nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Saving the world is cheaper than ruining it

 https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-clean-energy-aids-big-cats-africa/?ref=future-crunch-newsletter 27 July 23

Let’s do a quick global whiparound. A former coal plant in the UK is being transformed into the world’s largest battery storage project; European renewables giant Octopus is planning to invest $20 billion in offshore wind by 2030; Thyssenkrupp, Europe’s second-largest steelmaker, has secured €2 billion from the German government for green steel investment; US regulators just opened the Gulf of Mexico to offshore wind leases; Egypt has brought its clean energy targets forward by five years and allocated land for a 10 GW wind project to provide electricity to 11 million households; Israel now requires all new non-residential buildings to be covered in solar; India is about to launch a staggering 20 GW tender for new battery manufacturing; 4.4 GW of rooftop solar has been installed in South Africa in the last year; the Philippines just awarded a whole lot of new solar projects; Brazil says its solar industry has created around 960,000 jobs since 2012; and Barbados is now targeting a 100% carbon neutral economy by 2030.

In the last six months nearly every mainstream media outlet has pointed out that China is still building a lot of coal, implying the country is hedging its bets on renewables.  It’s not. In the first half of 2023, around $5 billion has been invested in coal and fossil gas and a similar amount in both hydro and nuclear; $10 billion has been invested in wind, $18 billion in solar, and an astonishing $28 billion in transmission.

The IEA has a new report showing that renewables are on track to meet all the growth in global electricity demand over the next two years. This would represent a key milestone in the fight against climate change–once all new demand is met, renewables will start eating into fossil fuels’ share of the power mix.

The global price of polysilicon (the stuff they make solar panels from) has dropped by 78% over the past year.

Since August 2022, $278 billion in clean energy project investments and 170,600 clean energy jobs have been created in the United States. ‘We’ve been talking about bringing manufacturing jobs back to America for my entire life. We’re finally doing it, right? That’s pretty exciting.’ WaPo

The US offshore wind sector is booming. There has been a 272% increase in the number of offshore wind supplier contracts since 2021, and 47% of that growth has occurred since the passage of the IRA. Nine in every ten contracts are going to companies that are either headquartered or have a presence in the US. Industrial policy FTW. Renew.biz

The 12.5% royalty rate that oil companies in the United States have to pay for the use of federal lands has remained unchanged for over one hundred years. The government is now reforming that system, raising the minimum rate to 16.7% and prioritising renewables development on federal lands over fossil fuel development. Grist.

In the first half of this year, wind and solar generated more power than coal in the United States. Wind and solar produced 343 terawatt-hours (TWh) from January through June 2023, while coal produced 296 TWh. Five years ago, coal’s share was quadruple that of wind and solar combined. Next step: fossil gas. Canary

California, the seventh-biggest US crude oil producer, has put a near-halt on issuing permits for new drilling this year. The state’s Geologic Energy Management Division has approved seven new active well permits in 2023. Compare that with the more than 200 it had issued by this time last year. Reuters

Australia’s big banks have turned their backs on the country’s largest coal miner, refusing to refinance a billion-dollar debt in a major rebuff that will force Whitehaven Coal to source loans offshore, potentially speeding up the demise of the sector. Couldn’t have happened to nicer people. SMH

The European Union has adopted new rules intended to make it easier for electric vehicle owners to travel across the continent. From 2025 onward, the new regulation requires fast-charging stations offering at least 150kW of power to be installed every 60km along the EU’s TEN-T system of highways, the bloc’s main transport corridors. Verge

A reminder from Hannah Ritchie. ‘The internal combustion engine is shockingly inefficient. For every dollar of petrol you put in, you get just 20 cents’ worth of driving motion. The other 80 cents is wasted along the way, most of it as heat from the engine. Electric cars are much better at converting energy into motion. For every dollar of electricity you put in, you get 89 cents out.’………………………………………………………………

July 29, 2023 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs, ENERGY | Leave a comment

Old Nuclear Weapons Sites Targeted for Clean Energy Projects.

Daniel Moore, 28 Jul 23 https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/former-nuclear-weapons-sites-targeted-for-clean-energy-projects

  • Agency identifies 70,000 acres at five weapons sites
  • DOE land could host largest US solar farm at Hanford Site

The Energy Department plans to turn some of its Cold War nuclear weapons development sites into grounds for clean energy generation, including what could be the largest US solar project, agency leaders announced Friday.

