Enthusiasm for solar power in Japan
The recent rush by home owners to cover their roofs with panels and companies to build “mega solar” farms have made solar cells a hot commodity.
“We are almost at grid parity here. Think of what would happen if Japan allows things to run their natural course and solar reaches grid parity
That all of Japan’s 50 nuclear reactors lie dormant amid public concern in the wake of Fukushima is an added boost for solar power
Solar makers bet on Japan nuclear crisis being a game-changer
* Solar power firms to get boost from feed-in tariff
* Foreign players looking to grab slice of Japan’s solar market
* Companies say FIT will encourage economies of scale
* Public faith in nuclear power still in tatters after Fukushima
By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO, June 5 (Reuters) – Solar power firms are betting that the nuclear crisis in Japan will become a game-changer for renewable energy in the world’s third largest economy, with new foreign entrants such as Canadian Solar looking to go toe-to-toe there with some of the biggest utilities in Asia.
They will be given a big helping hand next month when the government introduces a generous subsidy for renewable energy via a so-called feed-in tariff (FIT), in a bid to encourage alternative energy sources, which currently only generate about 1 percent of power in Japan.
The FIT, which excludes large hydro-electric schemes, will require utilities to buy electricity generated by renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal heat at a premium for 20 years. Continue reading
80 year plan for old nuclear reactors – invites catastrophe
Nuclear regulators know that embrittlement of the reactor vessels limits nuclear plant life but are willing to expose the public to greater risks from decrepit, old and leaking reactors. As we learned from Fukushima, the nuclear industry is willing to expose the public to catastrophic risks
Getting operating license extensions “is a lucrative deal for operators,”
a concern by the nuclear industry that “they’re not going to build any new reactors anytime soon”–thus the push to keep existing plants running.
Inviting Atomic Catastrophe OPEd News 4 June 12By Karl Grossman The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be holding a meeting this week to consider having nuclear power plants run 80 years–although they were never seen as running for more than 40 years because of radioactivity embrittling metal parts and otherwise causing safety problems. Continue reading
Distributed solar energy plan launched in the Philippines
Such facilities in the Philippines should be installed mostly on rooftops because there is a lot of arable and productive land which should be used for food production rather than for solar power generation,
Rooftop solar power project launched to prove viability, Business World, 5 June 12, THE ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) said yesterday it expects solar power capacity in the Philippines to reach up to 115 megawatts (MW) by next year, as it launched yesterday its solar rooftop facility to prove the viability of this renewable energy thrust.
The multilateral lender said it estimates most of solar projects in the country will consist of small clusters that generate lower capacities of electricity rather than large facilities. ADB installed 2,040 solar panels on its rooftop which can generate around 500 kilowatts of energy or around 613 MW a year. Continue reading
First solar powered transcontinental flight
Pilot completes first solar-powered transcontinental flight from Madrid to Rabat THE AUSTRALIAN, AP June 06, 2012 AN experimental solar-powered plane has landed in Morocco’s capital after a 20-hour trip from Madrid in the first transcontinental journey by a craft of its type.
With the wing span of a Boeing 777, the plane appeared out of the pitch darkness over the runway, suddenly turning on its lights and gliding to a landing in Rabat, its four propellers already still. “It was perhaps the most beautiful flight of my life,” said pilot
Bertrand Piccard, who has already circumnavigated the world by balloon.
“I have dreamed since I was a child of flying without using fuel.”
The single-seat aircraft is fitted with 12,000 solar cells across its immense wings and but only weighs just as much as the average family car, according to organisers. The plane is the first of its kind to fly both during the night and day as the solar panels charge the batteries for night flying….. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/pilot-completes-first-solar-powered-transcontinental-flight-from-madrid-to-rabat/story-e6frg6so-1226386003212
A year after Fukushima disaster, and Japanese are growing even more opposed to nuclear power
“It is clear from surveys that the majority of the people think that we can survive this summer by conserving energy and transferring electricity among regions,”
Japanese more opposed to nuclear power a year after the tsunami, LA Times, 5 June 12, As Japanese authorities this week ponder whether to resume producing nuclear energy, a poll shows that opposition to nuclear power is strong and growing more than a year after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe that killed 20,000 and contaminated a broad swath of farmland.
