MW or smaller. [POWER magazine]
¶ When Duke Energy proposed a nuclear plant in South Carolina in 2009, it was expected to be finished in 2016. By 2012, the completion date had been pushed back to 2022. Now, they say they may still need more time. [Charlotte Business Journal]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 24, 2013
Science, Technology, and Economy:
¶ Nobel laureate Dr. John Byrne challenged nuclear power as a source of sustainable energy. [TwoCircles.net]
World:
¶ Asked about the future of farming in the UK, 42% of farmers and landowners expressed concerns, but 95 per cent believe that renewable energy will play a vital role in the future of farming in the UK. [SourceWire]
¶ A new proposal would have giant wind turbines in central Ireland providing power to the UK. [BBC News]
¶ The European parliament is criticizing Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Slovakia for failing to provide properly for decommissioning nuclear power plants, thereby putting European citizens at risk. [Balkans.com Business News]
¶ The two reactors at the Ohi nuclear power plant in Japan are facing shutdown for maintenance and safety checks. They are the only operating reactors in Japan, and it is not known when, or even whether, they will restart. [The Japan Daily Press]
US:
¶ Duke Energy has installed the largest battery storage system in North America at a windpower complex in Texas. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ A freak snowstorm in South-western Pennsylvania was produced by the Beaver Valley nuclear plant. [Washington Post]
¶ Two coal-burning generating plants are going offline in Nova Scotia. [CBC.ca]
… And five more coal-burning generating plants belonging to MidAmerican Energy are going offline or converting to other fuel sources in Iowa by 2016. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ Green Mountain Power, National Life Group, and Green Lantern Capital partnered to put up four new solar projects in Vermont. Tracking mounts were provided by AllEarth Renewables. [Solar Industry]
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Tags: coal power, nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 23, 2013
World:
¶ A carbon tax is credited with causing Australia’s carbon emissions to drop by 8.6%, though the revenue was not as great as the government had hoped. [The Australian]
¶ The UK’s renewable energy generation is expected to double by 2017, and account for about 20% of electricity at that time. [Energy Live News]
¶ Ikea is planning on doubling its investment in renewable power by 2020. [The Sunday Business Post]
¶ A new report commissioned by Greenpeace concludes that 14 planned fossil fuel projects will produce dangerous levels of global warming if. [Responding to Climate Change]
US:
¶ The costs of global warming are becoming an important issue for world economic leadership. Annually, the costs come to $1.5 trillion per year. [CNN]
¶ Bad math used in the basic design and bad use of materials, both recently discovered, add to other problems for the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant. The plant has been idle for almost two years because of a variety of problems. [Laboratory Equipment]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, renewable power
January 22, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ Jet fuel derived 100% from renewable sources has been tested and found to reduce emissions. [Gas 2.0]
World:
¶ A survey of world chemical companies revealed that 71% of them have sustainability goals. The interest in sustainability extends to most of the customers of these companies as well. [Sustainable Plant]
¶ According to Swiss Re, the world’s second-largest reinsurer, insurance companies must foster investment in renewable energy. [Blue & Green Tomorrow]
¶ South Korea, with collaboration from the US DOE’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, is beginning work on developing a preliminary concept design for a fusion power reactor. [Nature.com]
¶ The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority has released a draft of the new safety measures to be implemented for nuclear power plants, based on review of the Fukushima Disaster. [The Japan Daily Press]
… The new measures say some cables need to be coated with flame-retardant materials, a process that is expected to impact thirteen reactors and take years. [The Daily Yomiuri]
US:
¶ US Companies with no direct stake in power generation hired lobbyists to support the wind tax credit and fight for clean energy incentives. [Inside Climate News]
¶ In his inaugural address, President Obama said, “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.” [solarserver.com]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, wind power
January 21, 2013
World:
¶ Ma Qingyun, dean of the University of Southern California School of Architecture, told the Chinese Press Agency that agri-urbanism provides an alternative path to realizing sustainable development. [China Daily]
¶ In a speech to delegates at the Irena convention at Abu Dhabi, the CEO of Abu Dhabi’s Future Energy Company, said water was more important than oil. [IBTimes.co.uk]
¶ More than 140 countries have agreed to legally binding rules on mercury emissions. Much of the problem with mercury has to do that it is released when coal is burned. [Sudan Vision]