The department has identified about 70,000 acres at five sites that hosted nuclear weapons development and testing and have since been cleaned up, according to details of the announcement shared in advance with Bloomberg Law. The announcement is part of the agency’s new Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, an effort to repurpose parts of DOE-owned lands into clean energy generation sites.

“It’s a good deal and a huge opportunity,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said at the outset of a daylong event with clean energy industry representatives held in an auditorium space at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.

Developers would have a unique opportunity to lease land from the Energy Department, Granholm said. The sites have massive tracts of land whose characteristics are already mapped out. The decades of site analysis and remediation would speed up environmental and permitting reviews, too.

“Therefore, it will take less time to get shovels in the dirt,” Granholm said.

One former nuclear testing facility, the Hanford site in Richland, Wash., has the potential to host the largest solar farm in the country, Granholm said.

Another site, the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, sprawls 890 square miles and purchased about 50 megawatts of power in fiscal year 2020 to support 5,400 employees, 600 vehicles, and 300 buildings and trailers, according to the agency. The other sites under consideration include: Nevada National Security Site, in Nye County, Nev.; the Savannah River Site, in Aiken, S.C.; and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, near Carlsbad, N.M.

The agency’s Office of Environmental Management, Office of Legacy Management, Office of Nuclear Energy, and National Nuclear Security Administration all worked to locate the best sites.

The industry officials included those “with proven experience in implementing successful clean electricity projects generating 200 MW or larger,” according to the department.

After the panel, DOE officials told reporters they’re looking forward to project proposals that could power not just DOE facilities but the surrounding region.

Power generators could even propose an arrangement with a customer—a hydrogen producer, semiconductor manufacturer, or other type of facility, said Katy Huff, assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy.

At the Hanford site, the biggest nuclear cleanup site in the country, “there are certainly plenty of developers who have expressed interest” but the department hasn’t made any decisions, said Ike White, who leads the Office of Environmental Management.

“The department is just opening up this for ideas,” White said, adding the agency is open to a range of clean energy technologies.

July 29, 2023 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Does Nuclear slow down the scale-up of Wind and Solar? France and Germany can’t agree

July 21, 2023 by Camille Lafrance and Benjamin Wehrmann

France and Germany lead the camps in disagreeing on the future of nuclear in Europe. Camille Lafrance and Benjamin Wehrmann at CLEW take a deep dive into the reasons why, quoting experts and politicians. Germany’s vision of a fully renewables-based EU is at odds with France’s unwavering support for low-carbon nuclear energy. European-wide agreement on targets matter because they drive future investment in the targeted technologies and the design of Europe’s grid, markets, policies, budgets and all the rest. A nuclear-light renewables-heavy Europe will look very different from one where nuclear baseload sits robustly within the cross-border market. And a major concern is that more nuclear means less renewables, at a time when wind and solar need all the scale they can get. Yet nuclear is fossil-free too, and France has the lowest emissions per head of any rich country. If agreement cannot be met, can Europe meet its decarbonisation goals? Time is running out.

The role of nuclear power in Europe’s transition away from fossil fuels has been a point of contention between French and German governments for a long time. In the year 2000, Germany decided to phase out nuclear energy and, despite temporarily backtracking on its decision before the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, ultimately completed its nuclear exit in April 2023.

France, on the other hand, has the highest share of nuclear in the energy mix of any country in the world and, despite temporarily considering to radically cut its reliance on nuclear power after Fukushima, has committed to building many new reactors as part of its bid to meet European climate targets and net-zero emissions by 2050.

…………………. disputes about nuclear energy between France and Germany  come with major implications for the strategic positioning on energy and climate policy of the whole EU.

…………………………………… …Nuclear safety

And also nuclear safety concerns continue to occupy experts in France as much as anywhere. In mid-2023, 800 French scientists warned against the risks of the country’s new nuclear programme, pointing to unresolved questions of radioactive waste management, which remain largely unresolved in most of the EU, including in France. The scientists also warned against risks of accidental contamination or meltdown.

