Topic: Energy and Power Engineering

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How dangerous is nuclear power? Three lessons from Japan.

The devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has become the latest poster child for long-standing issues surrounding nuclear energy – issues that need to be resolved to reduce the risk of a similar nuclear crisis in the United States.
Nuclear power in America: Five reasons why it's safe and reliable

Though the crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant appears to be stabilizing, the United States is stepping up inspections of the country’s 104 nuclear reactors. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced that inspectors will soon visit all US reactors to ensure they can withstand the kind of “severe accident” that led to Japan’s emergency. That emergency has caused many Americans to wonder about the future of nuclear power. Is it safe and dependable? Yes, says Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer and senior vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Here’s why:
Japan nuclear crisis: Seven reasons why we should abandon nuclear power

The disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station underscores – yet again – the need to abandon nuclear power as a panacea for energy independence. Experts may never determine what caused all of the emergency cooling safety systems at Daiichi to fail completely. But they have learned that they are nearly powerless to bring the smoldering units under control. In the meantime, significant amounts of radioactive gas have vented, and partial meltdowns of at least two reactors have occurred. Indeed, nuclear power will never live up to industry promises. As a whole it is ultimately unsafe, an accident waiting to happen, and far more expensive than proponents admit.
Colby College professor Paul Josephson gives seven reasons why we should abandon nuclear power and instead turn to solar, wind, and other forms of energy production that won’t experience such catastrophic accidents.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 03/02
In Pictures: Nuclear power around the world

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America's Stuxnet? Weakness found in systems used by Pentagon, power grid.

An amateur enthusiast has found evidence that hackers could exploit a security vulnerability in the systems of a company that serves power plants and military installations.
Africa Monitor
Solar power: the fix for Africa's frustration with the grid?

As solar power becomes more affordable and efficient, it could spread in Africa, much in the way cell phones took over without widespread infrastructure, writes guest blogger Alex Thurston.
The next 'revolution' for Nicaragua: energy independence

Oil dependent Nicaragua is battling high energy costs and trying to build a sustainable economy by focusing on wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal.
Q&A: Illinois nuclear plant loses power. What got vented into the air?

A nuclear plant in Illinois shut down one reactor Monday after a transformer failed. The problem is growing for aging nuclear plants. But in this case, the public was never in danger, officials say.
Cover Story
Wind power: Clean energy, dirty business?

In the developing world, where land-intensive wind turbines are being rapidly constructed, wind power has often turned clean energy into dirty business.
Green Economics
Should New York scrap its nuclear power plant?

The power generated by  the Indian Point nuclear plant just north of New York City is cheap and clean, but is it worth the risk?
Green Economics
Can California meet its lofty energy goals?

By the year 2020, legislation requires that 33% of the California's power come from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. Can it be done?
Cyber security: Power grid grows more vulnerable to attack, report finds

'Smart grid' features and Internet-based connections to the US power grid are proliferating, increasing pathways for would-be cyber attackers, says a study from MIT. What to do?
Would EPA air-pollution rules lead to massive blackouts? Feds weigh in.

Energy-industry groups said that new EPA air-pollution rules could threaten the reliability of the American power grid. The Energy Department countered that claim with its own report Thursday.
Japan's anti-nuclear protesters find the going tough, despite Fukushima disaster

Polls show the public turning against nuclear energy after Japan's Fukushima disaster. But low coverage of protests and powerful business and political interests have complicated efforts to promote change.
Clean energy 'gold rush' in Mojave spurs backlash

Clean energy projects in California are thriving. But environmentalists worry about impact of clean energy companies on Mojave Desert.
Reader recommendation: Water

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
Germany hits new green-power milestone

Green energy sources now account for 20 percent of Germany's electricity production – a new high. Germany aims to be 35 percent green by 2020, and to have phased out nuclear power by 2022.
Missouri River soaks Nebraska nuclear plant, but it's no Fukushima

Much of the grounds at Fort Calhoun nuclear plant in Nebraska are under two feet of water from the rising Missouri River. But the plant's critical systems sit six feet above the flood's expected crest.
Germany to phase out nuclear power. Could the US do the same?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has endorsed a plan to end all nuclear power in Germany by 2022. Increasingly, studies suggest this is not a far-fetched idea, even for the US.
Latin America Monitor
Venezuela resorts to rationing amid new blackouts

The government blames transmission line failures, but critics such as guest blogger Miguel Octavio point to government inefficiency. Last year Venezuelans endured blackouts for months.
Nuclear power and radiation

A Christian Science perspective: Prayer can support the efforts of engineers and others to find inspired answers.
The Daily Reckoning
Coal use points to growth

A decreased supply of coal, due to flooding, and an increased demand, from Japanese reconstruction, has caused prices to rise
Japan's nuclear energy debate: some see spur for a renewable revolution

Though Japan appears to be set on a short-term course that includes a significant role for nuclear power, the future is geared toward a revolution in renewables, say advocates.
25 years after Chernobyl, Europe debates nuclear power's future

In Germany, phasing out nuclear energy is not a question of if, but when. France, however, has seen only minor expressions of dissent about its reactors.
Robots throw doubt on 'road map' to control Fukushima crisis

Robots found high radiation levels in reactor buildings 1 and 3 Monday, which could make it impossible for workers to enter the Fukushima plant to carry out crucial fixes.
Fukushima warning: US has 'utterly failed' to address risk of spent fuel

Nuclear experts told Congress Wednesday that spent-fuel pools at US nuclear power plants are fuller than safety suggests they should be. They say the entire US spent-fuel policy should be overhauled in light of the nuclear crisis at Japan's Fukushima plant.
Green Economics
Can Japan's disaster help prepare the world for climate change?

Nobody expected that a tsunami would affect Japan's nuclear plants. And climate change will raise the possibility of such awful, unlikely happenings around the world.
How dangerous is nuclear power? Three lessons from Japan.

The devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has become the latest poster child for long-standing issues surrounding nuclear energy – issues that need to be resolved to reduce the risk of a similar nuclear crisis in the United States.
Do US nuclear plants have defective parts? NRC finds reporting flaws.

An NRC report finds that 28 percent of US nuclear power plant operators did not share information on defective parts with federal regulators. 'Confusion' over reporting rules is blamed.