Opinion:
¶ “Abe’s Japan Is Blind to Scary Nuclear Reality” It’s mind-boggling how disengaged Japan’s leaders have been since their “BP moment” — the March 2011 near-meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. [Bloomberg] (Yes – the opinion piece actually does say “near-meltdown.”)
Science and Technology:
¶ Prof Steven Cowley, chief executive of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, believes the world’s first nuclear fusion power plant in France could be producing viable electricity in the 2020s. [Irish Times]
¶ A Canadian government granting organization completed a month-long technical due diligence of SHEC Energy’s Ultra Lite solar technology, and found a materials cost reduction of 89% over its previous generation technology. [DigitalJournal.com]
World:
¶ An independent report released today has found that ditching the carbon price in Australia will hit investment in the renewable energy sector – and almost certainly lead to an increase in electricity prices. [ABC Online]
¶ Swedish furniture giant Ikea is spending €16 million to build a windfarm in Leitrim, Ireland, in a move to ensure all power for its outlets in Dublin and Belfast is sourced from renewable energy. [Irish Independent]
¶ EnergyAustralia, one of the big three utilities operating in Australia, says that rooftop solar PV and energy efficiency measures are causing “unprecedented structural change” to the national electricity market. [RenewEconomy]
¶ Sumitomo Rubber Industries of Dunlop is set to release a 100% fossil fuel free tire that does not use any fossil fuel resources such as petroleum or coal, at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show 2013 and concurrently begin the sale of the product. [Japan Today]
¶ Russia is set to sign an agreement with Iran to build the country’s second nuclear power plant, outgoing Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said. [UPI.com]
US:
¶ The Georgia branch of the Tea Party has aligned itself with solar interests and environmental NGOs to force the monopoly utility Georgia Power to open its network to more solar power. [The Guardian]
¶ Northrop Grumman Corporation has achieved its inaugural greenhouse gas reduction goal of 25% in three years, two years ahead of plan. In 2012, the company realized a 25.3% intensity reduction from its 2008 baseline, resulting in a 26.9% absolute emissions reduction. [Your Renewable News]
¶ California, whose green ambitions helped the solar and wind industries take root, is taking an essential next step by proposing a sharp rise in energy storage. “We can’t just rely on sunlight,” Governor Jerry Brown said, “We’ve got to bottle the sunlight.” [Huffington Post]
¶ According to Southern California Edison, closing the San Onofre nuclear power plant is in the “best interests” of their 4.9 million customers, and those ratepayers should be prepared to pay a portion of the shutdown costs. [Los Angeles Times]
¶ An NRC inspection report finds that NextEra Energy Seabrook has shown the nuclear power plant’s staff is taking necessary steps to address the plant’s concrete degradation, leading the NRC to close all of the remaining action items to address the situation. [The Daily News of Newburyport]
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