Seventy percent of Japanese surveyed by the Washington-based Pew Research Center said they wanted nuclear power reduced or eliminated, while a year ago the nation was nearly evenly divided on the subject, with 44% urging a phaseout and 46% backing continued generation. Continue reading
Solar panels – five of their greatest advantages
5 Advantages of Solar Power http://www.greenfudge.org/2012/06/04/5-advantages-of-solar-power/ by Murielle, 64 June 12, Everyone these days is talking about renewable sources of energy and protecting the environment. If you are considering solar power as a means of helping to lower energy usage, there are a few things that you should consider. Solar power offers major advantages and understanding these advantages will help you to
know just how much of an impact your contribution will make.
The first advantage of solar power is that it costs nothing. Solar power is completely free. Continue reading
Flight over nuclear reactor, smoke bombs dropped on reactor building
Activists fly over nuclear plant in Spain http://gulfnews.com/news/world/other-world/activists-fly-over-nuclear-plant-in-spain-1.1032248 Stunt designed to prove lack of security at the plant AFP June 6, 2012 Madrid Two Greenpeace activists flew over Spain’s oldest nuclear power plant on Tuesday in a motorised paraglider to draw attention to the alleged lack of security at the facility, the organisation said.
The activists threw smoke bombs on the roof of the building that houses the reactor of the Garona nuclear plant located near the northern city of Burgos from the paraglider, which carried a banner that read “Garona close now”.
In February Spain’s conservative government extended by five years the operating licence of Garona, which began operating in 1971. “With this action Greenpeace reiterates that there is no economic or energetic reason that justifies the extension of Garona’s licence,” Continue reading
New crisis dividing Japanese – dealing with radioactive debris
Japan’s Latest Nuclear Crisis: Getting Rid of the Radioactive Debris, The Atlantic, JUN 4 2012, A plan to disperse the waste to incineration facilities across the country, meant to instill national unity, is doing the opposite, and further delaying Japan’s ability to move beyond Fukushima. KITA KYUSHU, Japan — Disposing the more than 20 million tons of rubble caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami is proving to be a difficult problem for Japan, not least because much of the rubble has been irradiated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The government’s plan — to destroy 4 million tons of potentially radioactive earthquake debris in garbage incinerators around the country — is dividing the nation and further delaying the country’s ability to put Fukushima behind it. Continue reading
Opposition in Japan’s ruling party to restart of nuclear reactors
Japan PM warned over nuclear restarts, TV NZ June 05, 2012 Nearly a third of Japan’s ruling party lawmakers are petitioning Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to be cautious about restarting nuclear reactors given safety concerns after last year’s earthquake and tsunami, an organiser said on Tuesday.
Noda, keen to restart two reactors in western Japan before electricity demand peaks this summer, could decide as early as this week to reconnect them to the grid – despite the risk of a backlash that would weaken his already sagging voter ratings.
“It is clear from surveys that the majority of the people think that we can survive this summer by conserving energy and transferring electricity among regions,” said the petition, to be presented to Noda’s government later in the day. “We urge you to consider the fact that there is insufficient agreement within the party and among the people and the feelings of the 160,000 victims of the disaster, and be all the more cautious about a decision to restart the reactors.”….
Satoshi Arai, an ex-national strategy minister sponsoring the petition, said Noda had failed to meet conditions for resuming operations at the two Kansai Electric Power Co reactors at its Ohi plant in Fukui, western Japan. The government has been struggling to win support from local authorities for the restarts, but on Monday the governor of Fukui said the ball was in Noda’s court. http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/japan-pm-warned-over-nuclear-restarts-4912228
Thousands of Japanese protest against restarting nuclear reactors
Thousands gather outside PM’s office to protest against the restart of nuclear reactors Japan Daily Press, By Radhika Seth / June 4, 2012 For some, the wounds are still raw and for others, the scars will take time to heal. The bottom-line is that many citizens still fear the use of nuclear power as an energy resources, despite claims from the government that some of the shut-down facilities are complete safe and reliable.
