Math guts nuclear myth- May 12

Some very significant costs associated solely with nuclear plants were omitted from the article.

During the nuclear plant's 60-year operating life, what will it cost to regularly remove, contain, transport and store (basically forever) all the radioactive waste regularly generated at the plant (i.e. spent fuel rods, containment suits, coolant, tools, etc.)?

In 2009, Coenraad van Blerk, a director of Green Hydro Power, obtained a patent from the South African patent office for an "electricity generating arrangement" but two years later Rand Water put out a tender for what he has claimed is the same thing.

At stake for Rand Water is a tender to build four hydropower plants on Johannesburg's vast hydraulic network, which could generate R43-million worth of electricity each year.

On May 6, 2013 the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Appellate Body, the highest court at the WTO, released its report with respect to Canada, Japan and the European Union's (EU) appeals against the decision made by the WTO Panel on the domestic content requirements of Ontario's Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) Program.

History of Proceedings

Ontario's domestic content requirements for the FIT Program were challenged at the WTO by Japan and the EU on the basis that they are contrary to Canada's free trade obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 1994 (GATT). The WTO Panel Report of December 19, 2012, which partially ruled that the FIT Program breaches Canada's international trade obligations, was appealed by Canada, Japan and EU.

The Southern Governors' Association has issued the following news release:

Governor Pat McCrory signed into law landmark legislation (H.B. 484) today that creates a framework for the establishment of wind energy facilities in North Carolina and signals the governor’s continued support for an “all-of-the-above” energy plan.

(CORRECTED COPY)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT HOLDS A HEARING ON THE PROPOSED F.Y. 2014 BUDGET FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

MAY 15, 2013

SPEAKERS: , SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, D-CALIF. CHAIRWOMAN SEN. PATTY MURRAY, D-WASH. SEN. TIM JOHNSON, D-S.D. SEN. MARY L. LANDRIEU, D-LA. SEN. FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, D-N.J. SEN. TOM , HARKIN, D-IOWA SEN. JON TESTER, D-MONT. SEN. , RICHARD J. DURBIN, D-ILL. , SEN. TOM UDALL, D-N.M. SEN. BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, D-MD. EX OFFICIO

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER, R-TENN. RANKING MEMBER SEN. THAD COCHRAN, R-MISS. SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, R-KY. SEN. SUSAN COLLINS, R-MAINE SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-S.C. SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI, R-ALASKA SEN. RICHARD C. , SHELBY, R-ALA. SEN. JOHN HOEVEN, R-N.D.

New Delhi, May 20 -- USA based Areva Solar Inc filed patent application for systems and methods for producing steam using solar radiation. The inventors are Conlon William M, Tanner Peter M, Venetos Milton and Hanson Robert J.

Pakistan is going through intense energy crisis and to resolve it the government should have give the solar sector a serious focus Energy crisis, especially very costly and scarce electricity is the most pressing economic problem of Pakistan and the government needs to fully utilized abundant solar energy in the country and the first steps in this regard would be turning all government buildings offices, schools, colleges, universities, healthcare centers, police stations, streetlights, railways installations, etc on total solar power.

This single step if carried out dedicatedly would not only save billions of rupees in the head of electricity bills but also help in provision of more electricity to domestic sector and industry, thus denting the menace of load shedding.

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a notice called: Electric Power Research Institute; Seismic Evaluation Guidance.

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following press release:

This past Monday, May 13, a three-judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) released its decision that the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) process should be considered a license amendment proceeding that affords the opportunity for a hearing.

EMEC - the European Marine Energy Centre - on Orkney is a facility Scotland should be proud of. In the nearly 10 years since it opened its doors it has achieved a solid reputation and is now involved in a number of overseas collaborative projects.

This is good for Scotland and good for the marine energy sector.

SOLAR energy is free although there is a cost in the building of collectors and other equipment required to convert the energy into electricity.

Active solar energy on the other hand is science and technology driven wherein we capture the heat from the sun and reuse it at a time.