¶ With a March deadline for drawing up nuclear disaster plans drawing closer, 70% of Japanese municipalities are still behind schedule. [The Daily Yomiuri]
US:
¶ Duke Energy has added 702 MW of wind capacity in Texas, bringing its renewable portfolio to 1700 MW. [Smartmeters]
¶ The US Army has put its largest solar array online. The garrison commander said in his statement that the army had a “focus on operating on net zero energy, and doing what we can to help protect the environment.” [The Sun]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 20, 2013
World:
¶ Germany plans to eliminate use of fossil fuels by 2050, and close to 50% of the ownership of renewable capacity is in the hands of ordinary citizens and farmers. [Business Insider]
¶ A political storm is brewing over the possible construction of a new nuclear plant in Taiwan. [Focus Taiwan News Channel]
¶ Officials from TEPCO are visiting the Hanford, Washington, nuclear site, possibly the most contaminated in the US, to see how cleanup is being done there. [Mid Columbia Tri City Herald]
US:
¶ The federal government’s new pollution limits for a coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation will cost more than $1 billion, cutting severely into the income of the Navajo and Hopi tribes. [Native American Times]
¶ The GAO released a blistering report on the $13.4 billion waste treatment plant being built at Hanford, Washington, saying billions in overruns are almost certain and questioning whether the project can even succeed. [OregonLive.com]
¶ The NRC is beginning to prepare a detailed plan of what would need to be done to bring the plant safely back to service. [Power Engineering Magazine]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, renewable power
January 19, 2013
World:
¶ At the International Renewable Energy Agency, heads of energy agencies from 160 countries endorsed a declaration calling for a doubling of the world’s share of renewable energy by 2030. [MENAFN.COM]
¶ A fish caught inside the harbor of Fukushima Daiichi has 2540 times the legal limit for food fish in Japan. [The News International]
US:
¶ The US Interior Department is designating more land in Arizona as available for development of wind and solar power generation. [Businessweek]
¶ A Pew Charitable Trust report projects revenue from renewable at $1.9 trillion in the US for the period of 2012 to 2018, if regulatory conditions are stable. [The Guardian]
… The report also says the US is trailing other countries in renewable development. [UPI.com]
¶ The US DOE is in court, defending the $750 million fee it collects from the nuclear industry for handling nuclear waste. The fee is being challenged because the DOE has no nuclear handling system in place. [Businessweek]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 18, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ Sewage geothermal, taking heat directly from wastewater, is in use in China to provide heat and air conditioning for large buildings. [Daily Commercial News]
World:
¶ The EU could support itself with a combination of renewable resources including sustainable biofuels, without resorting to harmful biofuels. [Irish Times]
¶ Belgium is planning to build a doughnut-shaped artificial island in the ocean as a pumped storage facility, in a step to reduce reliance on nuclear power. [Reuters]
¶ Increasing output of solar and wind power have driven electric prices to record lows in France and Germany, while demonstrating that their intermittent nature is less problematical than their critics claim. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Australian mining companies are using solar power to cut energy costs. [RenewEconomy]
¶ The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Agency panel investigation on the fault under the Ohi plant cannot agree on whether the fault is active, so more investigation may be done. Ohi is the only operating plant in Japan. [The Japan Daily Press]
US:
¶ Windpower leads the way in new installations in the US during 2012, increasing by over 51% from 2011. New wind installations accounted over 40% of the total, as opposed to new natural gas installations, at 33%. [North American Windpower]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, wind power
January 17, 2013
World:
¶ The head economist from International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) has told the conference in Abu Dhabi that renewable energy production is not growing nearly fast enough. [gulfnews.com]
¶ A report from Irena issued at the conference says renewable energy has entered into a new beneficial cycle of falling costs, increasing deployment, and accelerated technological progress. [Power Engineering]
¶ Fukushima Prefecture plans to be completely energy self-sufficient by 2040, using only renewable sources. It is installing the world’s largest wind farm. [RenewablesBiz]
¶ A new umbrella organisation called the Federal Association of Energy Storage has been formed to advance the development of a stable energy storage market in Germany. [PV-Tech]
¶ According to the Energy Research Institute of the University of Melbourne, Australia could be self-sufficient in renewable energy in 10 years by converting to solar and wind energy, given the right social and political leadership. [Current TV]
