Nuclear power is in crisis ‒ as even the most strident nuclear enthusiasts acknowledge ‒ and it is likely that a new era is fast emerging, writes Jim Green, editor of the Nuclear Monitor newsletter. After a growth spurt from the 1960s to the '90s, then 20 years of stagnation, the Era of Nuclear Decommissioning is upon us. Article courtesy Nuclear Monitor. … [Read more...]
French people support energy transition (more than nuclear power)
France is at a crossroads, writes Jules Hebert, program coordinator at the Heinrich Böll Foundation office in Paris. It can pursue a renewed nuclear model – or follow the German example and invest massively in renewable energy. It is often said that the French people support the nuclear path, notes Hebert – but a recent survey comes to a different conclusion. Article courtesy Energy Transition/Global Energiewende. … [Read more...]
Are renewable energy cost reductions coming to an end? What next?
Renewable energy’s steep cost reductions may be tapering off, as investments levels are flat and system costs are becoming more important than component costs, writes independent energy expert Roger Arnold. According to Arnold,this implies that policy support should shift to storage and infrastructural approaches. … [Read more...]
Winds of change: Britain now generates twice as much electricity from wind as coal
Just six years ago, more than 40% of Britain’s electricity was generated by burning coal. Today, that figure is just 7%. Yet if the story of 2016 was the dramatic demise of coal and its replacement by natural gas, then 2017 was most definitely about the growth of wind power, write Grant Wilson and Iain Staffell. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
Roadmap to nowhere: the myth of powering the nation 100% with renewable energy
Renewables have captured the public’s imagination,but can they actually be scaled up to power the entire nation, ask Mike Conley and Tim Maloney? In their new ebook, available at RoadmapToNowhere.com, they present their reasons why they are convinced 100% renewables is a myth - and why we should rely primarily on nuclear power. … [Read more...]
Ukraine: energy transition could work wonders, but policies are “the least ambitious in the world”
Ukraine can reduce its energy dependence and build a strong economy on clean and safe renewable energy, a new study shows. Unfortunately, the latest Energy Strategy adopted by the government in August shows a complete lack of ambition to pursue a low-carbon transition. Ukraine’s “nationally determined contribution” under the Paris Agreement is the least ambitious in the world, according to an independent analysis. … [Read more...]
China is still on track to become the world’s leading nuclear power
Is there a slowdown in the Chinese nuclear sector, as some observers have argued, ending nuclear power’s “last hope for growth”? No, says François Morin, Director China of the World Nuclear Association. Nuclear has experienced a temporary setback but is still set for strong growth the coming years.  … [Read more...]
Trump’s coal and nuclear subsidy could cost U.S. economy over $10 billion a year
The U.S. Department of Energy's new initiative to subsidize coal and nuclear generation could cost U.S. businesses and households up to $10.6 billion annually, writes Silvio Marcacci, Communications Director at think tank Energy Innovation. This money would go to about 10 companies.  … [Read more...]
Looking ahead to 2018 for nuclear energy
Dan Yurman, author of the Neutron Bytes blog, presents a “realist’s perspective” on the state of affairs in the global nuclear industry and discusses what we might expect to happen next year. His account shows there is more going on in the nuclear sector than many people might realize.  … [Read more...]
UK government overlooked lower costs of renewables in Hinkley nuclear deal
Two of the UK’s main public bodies overseeing public spending have now criticised the government’s deal with EDF to support a new nuclear power plant, showing how Britain  (and the United States today?) failed to heed the falling cost of renewables, writes energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn. According to Wynn, the findings should be a warning for other countries planning to build new nuclear power plants. They also raise the question why the … [Read more...]
The Polish energy problem – the Ukrainian nuclear solution
Poland can’t continue to rely on coal, because it’s dirty, inefficient and increasingly has to be imported from Russia. But is there an alternative? Yes, there is, writes Mike Parr of consultancy PWR: Poland could import excess nuclear power from Ukraine. In fact, the interconnections for this have been in place for years. But Polish politicians have not taken action. … [Read more...]
India’s green shift to renewables: How fast is it happening?
India is moving at a rapid pace to adopt a green shift in its power sector, across industry and in transport, aiming to reduce dependence on the black fossil fuelled energy economy, write Simran Talwar and John A. Mathews. But finance remains a problem: many banks are complacent in their lending to fossil fuel projects. Attempts in the international trade arena to curb India’s strategies of building green power industries using the tools of local … [Read more...]
The next generation of European nuclear talent: where will it come from?
Life isn’t easy for nuclear power in the EU. Member States pursue totally contradictory policies, existing nuclear generation gets little or no public support, and France’s flagship third-generation EPR design is struggling to become competitive. At the same time, the EU is expecting the industry to maintain its generation capacity until 2050, which will require substantial new construction. Under these circumstances, can the sector find the next … [Read more...]
The uncertain future of fusion energy
With costs of solar and wind power dropping, investors may start to wonder whether putting money into fusion energy still makes sense. Independent energy consultant Daniel Kauffman discusses the uncertain future of fusion energy, in particular of the ITER project in France, but concludes that "putting more chips on the fusion table seems like a sensible hedge". … [Read more...]
Solar power alone won’t solve energy or climate needs
Recent reports that solar capacity will soon exceed nuclear capacity reveal an important fact. They also hide a crucial distinction needed to understand the context of energy production, and use and consequences of choices among supply options for the future, writes Jatin Nathwani of the University of Waterloo. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
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