By Henry Sokolski For more than a year, nuclear experts have wrung their hands about the risk of radiological releases from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine and how best to prevent them. More than 15 months into the war, though, Russian attacks against Ukraine’s nuclear plants have released no radiation. This may … More Guest Commentary: War Gaming Civilian Nukes in War Zones
The multi-national, multi-billion-dollar, multi-decadal ITER fusion energy project has hit another snag, adding significantly to its estimated cost and time of arrival. Bloomberg reported June 22, “The world’s biggest fusion experiment involving 35 nations faces new delays and potentially billions of dollars in extra costs after defective pieces and broken supply chains disrupted the reactor’s … More Troubled ITER Fusion Project Faces Ever Bigger Problems
Wind and Sun Top Coal For the first five months of 2023, according to unreleased federal data obtained by E&E News and reported by Scientific American, solar and wind generated more U.S. electricity than coal. The data from the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, which will be officially released later, showed that wind and … More Coal Patrol: Wind, Sun Top Coal, Utah Challenges EPA, Peabody Restarts Mine, Wyo. Wants Leasing
The Biden administration, continuing its new environmental policy initiatives on public lands in the western U.S., is proposing financial incentives for developing wind and solar energy projects on federal land. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management last week (June 15) moved to substantially cut fees for use of its land and streamline review of … More Administration Continues Public Lands Policy Revamp
An unplanned nuclear outage during a heat wave on Friday has triggered Texas’s new electrical emergency response plan, Dallas TV station WFAA reported. Vistra Corp.’s Comanche Peak 1,200-MW unit 1 scrammed after a problem with a feedwater pump, shutting down enough power to provide some 250,000 customers. The ABC affiliate reported, “Texans will likely set … More Heat, Nuke Trip Trigger New Texas Electric Emergency Response Plan
Worldwide, for hydroelectric power, 2022 was a very good year. For the U.S., it was nothing special. According to the International Hydropower Association’s “2023 World Hydropower Outlook,” hydro generated 4,408 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2022, up 3.7% over 2021. Installed capacity rose 2.7% to 1,397 GW, an increase of 34 GW, including 10.5 GW of … More World Hydro, 2022 A Very Good Year; U.S. Hydro, Meh
In another pratfall for the 80-year tragicomedy of nuclear waste cleanup at the Department of Energy’s closed Hanford, Wash., nuclear weapons site on the Columbia River, a federal judge has tossed out a $45 billion, 10-15-year cleanup contract during a dispute over the award. The Tri-City Herald reported Tuesday (June 13) that Judge Marian Blank … More Judge Voids Hanford Nuclear Waste Cleanup Contract
Electric power transmission is key to the transition to cleaner generation of electricity, replacing fossil fuels with sun and wind. But the aging U.S grid and legal restrictions on solving territorial bottlenecks are serious roadblocks to moving wind and solar electricity from where it is made most successfully at large scale – mainly the western … More Debt Limit Deal Ducks Electric Transmission Issues
Hydrogen, the initial element; odorless, tasteless, invisible, ubiquitous but unavailable on its own. It’s found only strongly bound to other elements, particularly oxygen. Colorless but colorful. “Black hydrogen” is produced by electrolysis of water from coal-fired generation. “Gray hydrogen” is from reformed natural gas. “Blue hydrogen” is produced from gas, with CO2 captured and stored. … More Constellation: Pink Hydrogen on Hold
Green gear is often heavy, expensive, and favored by the well-to-do. Often loved by liberals and distained by conservatives. Sometimes virtue signaling. The average electric vehicle sold in the U.S. in 2022 cost $66,000, according to Kelley Blue Book. GM says it can’t turn a profit on EVs with a price under $40,000. For a … More EVs, Solar Roofs, Induction Stoves, Heat Pumps: Elitist Electricity or Proletarian Power?