Nuclear Power

‘Game Changer’: Former Prime Ministers Team Up To Win Tokyo Election And End Nuclear Power – ‘Our Nation’s Survival Is At Stake’

by

FYI.

– ‘Game Changer’: Former Prime Ministers team up to win Tokyo election and end nuclear power — “Our nation’s survival is at stake” — “Could have biggest influence ever on national politics” (ENENews, Jan 14, 2014):

Kyodo, Jan. 14, 2014: Former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa said Tuesday he will run in the upcoming Tokyo gubernatorial election with an antinuclear agenda after securing the backing of popular former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi […] The move […] could have game-changing impact on the race for the helm of the Japanese capital […] “I have made my decision to run in the Tokyo governor election,” Hosokawa told reporters after meeting Koizumi. “I have a sense of crisis myself that the country’s various problems, especially nuclear power plants, are matters of survival for the country.” […] Koizumi indicated the main focus of the election will be whether to pursue nuclear power or not, calling the election “a war between the group that says Japan can grow with zero nuclear power plants” and the group that says it cannot. […]

Read more‘Game Changer’: Former Prime Ministers Team Up To Win Tokyo Election And End Nuclear Power – ‘Our Nation’s Survival Is At Stake’

Nuclear Power Is NOT A Low-Carbon Source Of Energy

by

– Nuclear Is NOT a Low-Carbon Source of Energy (ZeroHedge, April 14, 2013):

Why Do People Claim that Nuclear Power is a Low-Carbon Source of Energy?

Even well-known, well-intentioned scientists sometimes push bad ideas.   For example, well-known scientists considered pouring soot over the Arctic in the 1970s to help melt the ice – in order to prevent another ice age.  That would have been stupid.  Even Obama’s top science adviser – John Holdren – warned in the 1970?s of a new ice age … and is open to shooting soot into the upper atmosphere. That might be equally stupid.

Read moreNuclear Power Is NOT A Low-Carbon Source Of Energy

SWITZERLAND VOTES TO ABANDON NUCLEAR POWER

by

– SWITZERLAND VOTES TO ABANDON NUCLEAR POWER (AGI News On, Sep. 28, 2011):

(AGI) Geneva – The Council of Swiss States has voted by 22 cantons out of 30 to abandon nuclear power. The vote confirmed a previous vote by the National Council, which decided not to authorize the construction of new power stations. The senators inserted a clause, which stated “there will be no prohibition on technology,” a clear signal to nuclear research, which will be allowed to continue. . .

 

And Now: ‘Floating Chernobyls’ to Hit The High Seas

by

What could possibly go wrong?

“Floating Chernobyls-in-waiting” are coming to a sea near you after a major international agreement was signed last week, according to critics of nuclear power.

floating-chernobyls
Russia reached a recent milestone when the hull of the Akademik Lomonosov was launched into the Baltic Sea

China and Russia agreed to expand co-operation over nuclear power, specifically on uranium exploration and safer power plants – but also on floating nuclear reactors.

“It’s a case of Homer Simpson meets the Titanic,” says Ben Ayliffe, a senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace. “The idea is just mind-boggling.”

Unsurprisingly, he is appalled by the idea.

Russia has been planning floating reactors for quite some time, but reached a recent milestone when the hull of the Akademik Lomonosov was launched into the Baltic Sea.

The reactor is not complete, but the barge that will house the plant was launched on June 30 at the Baltyskiy shipyard in St Petersburg – and China has been watching developments very closely indeed.

Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom said the plant would be “absolutely safe” and predicted “big interest from foreign customers – especially in developing nations”.

Floating reactors can be used in inaccessible places where there is no electricity grid – including exploring for oil in the Arctic or Antarctic.

Read moreAnd Now: ‘Floating Chernobyls’ to Hit The High Seas

The 10 big energy myths

by

There has never been a more important time to invest in green technologies, yet many of us believe these efforts are doomed to failure. What nonsense, writes Chris Goodall

Myth 1: solar power is too expensive to be of much use

In reality, today’s bulky and expensive solar panels capture only 10% or so of the sun’s energy, but rapid innovation in the US means that the next generation of panels will be much thinner, capture far more of the energy in the sun’s light and cost a fraction of what they do today. They may not even be made of silicon. First Solar, the largest manufacturer of thin panels, claims that its products will generate electricity in sunny countries as cheaply as large power stations by 2012.

Read moreThe 10 big energy myths