…Prices, costs

Securing funding from Brussels for the major buildout is regarded as a substantial challenge to France’s plans.

 In France, investments in renewable energy have been on the rise since 2016, as costs have gone down. According to data by U.S. investment bank Lazar, prices per megawatt hour (MWh) produced with renewables have dropped dramatically between 2009 and 2019 alone, while that of nuclear power went up. Solar power generation costs dropped nearly 90 percent to 40 dollars per MWh and onshore wind 70 percent to 41 dollars per MWh. Nuclear power costs per unit in the same decade increased 26 percent to 155 dollars per MWh. Meanwhile, nuclear power construction costs have risen, while future EPR costs are still uncertain. The sharp rise in interest rates has made building new nuclear plants even more expensive, compounded by reactor construction delays. Nuclear plant operator Electricite de France estimated the cost to be at least 51 billion euros. A convincing policy framework allowing Paris to classify the nuclear bill as an investment in the EU Green Deal could thus send and important signal to potential nuclear power investors.

France also pushed to include nuclear energy in the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED), a target it achieved after protracted negotiations that saw the country form a ‘nuclear alliance’ with sympathetic governments and in opposition to Germany’s insistence on limiting funding to renewable power installations. The French energy minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, in mid-2023 said it was “regrettable that Germany is applying the brake” on reforms that enhance nuclear power’s role, arguing this would fail to take the position of a majority of EU countries into account.

Germany’s priorities largely in line with international trends

But the lack of a shared vision extends beyond the bilateral relationship of France and Germany. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared in spring 2023 that nuclear power was not a ‘strategic’ technology in reaching the EU’s climate goals. Nevertheless, the technology remains at the heart of many debates at the European level. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..  https://energypost.eu/does-nuclear-slow-down-the-scale-up-of-wind-and-solar-france-and-germany-cant-agree/

July 25, 2023 Posted by | ENERGY, EUROPE | Leave a comment

Luck Is Not a Strategy for the Ukraine, The Germans Take the “Evidence-based” Path. 

We Chat with Nuclear Expert Dr. Paul Dorfman

Hot Globe, STEVE CHAPPLE, JUL 20, 2023

“………………………………………………………………………………. HOT GLOBE: It’s always bothered me that Saudi Arabia because of the Trump administration has now got access to the beginnings of nuclear power, and to a future nuclear bomb. The idea of selling small nuclear reactors around the world raises a pretty problematic point.

DORFMAN: That’s absolutely true. Saudi has made no bones about its nuclear ambitions and I mean its military nuclear ambitions. Saudi diplomats have said quite clearly that they’re looking towards Iran and that they’re seriously thinking about both civil and military nuclear. So there’s a potential for an arms race, a military nuclear arms race in the Middle East region. It’s actually even more bad news for the Middle East because in a proxy war if say, for example, Russian and America wanted to have a bit of a go and they didn’t want to absolutely destroy each other’s country where would they be fighting their proxy nuclear war? The first region that comes to mind is the Middle East and Saudi and Iran.

The economies of small nuclear reactors depend absolutely on production to scale.  It’s been proven time and time again that in order to make any money at all, to break even on small nuclear production, you need to sell them abroad. Now, selling them abroad to whom, for what reasons? You’d be selling them to developing nations who may or may not have the capacity to regulate, to protect, to defend in depth, and so therefore you would be significantly expanding the potential for military nuclear risk whether that means a dirty bomb or further nuclear development.

 HOT GLOBE: A slightly different question here, but Germany had ongoing nuclear plants and even though they were still producing electricity, they’ve shut those down. That may be a little puzzling to some Americans. Can you explain that?

DORFMAN: First of all, what Germany does is evidence-based policy. Germany puts out its scientific, technological questions, its energy questions, to well-funded high level research units. They go away and do their research. They come back with their research. They give it to the government departments and then the government makes a decision. So it’s evidence-based policy making. Over the years Germany has said well, we want to get to net-zero and we’re kind of worried about nuclear. Now around 2011 when Fukushima happened–remember Chancellor Merkel is a PhD chemist. She realized like many of us that even in an advanced society things could go badly wrong since accidents are by definition accidental.

