Wave and Tidal Power for UK Cost Competitive with Nuclear
Marine energy ‘could compete with nuclear on cost‘, Low Carbon Economy.com 13 juil. 2011 Marine energy could supply almost 20 percent of the UK’s energy needs and be cost competitive with onshore wind and nuclear sources. This is according to a new report from the Carbon Trust, which sets out a three-year research and development programme for the marine energy sector.
The document claims the best marine energy sites in the UK could produce energy at a comparable cost to that generated from onshore wind and nuclear sources, once cost reductions following the first gigawatt of installation come into force.
Wave energy could provide 50TWh of power and tidal power could provide 20.6TWh, equating to 13 percent and five percent of the UK’s energy needs ……http://www.lowcarboneconomy.com/profile/the_low_carbon_economy_ltd/_low_carbon_blog/marine_energy_’could_compete_with_nuclear_on_cost’/14825
Global warming causes jellyfish surge, causes nuclear plant shutdowns
Increasing fishing activity and global warming are giving jellyfish populations a boost, scientists said, potentially making jellyfish invasions at nuclear power plants located near the open sea more common in the future
Jellyfish keep UK nuclear plant shut, Reporting by Karolin Schaps; editing by Jason Neely), Scientific American ,| June 29, 2011 An invasion of jellyfish into a cooling water pool at a Scottish nuclear power plant kept its nuclear reactors offline on Wednesday, a phenomenon which may grow more common in future, scientists said. Continue reading
Britain drags out nuclear veterans compensation case, hoping they’ll all die off
Britain urged to settle nuclear payout for veterans, THE AUSTRALIAN , July 04, 2011 THE British government was under pressure last night to settle a multimillion-pound fight with more than 1000 veterans of nuclear tests in Australia and the Pacific or risk wasting even more money on a “morally unjustifiable” legal battle that could drag on for years.
Supporters of the pensioners, who participated in Britain’s atomic bomb trials in the Pacific in the 1950s, said that it was time for the Ministry of Defence to follow the world’s four other main nuclear powers and pay compensation. Continue reading
Global warming increases jellyfish, jellyfish shut down nuclear plant
The surge of jellyfish in the area is believed to have occurred because of a rise in the temperature in the North Sea.Since 2002 scientists have noted massive increases in jellyfish populations around the world. Some attribute this to overfishing, declining water quality and rising sea temperatures.
Jellyfish Shut Down Nuclear Power Plant, Care 2, by Sharon S. June 30, 2011 An invasion of jellyfish managed to stop operations at a nuclear power plant in eastern Scotland after high volumes of the creatures flooded water filters and clogged the cooling system. Continue reading
Emails reveal how UK govt and nuclear industry conspired to downplay Fukushima disaster
“There is a risk that this event could impact on the global industry. We need to ensure that the anti nuclear chaps and chapesses do not gain ground on this. we need to occupy the territory and hold it… We need to get into context – show that the events in Japan…. are all part of the safety processes of this 1960s reactor. We also need to pull out the additional safety of Gen III…
Should also highlight and show that this is what has happened even with the 1960s reactor in Japan, radiation release has been controlled – the reactor has been protected.
We really need to show the safety of nuclear. We need to quash any stories trying to compare this to Chernobyl… We do not want to be on the back foot with this. People at new build sites are likely to be following closely…. The mitigation with nuclear is so high that the risk is minimal – as demonstrated in Japan”
UK government and nuclear industry email correspondence after the Fukushima accident, guardian.co.uk, 30 June 2011
Emails released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal the level of coordination between government departments and the nuclear industry during the Fukushima crisis.
Doctor ejected from airport for refusing radiation scanning
Airport Boots Doctor for Refusing Radiation Assault, (NEWSER) 2 July 11– An eye specialist on his way to treat child patients in Switzerland was escorted out of Britain’s Manchester airport by police after refusing a full-body scan. Tony Aguirre declined the scan on both medical and ethical grounds, calling the technology a “radiation assault,” reports the Daily Mail. Fliers at the three British airports that have installed the scanners are not offered the dreaded “pat-down” option offered to American travelers who refuse the scan.
“X-rays are known to cause cancer and I think somebody will get cancer from this body scanner whether it’s me or someone else,” the doctor told officials. The “no scan, no fly” rule “raises the suspicion that perhaps it’s more expensive to do a manual search and that’s why they are forced to go through an X-ray,” he says. The doctor eventually flew to Switzerland from Liverpool airport, which does not have the scanners…..http://www.newser.com/story/122386/airport-boots-doctor-for-refusing-radiation-assault.html
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UK’s Liberal Democrats put on the spot: new poll shows opposition to nuclear power
Voters to Lib Dems: live up to your nuclear promise! Greenpeace UK by Niall Sookoo – 6 June 2011 On the eve of a vital vote on taxpayer subsidies for nuclear power, we’ve published the results of an exclusive opinion poll which shows that the majority of people – 46 per cent – oppose any future subsidy for the nuclear power industry Continue reading
Small scale renewable energy is challenging big utilities
Small-scale renewable energy is more accessible to new entrants compared with the forward purchase of huge amounts of baseload generation from burning fossil fuels, which is the routine business of big utilities.
