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While nuclear power plants close down, wind and solar plants go up in E.U.

The EU also decommissioned more coal and nuclear power plants than were installed in 2009, signaling a dynamic shift toward renewable energy.

EU Shifts Toward Renewable Wind Power 12 Feb 2010 CalFinder The winds of change are blowing strong in the European Union. According to statistics released by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), wind energy accounted for 39 percent of new power capacity in the EU in 2009, far outstripping natural gas and solar power. The EU also decommissioned more coal and nuclear power plants than were installed in 2009, signaling a dynamic shift toward renewable energy….Wind power, as mentioned, accounted for 39 percent of new capacity in Europe. Natural gas landed in second place at 26 percent and solar energy comprised 16 percent. Considering the imbalance in new-vs-withdrawal of coal power plants, data suggests that renewable energy accounted for better than 60 percent of new energy capacity in the EU last year…..http://solar.calfinder.com/blog/wind-power/european-union-shifts-toward-renewable-wind-power/

February 12, 2010 Posted by | climate change, EUROPE, renewable | , , , | 1 Comment

Damn Yankee’s Nuclear Power Plant!

by virtue of a long-standing agreement with Entergy, the Vermont Legislature can deny Yankee’s request for a 20-year extension…Indeed, a desperate national industry now pushing for massive federal subsidies to build new reactors may not survive a flood of elderly clunkers being forced to close by the weight of their own contamination…

Vermont’s radioactive nightmare FDL The Seminal Harvey Wasserman
February 10, 2010

Like a decayed flotilla of rickety steamers, at least 27 of America’s 104 aging atomic reactors are known to be leaking radioactive tritium, which is linked to cancer if inhaled or ingested through the throat or skin.

The fallout has been fiercest at Vermont Yankee, where a flood of cover-ups has infuriated and terrified near neighbors who say the reactor was never meant to operate more than 30 years, and must now shut. Continue reading →

February 12, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

World’s largest renewable energy plant planned in India

India plans for the world’s largest renewable energy power plant Ecofriend 11 Feb 20210 After China’s ambitious plan to develop a 20GW wind farm, India has also announced a green energy power plant that will generate up to 13GW of renewable electric power, which is expected to outpace China’s wind energy development. The power plant will be developed by a consortium between Airvoice Group and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, which is a joint venture between the government of India and the state of Himachal Pradesh. The project will involve the generation of 10GW of electricity from solar thermal energy and 3GW from wind turbines. The power plant will be built in a rural area of Karnataka. The developers estimate that over $50 billion will be invested in the project over the next 10 months and the first phase would be commissioned in the next 36 months….http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/india-plans-for-the-world-s-largest-renewable-energy-power-plant/

February 12, 2010 Posted by | climate change, India, renewable | , , , | Leave a comment

Radiation from CT scans – a particular risk to children

Experts say an alarming number of scans are being given inappropriately, exposing children to potentially harmful radiation that could increase their chances of developing cancer.

Researchers tackle needless child CT scans, By Pauline Tam, The Ottawa CitizenFebruary 9, 2010 (from Canadian Association of Radiologists)

An Ottawa-led research team has developed a new “rule” to help emergency doctors pinpoint which children with concussions and other seemingly minor head traumas may actually have life-threatening brain injuries.

The rule is actually a set of guidelines that advises doctors when to order CT scans, which detect hidden injuries, but deliver big doses of radiation to patients. Continue reading →

February 12, 2010 Posted by | Canada, health | , , , | Leave a comment

National renewable energy standard needed in USA

Renewable energy executives urging U.S. clean power standard Energy Digital, by Sarah Wolfe 11 Feb 2010

With China moving ahead of the pack in alternative energy production, executives from the US wind, solar, biomass and geothermal sectors are pushing for a federal standard for renewable energy that could create more jobs and economic growth for the nation.

With a federal standard, a larger percentage of power generation would need to come from sustainable resources in the US. Continue reading →

February 12, 2010 Posted by | climate change, politics, USA | , , , | Leave a comment