HOT GLOBE: Good line

DORFMAN: Yeah, who knew? [laughs] So when Fukushima happened, Merkel and many others in Germany said well, look, we can’t stand the pain of this.  I was having supper with Naoto Kan, the premier of Japan at the time of Fukushima after we both spoke in Westminster. Even then I was shocked when he turned to me and said that if the wind had been in the wrong direction, they would have lost Tokyo. The majority of the pollution went out into the Pacific Ocean. Now to the point about Germany. It’s landlocked so the Germans looked at the possibility of an accident and they came up with the numbers. It would cost trillions and trillions and trillions of Euros if they had a nuclear accident and they said look, we really can’t be doing this. This is just crazy, basically, and so we’re going to do “the German energy transition.” We’re going to try to lead the world on this and we’re going to move stepwise into renewables-plus, that’s renewables solar wind energy storage, interconnection, demand site management, energy management, distributed grids and a significant centralized upgrade of grids, too.

Now clearly Germany has a core problem, a fossil fuel problem, but they didn’t want to go down the fissile fuel route so Germany has said well OK for the time being we’re going to rely on gas but then we’re going to move to a full renewable economy. Well, the war has speeded that up. Since the war Germany has burnt less coal and Germany has shuttered all its nuclear power plants. It’s done this because what Germany says it will do, it does, unlike many other states. It set upon a route to go renewables. Now there is no such thing as a free lunch. Everything costs and there’s no perfect solution to the energy crisis, but what Germany is trying to do is to lead the world in this so-called energy transition, and I won’t spout numbers but basically what has happened is you’ve just seen significant renewable deployment, significant storage and a water storage as it were deployment which is sort of integrated into the power system and also integrated into the democratic system whereby by local communities also own the local renewable aspects of the local renewable power generation. It’s basically saying well look yes we can do this rather like Americans, you know, we have a dream, we will try to do this, it will be difficult but we will do our best to get there since the costs and the risks of nuclear are far too great. Let’s find a realistic, sustainable, positive, constructive way through……..
more https://hotglobe.substack.com/p/nuclear-power-is-already-a-climate

July 23, 2023 Posted by | ENERGY, Germany, safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Not nuclear, but wind and solar still cheapest – CSIRO

By Peter Roberts https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/not-nuclear-but-wind-and-solar-still-cheapest-csiro 18 July 23

There is a huge amount of hype around new energy sources to replace fossil fuels and none more so than the phenomenon of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR).

But the hype remains just that according to the latest GenCost 2022–23 study released today by CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator.

While SMRs are likely cheaper to build that traditional large nuclear power stations, renewable power from onshore wind turbines and solar PV are increasingly important as the cheapest sources of new energy generation capacity according to the report.

This holds true whether the costs of integration into the grid are taken into account, or not.

Each year the two bodies work with industry to give an updated cost estimate for large-scale electricity generation in Australia, and each year wind and solar come out on top

The 2022-23 report found that onshore wind and solar PV are ‘the lowest cost generation technology by a significant margin’, despite cost increases averaging 20 per cent for new-build electricity generation in Australia.

Offshore wind is higher cost but competitive with other alternative low emission generation technologies.

CSIRO Chief Energy Economist Paul Graham said: “Innovation in electricity generation technology is a global effort that’s strongly linked to climate change policy ambitions.

“Technology costs are one piece of the puzzle, providing critical input to electricity sector analysis.

“To limit emissions, our energy system must evolve and become more diverse.”

GenCost said the next lowest cost flexible technology in 2023 is gas generation with carbon capture and storage, but only if it could be financed at a rate that does not include climate policy risk.

Fossil fuels were more expensive and faced hurdles such as government legislation and net zero targets, and historically high energy costs.

GenCost said that with SMRs, ‘achieving the lower end of the nuclear SMR range (of cost estimates) requires that SMR is deployed globally in large enough capacity to bring down costs available to Australia’.

As for SMRs, none of this should not be surprising as even the International Atomic Energy Agency does not claim nuclear power is cheaper.

The agency claims only that SMRs, advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit or about one-third of typical sizes, provide cheaper power than traditional large nuclear stations.

Their advantage over traditional nuclear is linked to the nature of their design – small and modular.

According to the IAEA more than 70 commercial SMR designs are being developed around the world.