Change so far is happening slowly and from a tiny base but the cost of small-scale renewable technologies is falling.
Micro-Power Presents Slow-Burn Threat to Utilities Planet Ark: 27-May-11 SPAIN AND U.K. : Martin Roberts and Gerard Wynn A wide rollout of small-scale renewable energy poses a long-term challenge to utilities as households switch to home generation and the supply market opens, executives at green specialists and independents say. Continue reading
Offshore renewable energy innovation centre for UK
UK Government invests in offshore renewables innovation centre | Energy Efficiency News, 28 May 11, The UK Government yesterday announced plans to invest in an offshore renewable energy technology and innovation centre to help businesses commercialise wind, wave and tidal power. Continue reading
UK plan to dump nuclear waste in sea
Hinkley Point nuclear waste sea disposal plan Nuclear waste is currently stored in vaults at Hinkley Point, BBC News, 23 May 2011 Plans being developed to deal with nuclear waste at Hinkley Point A in west Somerset will see radioactive gas and liquid released into the sea.The power station began decommissioning in 2001 and is working on a system to put “intermediate” waste in vats of acid to reduce it down.
Magnox, the company that manages the site, said there would be no risk to public health or the environment.
But a nuclear expert questioned the controls in place at Hinkley Point……John Large, a nuclear consultant who has worked with power companies and Greenpeace, said: “If you look at the history and the development of the British nuclear industry, and look at the calamity that was caused by radioactive discharges around Sellafield, if the past practice is a sign I don’t think sufficient guards and controls will be in place at this station.”
Before this process can start, it needs to be approved by the Environment Agency and the Office for Nuclear Regulation, and the company will have to apply for planning permission for a new building….http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-13501260
UK’s “Renewable Energy Foundation” – a front for anti renewables lobby?
the charity is little more than a front for anti-wind lobbyists…….It would set an unwelcome precedent for a charitable organisation claiming to support renewable energy, to spend time campaigning against what is effectively the chief renewable technology in the UK. It raises issues about the organisation’s motives, as well as financial and reputational advantages of being a registered charity. There needs to be a much clearer sense of how REF fulfils its charitable purpose and lives up to its name…..The problem with the Renewable Energy Foundation is that their name is misleading. It suggests they are in favour of renewables when actually the opposite is true.
Will the real Renewable Energy Foundation please stand up? Guardian UK 20 May 11, The Renewable Energy Foundation says it is not against windfarms, but its critics disagree Will the real Renewable Energy Foundation please stand up? This is a question being asked with increasing intensity within the UK’s renewable energy sector. Continue reading
UK govt should promote renewable energy, says Committee on Climate Change
More renewables needed to power low carbon Britain , Imperial College London Reporter 18 May 11, The UK needs a portfolio of renewable energy and low-carbon alternative energy sources, according to a new energy review by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which was launched at Imperial in the second week of May.
The scientific experts on the committee, including Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, Director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, and Professor Jim Skea (CEP), said that renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and geothermal heat, should be able to contribute at least 30 per cent of all power generated in the UK by the year 2030. This would make a major contribution to reducing the UK economy’s carbon footprint over the next few decades.
The committee also suggested that a higher share of up to 45 per cent would be feasible, if the cost of renewable technologies were to fall and if the government pursued policies that would allow low-carbon technologies to be implemented. Current plans, they say, could lead to unnecessary costs that would be passed on to the average household energy user.
Professor Hoskins said: “In order to limit the risks of climate change, it is necessary to significantly reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050. We know this can be done but only by starting now on a major programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop new low-carbon technologies, which themselves could also bring significant economic opportunities.” http://www2.imperial.ac.uk/blog/reporter/2011/05/18/more-renewables-needed-to-power-low-carbon-britain/
UK govt forging ahead with nuclear program, despite UK’s claim to be “green”
U.K.’s “Greenest Government Ever” Charges Ahead With Nuclear Power HUFFINGTON POST Mason Inman 05/19/11 Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, has repeatedly pledged to create the “greenest government ever,” and now the country has adopted a new, ambitious goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, aiming by 2025 to slash them by half, compared with 1990. Continue reading
Labour MP in Wales scornful of UK nuclear policy
Welsh MP attacks Government’s nuclear policy, by David Williamson, Western Mail, 19 May 11, LABOUR MP Paul Flynn yesterday urged Prime Minister David Cameron to abandon the “national virility symbol” of nuclear missiles and challenged Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne to reject a new generation of nuclear power stations. Continue reading
UK govt letting EDF, Centrica, AREVA plan nuclear safety?
it’s very much in the hands of EDF, Centrica, RWE, E.ON, Areva, Westinghouse and the rest to propose the form of modifications….I can’t see any of those parties putting forward suggestions that will significantly increase the cost of their reactor designs and plant lay-outs for the first new nuclear power stations.
Why are we trusting the nuclear giants to suggest safety improvements? Rowena Mason, Telegraph UK, May 18th, 2011 “…….Today Mike Weightman Britain’s solemn chief inspector of nuclear concluded that nuclear power in Britain is largely safe. Or “has no need to be curtailed”, as he put it…….. he’s willing to let the industry make some suggestions about how their systems could be better, rather than dictate specific modifications. Continue reading
1 This Month
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
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