Green World Blog
News, views & musings for our nuclear-free, carbon-free future
-
Why is the US teaming with Russia to gut international nuclear safety standards?
The U.S. is teaming up with the people who brought us Chernobyl. Not in an effort to improve nuclear safety, but to block new safety rules proposed by Europe. Even after 30 years at NIRS, some days the news is just so appalling that it makes one want to scream. And some days, the actions…
Read More -
The utility pushback against clean energy accelerates
A wind farm in south-central Kansas. Wind has brought enormous benefits to the state over the past decade. Is the state ready to throw that away for ideological reasons? We have been saying for months that the nuclear and coal industries are on the ropes–that’s true and grows more evident daily. But on the ropes…
Read More -
Nukes, climate, and the actions of thousands
Yesterday was, in some ways, the culmination of months of NIRS’ work on nuclear power and climate issues, as we showered the Environmental Protection Agency with many thousands of public comments on its proposed Clean Power Plan. That followed months of outreach that resulted in the turnout of many thousands–far more than we had expected–for…
Read More -
Some real Turkey Week turkeys
It’s a race to the bottom: which reactor will come online first? Vogtle (pictured here in March 2014) or Flamanville (pictured below). Or, alternatively, which project will be abandoned first? It’s Thanksgiving week here in the U.S., what better time to take a look at some of the real turkeys in the nuclear power business?…
Read More -
Solar comes (finally) to (much of) the Southeast
Perhaps the most misleading state welcoming sign ever–at least if you think “sunshine” should equal solar power. When it comes to solar power, the Southeast U.S.–despite its abundant sunshine–has long been like the kid at the back of the class who refuses to raise her hand: a complete non-participant in the action. That is now…
Read More -
Exelon’s effort to extend Ginna takes new turn
Exelon’s Ginna reactor, on Lake Ontario. Photo from IAEA. Are my eyes deceiving me or is the containment building housed in a Potemkin structure? Exelon has successfully convinced the New York Public Service Commission to take its side on the fate of the Ginna reactor–so far. The PSC ordered Rochester Gas & Electric, which had…
Read More -
Au revoir, Areva?
EDF is building an Areva EPR reactor at Flamanville, France. Like all Areva nuclear projects these days, it’s not going well. The giant French nuclear reactor manufacturer Areva is in serious trouble. According to several reports published today (here’s one from New York Times, here’s one from Reuters), publicly-traded shares in Areva dropped 15% yesterday.…
Read More -
Nuclear Matters moves further from reality
A Greenpeace blimp hovers near the Vermont Yankee reactor, now coasting toward its permanent shutdown–much to Nuclear Matters’ chagrin. The very creation by Exelon of Nuclear Matters, an astroturf group devoted to keeping existing nuclear reactors operating at any cost, was a sign of the desperation that characterizes much of the nuclear power industry today,…
Read More -
Exelon wins a round
Exelon’s Ginna reactor, on Lake Ontario. Photo from IAEA. Yesterday, the New York Public Service Commission voted unanimously to require the upstate utility Rochester Gas and Electric (RGE) to enter into negotiations with Exelon to keep the company’s uneconomic Ginna reactor from shutting down this year. Exelon subsidiary Constellation Energy, which runs the Ginna reactor,…
Read More -
The Inconvenient Truth in the US-China Climate Pact?
Rooftop solar in Qingnan village of Lianyungang, China. China’s government tends to be ruled by a high degree of economic realism. The national economy comes first and has largely trumped other considerations, such as the environment, human rights, democracy, global public opinion, etc. The decision to enter into the climate pact with the U.S., to…
Read More