The IAEA says on its website: “Though SMRs have lower upfront capital cost per unit, their economic competitiveness is still to be proven in practice once they are deployed.”

.

July 19, 2023 Posted by | renewable | Leave a comment

Welsh campaigners call for Wylfa to be at heart of Ynys Mon ‘green energy’ island

 Campaigners from several organisations opposed to new nuclear power
developments in Wales have written to Climate Change Minister Julie James
calling for the Welsh Government to acquire the Wylfa site as a national
asset to develop a range of cutting-edge renewable energy technologies.

Last week, the Welsh Affairs Committee in Westminster called on the British
Government to acquire the former nuclear power plant site at Wylfa to
redevelop for nuclear power, but, in their response, ministers indicated
that it was a ‘commercial decision’ for Hitachi, the owners of the
site, to determine who they sell the site to.

Anti-nuclear activists
believe this represents an opportunity for the Welsh Government to approach
Hitachi to see if they can purchase the site to become the hub of an Ynys
Mon (Anglesey) that is truly a ‘green energy island’. This would be in
line with Cardiff’s aspiration to ensure that all electricity consumed in
Wales is from renewable sources by 2035, and that such generation should be
ramped up in line with demand in the future.

 NFLA 15th July 2023

Welsh campaigners call for Wylfa to be at heart of Ynys Mon ‘green energy’ island

July 18, 2023 Posted by | renewable | Leave a comment

New Book -The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation

 In this radical new book Prof. Mark Diesendorf and Rod Taylor, who are
based in Australia, say that major changes have to be made in order the
move to a sustainable future.

They claim that we have allowed large
corporations, the military and other vested interests to capture
governments and influence public opinion and markets excessively. The
result will be social, economic and environmental disaster.

They argue that the way forward is to build social movements to apply overwhelming pressure on government and big business, weaken the power of vested interests and
strengthen democratic decision-making.

This, they say, must be done simultaneously with action on the specific issues of climate, energy, natural resources & social justice, so as to transition to a truly
sustainable civilisation. That may sound Utopia, but the book takes us
through the practical technology options and explores how the transition to
their use might come about globally. However, it goes well beyond just
offering technical and social fixes, challenging the idea that
technological changes alone will be sufficient to transition to ecological
sustainability. It says that a sustainable civilisation needs ‘an
economic system that fosters ecological sustainability and social
justice’, whereas ‘the current dominant system, neoclassical economic
theory together neoliberalism practice, is based on numerous myths. Its
practitioners claim it’s a science although it does not stand up to
scientific scrutiny’.

 Renew Extra 8th July 2023

https://renewextraweekly.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-path-to-sustainable-civilisation.html

July 10, 2023 Posted by | renewable | Leave a comment

Germany’s power mix boasts more renewables, lower spot market prices – despite nuclear exit

Germany’s shutdown of nuclear power plants in April did not result in a
ramp-up of lignite-fired power plants, despite concerns. Instead, there has
been a significant increase in the share of renewables in the electricity
mix, and the proportion of coal-generated electricity has fallen by more
than 20%.

Electricity in Germany has become cheaper and cleaner since its
last three nuclear power plants were shut down, according to new data from
the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. Net electricity
production from lignite and hard coal has decreased by more than 20%, while
natural gas has experienced a minor decline.

In contrast, renewables have
reached a record share of 57.7% of net electricity generation. According to
Fraunhofer ISE, the German energy system successfully managed the nuclear
phase-out. The decommissioned reactors’ reduced output was offset by lower
consumption, decreased exports, and increased imports.

 PV Magazine 4th July 2023  https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/07/04/germanys-nuclear-exit-leads-to-more-renewables-lower-spot-market-prices/

Germany’s power mix boasts more renewables, lower spot market prices – despite nuclear exit

July 6, 2023 Posted by | Germany, renewable | 1 Comment

Community energy for the UK

At the close of Community Energy Fortnight (10-23 June), the Nuclear Free
Local Authorities have written to a minister asking the government to hold
onto parts of the Energy Bill that will be vital if the community energy
sector is to continue to grow.

In his letter to Nuclear and Networks
Minister Andrew Bowie, who is leading on the legislation for the
government, NFLA Steering Committee Councillor Lawrence O’Neill has asked
for Clauses 272 and 273 to be retained in the bill.

