Opinion:
¶ “Nuclear Renaissance was just a Fairy Tale” Peter Bradford of the Vermont Law School tells us the gap between nuclear rhetoric and nuclear reality has been a fundamental impediment to wise energy policy decisions for half a century now. [The Guardian]
¶ “It may not pay to be green, but you lose money being brown.” Financial analysis makes a case for divesting of fossil fuels entirely for reasons of market economy. [Financial News]
Book Review:
¶ Discussing Mark Lynas’ “Nuclear 2.0: Why a Green Future Needs Nuclear Power” Spoiler: The book does have a few errors in it. [Lenz Blog]
Economics and Finance:
¶ Solar power panel prices may stabilize this year and the market is expected to grow past $134 billion annually by 2020, according to a new report from Boulder-based Navigant Research. [Denver Business Journal]
World:
¶ Germany has 1.3 million renewable energy producers. Small farm villages are increasingly becoming equipped with solar panels and wind turbines, while the big cities like Berlin, are developing new ways to take advantage of the incentives. [The Green Optimistic]
¶ A new nuclear deal on the Hinkley nuclear plant is imminent, the UK’s government continues to promise. But beneath the contractual wrangling is another potential stumbling block: whether or not the deal is legal. [Carbon Brief]
¶ The UK’s new nuclear program is taking so long to complete that it is in danger of becoming a “museum” piece by the time it is due to come on line in 2020, according to a leading Labour MP. [Utility Week]
¶ It looks like Japan Atomic Power Co. is set to contest Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority findings that the fault line that lies under one of its nuclear reactors at the Tsuruga nuclear power facility is active. [The Japan Daily Press]
US:
¶ A study published Thursday in the journal Science has linked geothermal energy production in the Salton Sea area with an increase in local earthquakes. [KCET]
¶ The Browns Ferry whistleblower made a surprise appearance Thursday during a three-hour U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission public meeting Calhoun Community College, and said that safety records had been altered. [News Courier]
¶ An NRC report on a problem that shut down the Harris nuclear plant for three weeks suggests that the nuclear industry tolerates punishing work schedules, creating conditions in which overworked technicians can make serious mistakes. [News & Observer]
¶ The US NRC is advising power plant operators to inspect steam generators more closely after finding evidence of developing cracks on the equipment at Seabrook Station. The tubes were removed from service. [Foster’s Daily Democrat]
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