¶ A paper from the UAE describes sustainability as key to energy security, calling other countries and organisations to join efforts to make clean development a reality. [WAM – Emirates News Agency]
US:
¶ Half the new generating capacity added in the US in 2012 was renewable. [Business Green]
¶ Needing a power source for a federal nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in Texas, the National Nuclear Security Administration decided on wind power. The wind farm will be the US government’s largest. [North American Windpower]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, wind power
January 16, 2013
Opinion:
¶ Is investment in large nuclear power plants worthwhile? [Forbes]
¶ The oil industry has taken aim at the Renewable Fuel Standard in a self-interested bid to retain dominance over America’s transportation fuel sector. [AOL]
Science and Technology:
¶ A collaboration between Stanford University and the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has resulted into a thin-film solar cell less than one-micron thick that can be attached to almost any surface. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ A device developed by the NREL could save the US solar industry billions of dollars by identifying defective solar cells early in the manufacturing process. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) says green energy options are rapidly becoming the most cost-effective available. [Trade Arabia]
¶ The people at Irena’s conference in Abu Dhabi represent just about every country and organization important in the world of renewables, climate, and sustainability. [Deutsche Welle]
¶ In an address to the Irena conference, renowned US economist Jeffrey Sachs said the work being done was not nearly enough, and the world needs an entirely different energy system in place within 25 years. [7DAYS]
¶ In the Middle East, environmental understanding is driving the technology towards more efficient and environmentally friendly options for desalination. [gulfnews.com]
¶ Most of the World’s largest companies are shifting to clean energy. [WWF International]
¶ Mitsubishi has announced it will invest close to $770 million in four offshore wind farms in Germany. [The Japan Daily Press]
¶ The costs of decommissioning European nuclear power plants will run into hundreds of billions of Euros during the next ten years. [Recycling News]
US:
¶ New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing a $1 billion “N.Y. Green Bank,” to support environmental energy research and projects that might otherwise struggle for capital from the private market. [Salon]
¶ Rhode Island has made a new type of renewable energy grant available, as for the first time, residential applications for grouped projects will be accepted. [DigitalJournal.com]
¶ A number of environmental groups will file a rebuttal of claims made by the Nuclear Energy Institute, which has suggested that additional research by the NRC is not largely needed for a court-ordered environmental impact statement on long-term nuclear waste-storage issues. [Melodika.net]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, wind power
January 15, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ Teams of scientists are testing ways to get rid of nuclear waste. One approach is an American design being tested in the UK, to combine fusion with fission. Another is a Belgian test of Carlos Rubbia’s Energy Amplifier, an Accelerator-Driven System. [IEEE Spectrum]
¶ At the Ecobuild event in London, on March 5-7, Mitsubishi Electric will highlight projects using existing renewable technologies to improve energy performance and decrease carbon emissions, while often decreasing energy bills as well. [IBTimes.co.uk]
World:
¶ The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) conference is putting emphasis on low-carbon economy, giving investors the understanding that there is great potential for growth in low-carbon technology. [UPI.com]
¶ A panel of experts at Irena are calling for distributed power from renewable resources because current models of energy generation and distribution are more expensive and less sustainable. [gulfnews.com]
¶ The portion of our energy that is renewable has to double by 2030, according to an Irena announcement. We need to accelerate the move to renewables to achieve that. [News24]
¶ The headquarters for Irena will be in Abu Dhabi, the first such agency to have its headquarters in the Middle East. [gulfnews.com]
¶ Promoters of an 80-acre energy park in Cornwall are offering residents within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of the park a 20% discount on electricity. The park will consist of 75 acres of solar PVs and 14 wind turbines. [This is Cornwall]
US:
¶ Duke Energy added 800 MW of windpower in 2012. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ The new US approach to storage of nuclear waste will begin with getting consent from the community hosting the waste. Waste will go to interim storage first, and then to long-term storage. [World Nuclear News]
¶ A panel of three judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals have heard arguments on whether the Vermont Senate can prevent Vermont Yankee’s continued operation by preventing issuance of a certificate of public good. [vtdigger.org]