These clauses, backed by the campaign group Power for People, would allow small community owned projects generating renewable energy to supply electricity to the National
Grid or to the communities that they serve on a fairer basis, and they
would also guarantee these suppliers a set income. Disappointingly, the
government is believed to be looking at dropping these clauses from the
bill, without suggesting any alternate provision.

NFLA 23rd June 2023

NFLA message to energy minister – ‘Community energy is great; back it’.

June 25, 2023 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Expert: Germany’s energy system has coped with nuclear shutdown

06/18/2023  https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/E-ON-SE-3818998/news/Expert-Energy-system-has-coped-with-nuclear-shutdown-44138125/
– The German energy system has not experienced any problems after the shutdown of the last three nuclear power plants in mid-April, according to an expert. “The energy supply has coped very well with the nuclear phase-out,” Claudia Kemfert, an energy economist at the German Institute for Economic Research, told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper (Monday edition).

“The remaining three nuclear reactors still produced just under six percent of the electricity. The loss of this electricity production was lost in the noise of the European electricity market,” Kemfert said. The volumes that were eliminated were easy to replace: “Electricity production from renewable energies has increased significantly in Germany,” Kemfert explained. Electricity has also become cheaper, she added. “The price of electricity on the borsen has fallen during the period of the nuclear phase-out,” she pointed out

In May, the borsen electricity price for next-day delivery averaged around 82 euros per megawatt hour, the lowest since July 2021

June 19, 2023 Posted by | business and costs, ENERGY, Germany | Leave a comment

Nuclear Free Local Authorities – visiting community owned project in the UK, at the start of Community Energy Fortnight,

 At the start of Community Energy Fortnight (10 June), NFLA Secretary
Richard Outram travelled to picturesque Dovestones Reservoir to visit his
nearest community owned hydro project. Saddleworth Community Hydro was
holding a public open day to mark the start of this annual event promoted
by Community Energy England, which is held to showcase projects, share
knowledge in the sector, and celebrate success.

Community Energy England
was founded in 2014 by community energy practitioners as the ‘voice’ of
the sector and to help put people at the heart of the energy system. Now
with over 275 community energy organisations as members, its mission is to
‘to help active community energy organisations implement new projects,
innovate, improve and grow.’ Saddleworth Community Hydro also started in
2014, commencing operations in September of that year. It was the first
high head project in England to generate power from the waters of a
reservoir.

At a cost of £500,000, it was financed almost equally by grants
from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and by the sale of shares
to around 200 members, and subsequent upgrades have been funded by local
supporters.

 NFLA 16th June 2023

Power to the People: Saddleworth hydro project is an example of a nationwide movement to make Britain greener

June 18, 2023 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

45 nations pledge to double their rate of energy efficiency improvements

45 nations pledge to double rate of energy efficiency improvements. The
UK, the US and Ukraine are among the 45 nations endorsing a new global
commitment to accelerate the rate of energy efficiency improvements. The
declaration takes the form of a new ministerial statement, released to mark
the conclusion of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) global
conference on energy efficiency in France. As the conference began earlier
this week, the IEA confirmed that global energy intensity decreased 2.2%
last year, twice the average of the previous five years, largely due to
policy responses to the energy price crisis. Yet annual decreases of 4% are
needed to give the world the best chance of achieving net-zero by
mid-century and averting the worst physical impacts of the climate crisis.
To that end, the 45 nations have pledged to develop and implement better
policies to improve energy efficiency domestically. These include both
government-led schemes and policies that help to unlock private investment.

 Edie 9th June 2023  https://www.edie.net/45-nations-pledge-to-double-rate-of-energy-efficiency-improvements/

https://www.edie.net/45-nations-pledge-to-double-rate-of-energy-efficiency-improvements/

June 14, 2023 Posted by | 2 WORLD, ENERGY | Leave a comment

Wind and solar overtake fossil fuel generation in the European Union

 New data from energy think tank Ember shows that wind and solar produced
more EU electricity than fossil fuels in May, for the first full month on
record. Almost a third of the EU’s electricity in May was generated from
wind and solar (31%, 59 TWh), while fossil fuels generated a record low of
27% (53 TWh). “Europe’s electricity transition has hit hyperdrive,”
said Ember’s Europe lead Sarah Brown. “Clean power keeps smashing
record after record.”