Thousands of drum wielding, slogan chanting, anti-nuclear protesters gathered outside the prime minister’s office on Friday, after the government announced plans to restart some of the shut down reactors…… http://japandailypress.com/thousands-gather-outside-pms-office-to-protest-against-the-restart-of-nuclear-reactors-043323
Japan’s “wide area incineration” plan to manage radioactive debris
Japan’s Latest Nuclear Crisis: Getting Rid of the Radioactive Debris The Atlantic, JUN 4 2012“.……While the government insists on the necessity of removing rubble from the earthquake region as quickly as possible, critics point out that the government plan calls for 80 percent of the debris to be burned locally, and say that transporting only 20 percent of the feared waste to incinerators around the country makes little sense. After all, if the goal is to remove debris from the area, why is the vast majority of it staying there? Continue reading
Cree people say No to uranium mining and nuclear power
Chief Shecapio explained that the Crees “have always been the guardians and protectors of the land and will continue to be. For the Crees of Mistissini, the land is a school of its own and the resources of the land are the material and supplies they need. Cree traplines are the classrooms. What is taught on these traplines to the youth is the Cree way of life, which means living in harmony with nature.
“We do not believe that nuclear energy, which is the primary use for uranium in Canada, is a sustainable form of energy. We do not want to see a resource extracted from our land be responsible for causing pollution and waste. We do not want this to be our impact on the world..
Uranium Exploration: Mistissi Says “No” and Calls for a Moratorium MISTISSINI, Market Watch, EEYOU ISTCHEE, Jun 05, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) 5 June 12, — The Chief of Cree Nation of Mistissini, Richard Shecapio, made it clear at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC) public hearing, held today (June 5) in Mistissini, that his
community is firmly against uranium development in Eeyou Istchee. “We want to put an end to the question of uranium development once and for all, right now. We know where this is going and we don’t want any uranium mining at all”, said Chief Shecapio. Continue reading
Australia’s hypocrisy as it toes the USA line about Julian Assange
The Australian government has liaised closely with the US from the beginning of the US WikiLeaks investigation, which rapidly gathered steam following Bradley Manning’s arrest in Iraq in March 2010.
the released cables showed that the Australian embassy had confirmed through US officials that the US Justice Department was conducting an ”active and vigorous inquiry into whether Julian Assange can be charged under US law, most likely the 1917 Espionage Act”.
ever anxious to demonstrate its loyalty to the US alliance, the Australian government has not uttered any objection to the prospect that Assange may be prosecuted for espionage.
Ministers cagey over Assange, The Age, Philip Dorling, June 2, 2012, Julian Assange fears extradition to Sweden to be questioned about sexual assault allegations.
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard, Attorney-General Nicola Roxon and Foreign Minister Bob Carr all sang from the same hymn sheet this week on the continuing legal saga of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. But they chose their words very carefully.
The issue was whether the United States intends to charge and extradite Assange – the Australian journalist labelled by US Vice-President Joe Biden as ”a high-tech terrorist” – with criminal offences for WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic reports…..
Well aware of successive polls that show a high level of support for WikiLeaks and Assange across the Australian political spectrum, the Australian government has been insistent this week that it has no knowledge whatsoever of any intention by the US to prosecute and extradite the WikiLeaks publisher……. Continue reading
Radiation therapy can lead to later breast cancer
Radiation treatment has saved countless children from lymphoma, leukemia, soft-tissue tumors and other cancer types, but it can damage the DNA of healthy cells, too, and lead to cancer decades later.
Study finds breast cancer risk in women treated with radiation as kids, even at lower doses Winnipeg Free Press, By: Marilynn Marchione, The Associated Press 06/4/2012 CHICAGO – Women treated with chest radiation for cancer when they were girls have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than previously thought, doctors warn. Continue reading
USA govt understates the cost of its nuclear weapons arsenal
Study: Government Low-Balls Cost of Nuclear Fleet, USA News, June 5, 2012 The federal government is low when calculating the amount it spends on the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal, says a new report, and several longtime atomic arms analysts say government officials have no clue how much the world’s most lethal weapons really cost.
The Stimson Center released a study Tuesday that concludes Washington will spend between $352 billion to $392 billion over the next decade to modernize its nuclear fleet. The think tank’s researchers dove into Pentagon budget documents to conclude the Defense Department pegs the same costs between $221 billion to $244 billion.
“Official estimates [rely] on a narrow definition of the nuclear enterprise, or even of strategic nuclear offensive forces, understate the actual costs the United States spends on nuclear weapons without settling once and for all what is the single right cost of the nuclear
enterprise,” states the report…… http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/dotmil/2012/06/05/study-government-low-balls-cost-of-nuclear-fleet
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