… Nine states, New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire and Utah filed a court document supporting Vermont. [The Saratogian]
¶ The State of New York has made the area of the Hudson River on which Indian Point sits into a critical wildlife area. Entergy is claiming the designation was illegally applied and will interfere with operation of the power plant. [The Journal News | LoHud.com]
¶ What appears to be one of the new reactors for Vogtle got stuck in port when a rail car broke down on December 15. The car distinctive and could hardly be mistaken. It sits today by the side of a road, without any protection against sabotage, which would be a violation of NRC regulations. [The Aiken Leader]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, wind power
January 14, 2013
World:
¶ The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) has its third annual conference underway in Abu Dhabi, and has provided a Global Renewable Energy Atlas [gulfnews.com]
¶ An important focus of Irena is to bring energy to all people. Renewable resources are making this goal reachable, where electric grid power did not. [The Guatemala Times]
¶ China has announced it is joining Irena. [The National]
¶ The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership will fund 28 new projects for renewable energy and energy efficient solutions in Africa and Asia. [ESI Africa]
¶ The Scots, after long feeling they were taking a back seat to the English, are taking pride in environmental leadership, as they work toward 100% electrical energy independence in 2020. [The National]
¶ Renewable power is seen as a major investment opportunity in Myanmar. Solar costs about half as much as diesel in Southeast Asia, and produces no emissions. [CleanTechnica]
US:
¶ So far, Google’s investment in renewable power comes to over $1 billion. [Techi]
¶ Muons, Inc. and ADNA Corp. are proposing using an accelerator-driven subcritical reactor for heat for production of synthetic fuels and chemicals. The reactor could use spent nuclear fuel. [Green Car Congress]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, renewable power
January 13, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ Scientists at Berkeley are researching artificial photosynthesis. They have already been able to make hydrogen, and are trying for more complex materials that can be used for fuel. [San Francisco Chronicle]
Not Energy, but Interesting Sustainability:
¶ Plastic fishing traps are being used instead of tree bark in Indonesia. They last longer and are less destructive than earlier practice, providing an interesting example of use of plastics as a replacement for natural product can protect the environment. [Bernama]
¶ Greenpeace is highlighting sustainable production of palm oil tested in Indonesia. It is being praised by the Minister of Agriculture, who says it shows how producers can be profitable without destroying forests. [Scoop.co.nz]
World:
¶ Sir Ian Wilmut, known for successfully cloning a sheep for the first time, says wind turbines are vital to reducing the carbon emissions causing global warming and destruction of crops. His basic message is that without wind farms, we will not be able to produce enough food. [Scotsman]
¶ The last remaining coal generating plants in Ontario are scheduled to close. [Huffington Post Canada]
US:
¶ The 265 MW Ocotillo Wind project in Southern California began commercial operation in December and is transmitting energy to the grid, according to its owners. [Today’s Energy Solutions]
¶ The US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has created an energy analysis tool to help those who wish to experiment with energy use options and carbon emissions. The tool is called Buildings, Industry, Transportation, Electricity, and Transportation Scenarios (BITES). [Nanowerk LLC]
¶ The DOE is also putting up $120 million for research into sustainable ways to produce more rare earth elements. The US is dependent on foreign sources for these elements, which are important for production of PVs, LEDs, and computer chips, among other things. [IVCPOST]
¶ Nuclear watchdog groups are accusing the NRC of rushing its report on nuclear waste. [Rutland Herald]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, wind power
January 12, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ The US National Science Foundation has awarded a grant for research in sustainable energy systems that integrate waste stream management with renewable power generation, starting on the scale of a single-family residence. One main focus of the research will be optimization of algae-based biofuel systems. [Biomass Magazine]
World:
¶ Duke Energy is partnering with local developers in Argentina to provide independent microgrids in two towns. The power will come from a combination of wind and hydro. [Electric Light & Power]
¶ Scottish offshore renewable energy projects may face delays as the power grid needs to be improved. [Businessweek]
¶ The Chinese are trying out two new technologies for nuclear power, one of which produces little waste and cannot melt down. [HazardEx] (This article speaks of a photon beam, as do several others in the past few weeks. I am fairly certain they all should be talking about a proton beam, meaning that this is an Accelerator-Driven System)
