Science and Technology:
¶ Researchers from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, are working on technology that could turn carbon dioxide into liquid and gaseous fuels. [Hydrogen Fuel News]
¶ Scientists at Transatomic Power, a nuclear reactor design company with affiliation to MIT, claim to have developed a “Waste-Annihilating Molten Salt Reactor” that uses nuclear waste efficiently. [Nature World News]
¶ We have more information on the reliability of wind power, continuing comments in an article that was referenced here on March 12, “Is baseload power more reliable than wind?” [Climate Spectator]
World:
¶ Highland councillors are being advised by planning officials to back controversial plans to construct the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the Scottish coast. The project will cost £4.5 billion and have 339 turbines. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ A royal advisor has slammed Government proposals to guarantee a minimum price for the electricity generated by EDF Energy for the next 30-40 years, saying it was a “£50 billion bet on the wholesale price of energy”. [East Anglian Daily Times]
¶ Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party has dropped six of eight members who voted to completely phase out the use of nuclear power from the all-new post-Fukushima energy policy advisory board to the government. [The Japan Daily Press]
US:
¶ A report from Pike Research says we can expect US grid storage capacity to expand by 56 GW over the next decade, driven by wind and solar installations. [The Green Optimistic]
¶ The Vermont Senate will debate a bill next week that would give towns much more authority to ban projects. Many environmentalists object to the bill. [Rutland Herald]
¶ Owners of the San Onofre nuclear plant want to collect $768.5 million from Southern California utility customers to pay for the steam generator replacement project that failed. [U-T San Diego]
¶ Several Cape Cod towns have ballot referendums on closing the Plymouth nuclear plant. [Cape Cod Today]
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