Opinion:
¶ “Why 100 per cent renewables is possible… and affordable” [Business Spectator]
Science and Technology:
¶ The United Nations reports that more people die each year from air pollution than from AIDS and malaria combined. [msnNOW]
¶ The US DOE is beginning research into using solar power to increase the energy content of natural gas. [New York Times]
World:
¶ Renewable power has driven Australian carbon emissions to a ten-year low. [Power Engineering International]
¶ French Utility GDF Suez, which supplies 25% of the country’s electricity, is using renewables for half of its production. [Utility Products]
… GDF Suez plans to close three of the four gas-fired power plants it operates in its home country because their profitability fell. [Fox Business]
… GDF Suez was upgraded by analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report. [Mideast Time]
¶ After finding that three out of seven underground tanks storing radioactive water were leaking, TEPCO announced it will move the water out of all of them. [The Japan Daily Press]
US:
¶ In the new budget, President Obama proposed a dramatic increase in clean energy spending, expanding support for electric cars, wind power and other “green” technology. He would pay for the expansion in part by eliminating tax breaks and subsidies for oil, gas and coal industries. [Business Spectator]
¶ Many predictions were that 2012 would be a bad year for renewable power, but the industries surpassed expectations and appear to be positioned for continued growth. [AOL Energy]
¶ The GAO has issued a report saying evacuation plans for nuclear accidents are faulty. Reports of an accident would cause people outside an official evacuation zone to try to escape, filling roads and blocking the way for those within the evacuation zone. [Huffington Post]
¶ The Falmouth, Massachusetts, Town Meeting narrowly rejected a measure to authorize a town-wide vote on whether to borrow $14 million to dismantle two turbines. [Boston Globe]
¶ President Obama has unexpectedly called for the possible sale of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest publicly-owned U.S. power company. [Businessweek]
¶ The NRC has announced its preliminary determination that a request for a license amendment to restart one of San Onofre crippled nuclear reactors does not pose a significant safety hazard. [U-T San Diego]
… California Senator Boxer and Massachusetts Representative Markey sent a letter to the NRC this week demanding a comprehensive investigation of the plant before any units be permitted to operate. [Village News Network]
¶ A plant designed to turn plutonium from nuclear bombs into commercial reactor fuel is three years behind schedule, and its projected have grown from $4.9 billion to $7.7 billion. Now, the Obama administration says we must explore other options to dispose of the plutonium. [The Augusta Chronicle]
geoharvey 