¶ The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority has announced a draft of key measures to prevent severe accidents at nuclear power plants. [The Daily Yomiuri]
US:
¶ Market researchers at Frost & Sullivan predict that the US investments in solar power will grow from $1.91 billion in 2011, to $20.44 billion in 2016. [NewsNet]
¶ According to an EPA official, much contaminated land can have its pollutants contained, rather than needing extensive decontamination, if it is to be used for solar farms. [Energy Collective]
¶ The National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, consisting of 240 scientists working a the auspices of the federal government, issued a warning on climate change that is called stronger and clearer than ever. [Huffington Post]
¶ The Fitch rating agency says it believes Duke Energy probably will permanently close the Crystal River nuclear plant. [Tampa Bay Times]
¶ The DOE intends to have an interim storage facility for spent nuclear waste by 2025. [Platts]
… And, a more permanent facility may be ready by 2048. [Mid Columbia Tri City Herald]
¶ There is considerable pessimism in the industry about the addition of new nuclear plants. The four being built might be all for a long time, and others are likely to close. [Tampabay.com]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, renewable power, wind power
January 11, 2013
Opinion:
¶ William S. Becker gives us “The Incontrovertible Business Case for Clean Energy,” in two parts. Huffington Post: [Part 1] [Part 2]
World:
¶ Chile has 3.1 GW of solar energy projects in planning. [Electric Light & Power]
¶ The Irish renewable electric provider, Mainstream Renewable Power, is making progress in its talks with the UK National Grid to export 5000 MW of electricity to Britain. [Irish Times]
¶ RWE’s renewable energy unit said a new law designed to ease grid-connection delays for German wind farms doesn’t go far enough in reducing investment risks. Utilities including RWE AG and EON SE had threatened to halt investments unless the issues are resolved. [Bloomberg]
¶ Restarting reactors in Belgium that had been shut down because of microcracks will be hazardous, according to a study commissioned by the Green Party group in the European Parliament. [EurActiv]
US:
¶ The city council of Carbondale, Illinois, named for local coal mines, has voted to make the city’s electric supply 100% renewable. The package deal provided a 2% cost above non-renewable, and a 22% cost reduction from aggregated buying, so there is substantial saving from going green. [The Southern Illinoisian]
¶ Tucson, Arizona is transitioning to a renewable water supply. [Tucson Citizen]
¶ The NRC still has no timetable for restarts of the Fort Calhoun or Crystal River nuclear plants. [POWER magazine]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 10, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ Tree Seeds could provide an abundant supply of biofuel. [Newstrack Indiah]
¶ The use of mycorrhiza for increasing fertility for organic farming is becoming more prevalent. [Reuters AlertNet]
World:
¶ China expects to install 18 GW of wind capacity and 10 GW of solar in 2013. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ Japanese regulators say checking all the reactors in the country for safety in three years will be difficult. [The Japan Times]
¶ Iceland is offering geothermal power to provide heat for homes in the UK through a submarine electric cable. The project could be completed by 2020. [Scotsman]
US:
¶ Google is putting $200 million into a Texas wind farm. [GlobalPost]
¶ Sen. Bernie Sanders will introduce legislation to move aggressively to reverse global warming. [eNews Park Forest]
¶ The US retired more than 9000 MW of coal generating plants in 2012. [PennEnergy]
¶ Utility computers are increasingly being attacked by unknown hackers. Water, nuclear power and natural gas pipeline systems are especially targeted. [WND.com]
¶ After ruling that the owners of San Onofre could continue collecting money from ratepayers for the idle plant, an administrative judge left the bench and attempted to grab a banner from protesters. [Bay Area Indymedia]
¶ UBS, a Swiss global financial services company, says five US nuclear power plants are likely to be retired early because of economics. The plants are Clinton, FitzPatrick, Ginna, Kewaunee, and Vermont Yankee. [Platts]
Vermont:
¶ Judge Garvan Murtha refused to grant an injunction sought by Entergy to block a Vermont Supreme Court proceeding on Vermont Yankee. The New England Coalition asked the Vermont Supreme Court to order VY to close because it’s operating without a certificate of public good. [Vermont Public Radio]
¶ The Vermont Department of Public Service is asking Entergy to explain the inconsistencies in the positions it has taken on state oversight of Vermont Yankee. [Vermont Public Radio]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 9, 2013
Science and Technology:
¶ Graphene oxides have been discovered to remove some dissolved radioactive materials from water quickly, and can be used in places like Fukushima for decontamination. [HispanicBusiness.com]
Japan’s news is now in the World section.
