nuclear-news

Science and Technology:

¶ Carbon emissions stopped growing in 2015 for the first time in 10 years as the world turned its back on coal and embraced energy efficiency and renewable power more vigorously, according to a new set of statistics from BP. China led the way, but the progress may not last. [The Guardian]

China passed Germany and the US as the biggest generator of solar power in 2015. Photograph: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images.

World:

¶ Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has taken bold steps in his role as chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs. The latest of these is an ambitious plan to move the country away from an oil-based economy to one that is investment-based. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Norway has become the first country to stop clear-cutting of trees, a huge step toward curbing global deforestation. In their pledge…

“Did you know that the amount of sunlight that strikes the earth’s surface in an hour and a half is enough to handle the entire world’s energy consumption for a full year? Solar energy has amazing potential to power our daily lives thanks to constantly-improving technologies“. (USDOE, 2013)

“Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource on earth — 173,000 terawatts of solar energy strikes the Earth continuously. That’s more than 10,000 times the world’s total energy use” (USDOE, 2016)

If you didn’t know this already, intuitively, then you need to get outside more, especially near the summer solstice.



CC-BY-SA: World SolarGIS © 2014 GeoModel Solar

Even the nuclear power station pushers at the US DOE have to admit that there’s nothing like the sun! Nuclear power on earth is nothing but a lethal, inferior, and costly attempt to be as gods. As Robert Oppenheimer remarked…

Opinion:

¶ “Can wind and solar make us rich?” • With low-cost electricity storage, Jamaica could cut electric costs by 60%, while cutting of costs for imported fossil fuels by $100 million each month. Finally, free at last! Economic independence attained after 50 years of political independence. [Jamaica Observer]

Jamaican wind farm.

¶ “Renewables versus climate change – the battle heats up!” • The renewable energy revolution is in full swing, but global warming is also accelerating, with global temperature records broken every month for a year. Will the energy transition happen in time to avert catastrophe? [The Ecologist]

World:

¶ Japanese renewables firm SB Energy Corp will start on June 10 commercial operations at the 48.43-MW Hamada Wind Farm, in Shimane prefecture, Japan. The company expects the new wind power plant to generate some 85 million kWh per year, sufficient for 23,600 local homes. [