ANS Nuclear Cafe

Moving beyond Fukushima - the renaissance continues

Part I of this article presented the in-state electricity generation in California as well as imports required to meet California's electricity requirements. This Part II section will present how the use of Renewable Energy Credits may be used to meet California's renewable energy portfolio.

California has recently adopted a renewable energy portfolio with the goal to provide 33 percent of its electricity from renewable resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and small hydroelectric facilities by 2020.

Two British environmental writers who were bitterly opposed to nuclear energy development just a few years ago decided to do some homework. Their questioning attitude and fact seeking minds have led them to the inescapable conclusion that most of the arguments against nuclear energy repeatedly offered by the opposition have been pure fabrications. George Monbiot and Mark Lynas both bring assets to the battle for hearts and minds in the energy source debate that are hard to match - they are recent converts to a pro-nuclear technology position with deep credentials in the environmental community. In addition, they are professional communicators with stories to tell.

So many people oppose nuclear power that it becomes easy to lump them all together as "the opponents." Like any other group, however, the opponents actually have  various depths of commitment. The extremes are the Professional Opponent and the Concerned But Reachable Volunteer.

Tag cloud for Atomic Power Review 2011 07 09

The 60th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up at Atomic Power Review. This is the first time this blog is participating in the carnival.

Help comes from positive news for getting nuclear energy out of its defensive corner

Following the ANS Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, June 30, Eric Loewen officially became ANS President and Joe Colvin transitioned to ANS Immediate Past President. The picture below marks the presentation of a symbolic gavel from the ANS President to the ANS Immediate Past President.

The 59th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up at Yes Vermont Yankee

American Nuclear Society members and others, take a bow. Your contributions to the Japan Relief Fund have exceeded the $155,000 level. That's something to be proud of. There is still a need, however, for you to keep making donations to help our friends and colleagues, and their families, at the Fukushima Daiichi, Fukushima Daini, and Onagawa nuclear plants, all located on the damaged east coast of Japan.

Two people with long experience working with the nuclear industry-one in Japan and one in the United States-share some "hall talk" with ANS Nuclear Cafe about Fukushima

In new media and old, time must be devoted to finding and conveying accurate information, no matter how short the news cycle.

Former NRC chairman is honored at American Nuclear Society national meeting

As President-Elect of the American Nuclear Society, I welcome my fellow ANS members and non-members to the 2011 June conference!

Travel Mugs Available at June ANS Meeting

The first light bulbs ever lit by electricity generated by nuclear power at EBR-1, what is now INL.

The history of the development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy is accentuated by a number of significant emotional events. Some have been distinctly positive; the first man-made self-sustaining fission reaction, the first electricity generated by atomic energy, feats accomplished by the first nuclear powered naval vessels, the invention of life-saving nuclear medicine techniques, etc. During and following each of these milestones our collective understanding of the technology has continued to evolve and mature with increased knowledge and experience.

Some of us are old enough to remember when, in the 1970s, the US News and World Reports annual survey of careers with room for growth placed nuclear energy at or near the top of the list for several years in a row. I was in high school at the time, and had already decided that I was interested in energy production, nuclear in particular. The annual list publication reinforced my decision. My high school career lasted from 1973 to 1977, a period that coincided not only with the apogee of the first Nuclear Age, but that also was sandwiched between two significant oil-price-related recessions.

Vermont's Department of Public Service (DPS) is holding local meetings about a proposed Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan, which is supposed to be on the governor's desk in October.

Continued from Monday, June 20

Over the past year or so, there has been a lot of buzz about small modular reactors (SMRs). These are reactors whose electrical output ranges anywhere from ~25 MW to ~300 MW, as compared with over 1000 MW for large "conventional" nuclear power plants. With SMRs, the entire reactor (or possibly the entire nuclear island-NSSS) could be built in a factory and shipped to the site. Any site construction would be much more limited, and would only involve the (non-nuclear) balance of plant. Descriptions of some proposed SMRs can be found here, here and here.