World:
¶ Some areas of Wales are leading the way in rooftop solar installations. In Wrexham, 5% of homes have PVs supplying their power. [WalesOnline]
¶ Algeria is planning on spending $60 billion developing renewable energy. [ESI Africa]
¶ Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing $500-million in a portfolio of wind power farms owned by Chicago-based clean energy developer Invenergy LLC. [National Post]
¶ Cleanup and decontamination at Fukushima are alarmingly slipshod. [Asahi Shimbun]
US:
¶ Ratepayers in southern California are paying $1.1 billion per year in costs relating to the San Onofre nuclear plant while it sits idle because of equipment problems. [Los Angeles Times]
¶ The owners of Fort Calhoun still hope to restart the reactor in the first quarter, despite work that still remains to correct a problem an NRC official called a “significant technical challenge” with the unit’s containment. [Platts]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 8, 2013
Opinion:
¶ Forbes India enumerates five sustainable practices is says must be made mandatory in India. [Forbes India]
World:
¶ In Australia, the cost of solar power from PVs on household roofs has fallen to below half the cost of grid electric power. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Offshore wind is gaining in importance in China, and has become a major power source. [Your Renewable News]
¶ New solar farms in Wales will have sheep grazing between rows of solar PV panels. [Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine]
¶ The government of Uruguay is planning to have 90% of the country’s electricity from renewable sources by 2015. Hydropower will account for 45%, biomass will be 15%, and wind will be 30%. (The country got 62% of its electricity from renewable sources 2008, and the change is mostly the addition of wind.) [Bernama]
US:
¶ California businesses are installing solar power to reduce costs and improve their bottom line. [North Bay Business Journal]
¶ A Circuit Court has ruled that the NRC must explain why they secretly exempted the Indian Point nuclear reactor from fire-safety rules. [Courthouse News Service]
¶ Georgia Power is seeking permission to retire four coal-burning generating plants with a combined output of 2061 MW. The costs of complying with EPA regulations and competition are making the plants uneconomical to run. [Electric Light & Power]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 7, 2013
Opinion:
¶ Rupert Murdoch says the fact that forest mass is increasing indicates that CO2 is good for the environment, and we should stop wasting money on renewable power when there are so many great opportunities to build infrastructure for non-renewable technology. [Daily Star Online]
Japan:
¶ Local governments are having difficulty preparing disaster plans. Nearly half say they do not know whether they can meet a March 18 deadline to prepare a plan, and 11% say they will not be able to do so. [The Daily Yomiuri]
¶ In Japan, the problem of dealing with waste without a storage facility leads the government to want to extract plutonium. The problem is what to do with the plutonium. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ The Chinese have started construction of a new reactor at a large nuclear facility in Shandong. [South China Morning Post]
¶ Indian scientists say they have found a way to remove actinides, the most problematical components, from nuclear waste, leaving the remainder of the waste much less dangerous. [Deccan Herald]
¶ In 2011, Scotland had 36.3% of its electricity generated from renewable sources. For the first three quarters of 2012, the amount was increased by 15.2%. The Scots say they are on track to produce 100% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. [John O’Groat Journal]
¶ Nicaragua, the second poorest country in Latin America, is moving to renewable power. It had got 70% of its power from oil in the past. The hope is to have 94% from renewable sources by 2017. The article includes a nice list of 45 countries getting more than 60%, and 13 getting more than 95%, of their power from renewable sources. [IBTimes.co.uk]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, renewable power
January 6, 2013
World:
¶ German solar installations continued to grow at a record pace in 2012. New installations have a capacity of 7.6 GW, and this is far more than the 2.5 to 3.0 GW the government wanted to see added. The resulting reduction in the feed-in tariff appears to be slowing growth down. [Economic Times]
