nuclear-news

Opinion:

¶ “Restore Ohio wind-energy provisions that benefit local students” – By turning to wind power, the Lincolnview Local Schools added a revenue stream of $400,000 annually. But the Ohio legislature added onerous restrictions on wind-energy development, making similar projects difficult. This may be changed. [cleveland.com]

World:

¶ The world’s longest underwater electricity cable will soon enable sharing of renewable energy between the UK and Norway. Starting in 2021 power will be able to move as needed, balancing grid loads, thanks to a 730-km (453-mi) underwater cable between Blyth, Northumberland, and Kvilldal in Norway. [Geographical]

A picturesque fjord in Kvilldal, where the Norwegian end of the cable will be situated. Credit: Geoffrey Kopp.

¶ Indonesian President Joko Widodo has asserted that the government will prioritize the development of environmentally friendly power plants to meet its target of generating 35,000 MW more electricity by 2019. The country…

Original pdf found here: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhae/article/PIIS2352-3026%2815%2900094-0/fulltext
NB: This study is about mortality (deaths) and not morbidity (incidence of disease). Not all cases of leukemia are fatal. So, morbidity would almost certainly be higher. As they point out, since this is external radiation with a weighting factor of one, Gy may be expressed in Sieverts (Sv). Therefore average (mean) annual exposure was only 1.1 mSv. [It appears that the flying dot is a decimal and does not mean to multiply]. 1 mSv is often proposed as exposure-level for individuals in the general population, due to the nuclear industry. US Nuclear workers, and others working with ionizing radiation, are allowed 50 mSv per year exposure and ICRP recommends 20 mSv per year for workers (100 mSv averaged over 5 years). The mean is the arithmetic average. The median is half above and half below. 1 Gy is 1000 mGy and in this context…

Science and Technology:

¶ Solar Impulse, powered only by the sun, has landed in Hawaii after making a historic 7,200km flight across the Pacific from Japan. The distance covered and the time spent in the air, 118 hours, are records for manned, solar-powered flight. The duration is also an absolute record for a solo, un-refuelled journey. [BBC News]

Solar Impulse. AP.

Opinion:

¶ “China’s climate pledge for green growth spells doom for coal exporters” – Renewable energy is all go in China, as set out in its climate pledge this week, with huge growth planned for wind and solar. The one big loser is coal exporters who can expect falling sales volumes in coming years. Wake up Australia! [The Ecologist]

¶ “Propelling Pennsylvania wind projects forward through grassroots support” – Despite the environmental benefits, there is still a need for public support for new wind projects…

Science and Technology:

¶ Solar Impulse 2 has broken all distance and duration world records for solar aviation (80 hours and 5,663 km, or 3,519 miles). Pilot André Borschberg has also broken the record for the longest solo flight ever. Solar Impulse 2 has proven the vision of reaching unlimited endurance without fuel was not a crazy dream. [CleanTechnica]

Credit: Solar Impulse.

World:

¶ The Philippines is set to be the home to South-East Asia’s largest solar photovoltaic power plant. Real estate developer Gregorio Araneta recently announced that it will set up a 100-MW solar PV power plant in Cadiz City after the successful implementation of a 30-MW project in the Philippines. [CleanTechnica]

¶ In Germany, Siemens has started operations at a plant at Energiepark Mainz, where hydrogen will be produced from excess wind power to be re-used as a general fuel or in natural gas…

#StopMoorside
Carlisle 30th June

We went along to the Moorside smoke and mirrors CONsultation today.    NuGen’s Stephen Bray told us that the consultation is “not about whether the new build will go ahead”  as that has already been decided by the government and the people of Cumbria who “invited”  nuclear developers.  We replied that there was no “invitation” to nuclear developers only previous consultations one of which was described in 2007 in the High Court as: “misleading, seriously flawed, manifestly inadequate and procedurally unfair”, and Government plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations were “unlawful.”

On the question of whether there would be cooling towers or a giant heat exchange out at sea, the reply was “there might be both.”  On the question of how high: the reply was an evasive “maybe like the Calder Towers”  which were 90 metres high…but don’t worry “the landscaping will hide them anyway”…

Science and Technology:

¶ Solar Impulse 2 has been in the air, nonstop, for 2 days, 20 hours, and 21 minutes at the time that I write this. André Borschberg, cofounder, CEO, and pilot, is at the controls of the first solar-powered airplane to make this historical oceanic flight, which will last at least 5 days and 5 nights nonstop. [CleanTechnica]

Photo Credit: Solar Impulse

¶ Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a coating that can be applied to turbine blades to reduce the amount of sound they make. The material, which is made of 3-D printed plastic, can reduce the noise generated by a blade up to 10 decibels without affecting aerodynamic performance. [Buildings]

¶ German utility RWE is a victim of the so-called “utility death spiral,” with its business based on central power plants losing billions of dollars in Germany’s renewables-rich market…