Energy security and independence along with climate change have become among the top issues in Zambia.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its security regulations for the transport of irradiated reactor fuel (the terms "irradiated reactor fuel" and "spent nuclear fuel" are used interchangeably in this rule). This rulemaking establishes generically applicable security requirements similar to the requirements currently imposed by NRC Order EA-02-109, "Issuance of Order for Interim Safeguards and Security Compensatory Measures for the Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel Greater than 100 Grams." This rulemaking also establishes performance standards and objectives for the protection of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) shipments from theft, diversion, or radiological sabotage. Additionally, this rulemaking addresses, in part, a 1999 petition for rulemaking from the State of Nevada (PRM-73-10) that requests the NRC to strengthen the regulations governing the security of SNF shipments against malevolent acts. This rule will apply to each NRC licensee who transports, or delivers to a carrier for transport SNF.

DATES: The rule is effective on August 19, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC 2009-0163 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information for this final rule. You can access information and comment submittals to this final rule, which the NRC possesses and is publicly available, by any of the following methods:

The United Kingdom says it is committed to the development of geothermal energy in Montserrat as the British Overseas Territory announced it will soon test a well to determine its capacity to generate geothermal energy.

Department for International Development (DFID) Minister of State Alan Duncan and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Mark Simmonds In a letter to the Premier Reuben Meade, reaffirmed London's commitment to finance future capital projects for the island as long as they were clearly justified and sustainable.

Regarding the geothermal project, they said "depending on the results of the exploration phase, we will move ahead with a planning, design and appraisal phase for the installation of the generation capacity, involving the private sector where appropriate".

Analysts at Douglas-Westwood have been tracking new generation UK renewables since their genesis in the 1990s. Aberdeen-based manager Frank Wright delivers his take on the industry and where it might be heading.

The low-carbon drive and the need to replace older power plants mean that the UK desperately requires new generation capacity from a variety of sources including offshore wind.

At the same time, it is clear that costs in these emerging sectors are extremely high, and the benefits to UK plc have thus far been lower than expected.

A KENDAL school is becoming a beacon of sustainability for others to follow after unveiling a new 'green' initiative.

The town's Ghyllside primary is on course to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 tonnes a year and save thousands of pounds after finding a more environmentally-friendly way of heating the building.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an application for the renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-103 ("Application"), which currently authorizes the Curators of the University of Missouri--Columbia (the licensee) to operate the Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR) at a maximum steady-state thermal power of 10 megawatts (MW). The renewed license would authorize the licensee to operate the MURR up to a steady-state thermal power of 10 MW for an additional 20 years from the date of issuance.

DATES: Submit comments by June 19, 2013. Requests for a hearing or leave to intervene must be filed by July 19, 2013. Any potential party as defined in Section 2.4 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), who believes access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information (SUNSI) is necessary to respond to this notice must request document access by May 30, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comment by any of the following methods (unless this document describes a different method for submitting comments on a specific subject):

New Delhi, May 18 -- ContourGlobal announced today that it has acquired 100% of the shares of the company holding the wind and diesel power generation assets on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire from the administrator of the company's shareholder. The assets are the sole power generation facilities on the island of Bonaire and integrate renewable and conventional energy production sources to provide reliable power to the island's 16,500 inhabitants.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A nuclear plant near North Carolina's capital city was shut down after operators reviewing ultrasonic tests from last year found the results showed tiny marks of corrosion and cracking that need repair, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.

2012 was a record year for the US. However, despite renewal of the so-called Production Tax Credit for a further year, GWEC believes that "broader market conditions and politics" may impact the level of support available to renewables in the country in the short to medium term.

Market consolidation and rationalisation in China, and a lapse in policy in India were the main reasons for the significant slowdown in Asia in 2012, but these conditions are expected to be short-lived, and Asian dominance of global wind markets is expected to continue.

New Delhi, May 20 -- The surplus power from the States can be transferred to a power deficit State through the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) from the source of supply depending upon the available transfer capacity (ATC) between the point of supply and point of drawl. Open Access in transmission (introduced by the Central Government through Electricity Act, 2003), trading mechanism and Power Exchange in accordance with the relevant regulations notified by CERC facilitate this process. National Grid, for evacuation of power from generating sources located in different regions in the country and facilitating transfer of power from surplus to deficit regions, is in place. In addition, licenses have been granted for trading of power. Power exchanges have also been set up for facilitating transfer of power from surplus to deficit States. The surplus power available with the States is also supplied by the States to other needy and desirous States under bilateral arrangements.