¶ Sri Lanka’s Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka says that country will not start work on nuclear power generation within the next decade, as the technical issues raised by the Fukushima Disaster need to be fully assessed. [Sunday Observer]
¶ The Bulgarian prime minister is instructing supporters of his ruling party to vote not to allow use of nuclear power in that country. [Novinite.com]
¶ Scientific experts have given approval to restart of two Belgian nuclear power plants that were shut down because of micro-cracks in reactor vessels. [Straits Times]
US:
¶ New wind farms are being added in New Hampshire, but opponents are calling for a moratorium on expansion of wind power. [NewHampshire.com]
¶ Twenty-four environmental groups have filed documents with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission saying it will not be possible for the NRC to assess adequately the environmental implications of long-term storage of spent fuel in two years, as planned. [Melodika.net]
¶ The Entergy wholesale nuclear fleet is projected to show poor cash flows until 2016. Vermont Yankee, Pilgrim, and Indian Point are members of that group of nuclear plants. [Rutland Herald]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 5, 2013
Economics:
¶ The microgrid is being developed, both technologically and economically, as a model for electric generation and distribution. [energybiz]
World:
¶ Emerging economies are expected to triple their renewable energy output within the remainder of this decade. [FuelFix]
¶ Germany’s environment minister, Peter Altmaier, has rejected a newspaper report suggesting the country was considering sending its nuclear waste to other countries. [Deutsche Welle]
US:
¶ MidAmerican Solar, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s MidAmerican Renewables, is investing over $2 billion in solar power generation in California. [Businessandleadership.com]
¶ There are no big federal legislative issues for renewable energy being considered for the next year, but a number of small issues could advance renewables a good deal. [Inside Climate News]
¶ A federal working group will address air pollution and employment concerns relating to the Navajo Generating Station, the largest coal-fired power plant in the western United States. The plant is on an Indian reservation near the Grand Canyon. [Reuters UK]
¶ The haggling over the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump is continuing, with a lack of funds even to investigate the idea central to the issue. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
¶ A plan for an interim storage facility in Utah for spent nuclear fuel is officially dead, as the owner has asked the NRC to cancel its license. According to the owner, this was because of obstruction by the Interior Department. This leaves the US with no interim storage option. [World Nuclear News]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
January 4, 2013
Japan:
¶ TEPCO will start decommissioning Fukushima Daiichi this year. The process will begin with removal of the fuel rods in the spent fuel pool of Unit 4. [RTT News]
World:
¶ The German Environment Minister said his country would never again return to nuclear energy, in response to a statement by a top EU official who doubted Berlin’s commitment to phase out nuclear power. [FRANCE 24]
¶ The German energy system is oversupplied. Prices of some future deliveries of electricity have fallen to a record low. [Businessweek]
¶ The amount of electricity generated from renewable resources grew by 27% in the UK in 2012. The fastest growth was in offshore wind and solar power. [Blue & Green Tomorrow]
¶ A new report on Scotland’s energy future indicates bills will be lower as a result of the change to renewable power sources. [SNP]
US:
¶ The States of New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont have filed comments saying that the NRC is not addressing the deficiencies identified in district court in Washington DC. The court ordered the NRC not to issue any licenses for nuclear plants until the deficiencies are addressed. [Rutland Herald]
¶ A new report on pollution from energy suppliers points a finger at coal plants. The plants are being sued by environmental groups. [Pittsburgh Business Times]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power, wind power
January 3, 2013
Opinion:
¶ The renewable industry has to use better tactics in its fight against NIMBYism. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Japan:
¶ Japanese companies are looking at oceanic resources to develop fossil fuels. Methane hydrate production is seen as a possibility. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ The renewable energy industry is expected to create 400,000 jobs in the UK by 2020. Most of these will be in northern areas. [The Finance Pages]
¶ The Kudankulam nuclear plant is to be commissioned within the next two weeks, according officials at the Indian Atomic Energy Commission. [India West]
¶ Planners have decided on a recommendation on whether the UK’s Hinkley C reactor should be built, but the decision will be secret until the government decides what to do. [Power Engineering Magazine]
US:
¶ The solar industry is set to lead job growth in the US this year. [Virtual-Strategy Magazine]
¶ A new report from the World Wildlife Fund says eight of the eleven US energy companies on the Fortune 100 have not set greenhouse gas reduction or renewable energy goals. [Inside Climate News]
¶ Florida lawmakers are moving to repeal a law that makes customers pay now for a nuclear plant that might be built in the future. [Bay News 9]
¶ The Vermont Public Service Board continues to take the position that Vermont Yankee is in violation of agreements Entergy made when the plant was purchased. [Brattleboro Reformer]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, renewable power
January 2, 2013
Science:
¶ A single, massive electromagnetic pulse, which could come from a solar storm, a high-altitude nuclear bomb, or a “pulse gun,” could take out all electronic devices in a broad area. The area could be as big as the continental US, and the effects could last for years. [Market Daily News]
Japan:
¶ Japan has no place to store the nuclear waste it has created on the long term. It also has no way to use it, though it intends to process it. It could be used to make nuclear bombs. [Chem.Info]
¶ Despite the current government’s desire to reestablish nuclear power, there is a good deal of opposition against the reestablishment of a “nuclear village.” [Deutsche Welle]
World:
¶ A writer doing research in the New Zealand Defense Department archives discovered documents saying that the governments of that country and the US developed technology for using explosives to create tsunamis with 33 foot waves. [Telegraph.co.uk] (Though the article does not make the point, this would make any coastal nuclear facility vulnerable.)
US:
¶ A Shell oil rig loaded with 150,000 gallons of diesel has run aground on the coast of Alaska. Stormy weather is making access very difficult. There is a potential for environmental damage, but none has appeared yet. [Juneau Empire]
¶ Court fights over Vermont Yankee are happening in both the federal appeals court in New York and the Vermont Supreme Court this month. [Rutland Herald]
¶ The fiscal cliff deal struck in Washington is providing a one year tax credit extension to renewable energy. [Innovation Trail]
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Tags: nuclear, nuclear power, nuclear waste, renewable power
January 1, 2013
Japan:
¶ In an article on restarting the Japanese economy, the new Japanese trade and industry minster, Toshimitsu Motegi, says the NRA will have to give its approval before any nuclear reactors are restarted, and this process will take at least three years. [The Daily Yomiuri]
¶ The NRA has found the fire proofing at more than one fifth of the nuclear reactors to be inadequate, according to the Mainichi Shimbun, a major newspaper. The finding could delay their restart by several years in some cases. [Straits Times]
¶ The work of decontamination radioactive fallout on the ground and buildings in the village of Iitate seems endless. [Pollution Solutions]
World:
¶ Former Indian Navy Chief Admiral L. Ramdoss says the nuclear plant at Kudankulam is unsafe and should not be commissioned. Instead, electrical power should be generated by sun and wind. [The Hindu]
¶ Investment in renewable energy is a good bet for the UK’s farmers, according to a rural surveyor at consultant Bidwells. The technology is more widely accepted, and potential lenders more comfortable with it than they had been previously. [FarmersWeekly]
US:
¶ Duke Energy stock is not necessarily safe to own, an analysis suggests. Among the problems are the fact that it has large holdings of nuclear power plants, specifically that it owns Crystal River, and that solar PV rooftop installations are increasingly competitive. [Seeking Alpha]
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Tags: Fukushima, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, photovoltaic, renewable power, solar power
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