 Ember 8th June 2023

https://ember-climate.org/press-releases/wind-and-solar-overtake-fossil-generation-in-the-eu/

 Business Green 8th June 2023

https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4117505/europes-electricity-transition-hit-hyperdrive-wind-solar-overtake-fossil-generation-eu

June 10, 2023 Posted by | EUROPE, renewable | Leave a comment

How Much Would It Cost to Solve Climate Change? And How Would We Pay for It?

Palmer Owyoung, Medium 31st May 2023

We know we need to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. But as of
2023, we still get about 78 % of our energy from fossil fuels, with coal
making up the single biggest source of electricity at 36%. So how do we get
from where are today to 100% renewable energy before 2050? Is there a
climate change solution? Most importantly how much will it cost and who
will pay for it?

To answer the first question, we look to Mark Jacobson, a
professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the
Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University. In his 2023 Book No
Miracle Needed, he puts together a comprehensive plan based on real-world
data that shows how the world can transition off fossil fuels using
existing technology in the form of wind, solar, geothermal, hydo-electric,
and battery storage.

According to Jacobson we already have 95% of what we
need to get there and the remaining 5% will come from hydrogen fuel cells
that can power airplanes and long-distance cargo ships. The data for his
book comes from a detailed study that he published in 2015 of what each of
the 50 U.S. States needs to transition their electrical grid,
transportation, heating/cooling, and industrial sectors to renewable energy
powered by wind, water and sun.

The plan’s goal is to replace 80 to 85% of
fossil fuels by 2030 and 100% by 2050. This time frame is considerably more
aggressive than the Paris Climate Agreement and Jacobson not only addresses
the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, but does so
while keeping energy costs low, creating new jobs and maintaining a stable
power grid.

One of the biggest issues with solar and wind is the
intermittency problem, which means that the sun does not always shine and
the wind doesn’t always blow. Jacobson’s 2015 report was criticized for
making assumptions about how energy could be stored and it was dismissed as
using unrealistic assumptions. His response was to write the 2018 study
that divided the world into 143 countries and 20 regions around the world.
Using data and a simulator he and his team looked at the grid stability in
each of the regions for every 30 seconds for the past five years to
determine the cost of energy per unit. What they found was that wind, water
and solar power are enough to keep the grid stable and uninterrupted
contrary to what his critics said. In fact, he found that there is enough
wind generated on the Earth to power our needs 6 or 7 times over and while
it’s true this energy is intermittent, he says it would require no more
than 4 hours of battery storage in order to solve the problem.

Furthermore,
a 2023 study published in Nature indicates that electric vehicle batteries
alone could provide the short-term storage needed by global grids as early
as 2030.

View at Medium.com

·

June 6, 2023 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Taiwan Considers Keeping Nuclear Reactors on Emergency Standby

Cindy Wang and Stephen Stapczynski, Mon, May 29, 2023 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/taiwan-considers-keeping-nuclear-reactors-022439242.html

(Bloomberg) — Taiwan is considering keeping nuclear power plants on standby in case of emergencies, signaling a loosening of policy to phase out the energy source.The government plans to maintain shut reactors so that they could be restarted in an emergency, Taipei-based United Daily News reported, citing Vice President Lai Ching-te, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate. It’s the first time the government has signaled it’s possible to restart plants, United Daily News said.

The use of nuclear as backup generation would be unusual because of the high costs and safety measures required. Taiwan’s plans to phase out its last remaining atomic plant by 2025 go against a global resurgence of the technology to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The island is also seeking to reduce coal consumption, leaving the government under pressure to build out gas-powered generation and offshore wind to avoid power shortages.

A restart strategy would only be needed in extreme emergencies, such as external blockades or serious natural disaster, and would need to be safe and have consensus among lawmakers and the public, Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua told reporters on Monday.

Taiwan got about 11% of its power from nuclear in 2021, according to state-owned Taiwan Power Co. It has two operating reactors that started in the 1980s and which are slated to close next year and in 2025.

May 30, 2023 Posted by | ENERGY, Taiwan | Leave a comment

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