When I began working at NIRS in 1985 solar power was just a dream. Oh sure, President Carter had put a few solar panels up at the White House (which President Reagan promptly took down, just to make sure everyone knew there would be no future in solar), and a few, mostly off-the-grid types had…
The question of the day is not whether more U.S. reactors will permanently close over the next few years, it’s how many–especially on the East Coast–still will be operating by the end of this decade. Simple economics, driven by accelerating deployment of renewables and low natural gas prices, already threaten the operation of several East…
Nuclear Power Entergy’s FitzPatrick reactor on the shores of Lake Ontario has had so many leaks in its cooling system that it had to reduce power 11 separate times just in the first three months of 2014. The leaks are in the Fukushima-clone reactor’s condenser system and are the result of years of neglect by…
Dr. Mark Cooper, senior fellow for economic analysis at the Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment, this morning released a major new paper asserting that large-scale development of “small modular reactors” (SMRs) likely would cost $90 Billion–an amount that likely would be diverted from development of much more cost- and climate-effective renewable…
For the past few years, Greenpeace International has published major reports under the moniker Energy (R)evolution detailing ways to move the European Union to a renewable energy future–an approach that has gained considerable traction within the EU. Now, Greenpeace has turned its attention to the U.S., with its release today of Energy (R)Evolution: A Sustainable…
A hearing is being held today in Florida on whether FPL should be allowed to build two new reactors at its Turkey Point site near Miami. The hearing is for a state permit, FPL would still need a license from the NRC to be able to build. And FPL has said it hasn’t decided yet…
The time has come for the clean energy/anti-nuclear movement to get serious. Actually, it’s well past that time. By serious, I mean playing politics–for real. This movement, of which I’m proud to have been a part for more than 30 years now, has had a lot of success–even in Congress. Far more success than our…
Nuclear Matters, the Exelon-formed front group created earlier this year to try to prevent more reactor shutdowns, has been continuing its unprecedented public relations blitz in recent days. But now there’s a difference: the media has caught on to who they are, and is beginning to reveal their self-serving bias. In the long run, that’s…
Happy Cinco de Mayo! We couldn’t fit in a Nuclear Newsreel last week, so there’s a lot of news to catch up on; here are some of the highlights: Nuclear Power Taiwan: Taiwan has suspended construction of its controversial fourth reactor following a weekend of massive protests across the country in late April. There likely…
The New York Times has done probably the best reporting on Fukushima and its aftermath of any U.S. mainstream media outlet. This piece for example, published last week, paints a clear and disturbing picture of the ongoing disruption and stress caused by the Fukushima disaster, the subsequent evacuation, and Japan’s new efforts to encourage resettlement…