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Investment analyst Morgan Stanley points to rooftop solar energy


Morgan Stanley’s Renewable Energy Stock Picks For 2015  Wayne Duggan, Benzinga Staff Writer , 21 Dec 14 A recent Morgan Stanley report focused on the future of renewable energy. Analysts discussed long-term changes that will come about in the sector in the coming years…………

solar-jobSolar Strength

The report indicated that rooftop solar should provide a major source of demand in the future. The cost of rooftop solar panels for both houses and businesses is becoming less cost-prohibitive, and installation of solar panels is becoming more realistic for the average family’s budget.

Analyst Stephen Byrd explains that solar customers around the world are able to reap the benefits of a favorable regulatory environment. “In Australia, Europe, the US, Brazil, and Japan, residential and commercial customers are able to avoid some portion or all of their utility bills by installing solar panels.” http://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/14/12/5095151/morgan-stanleys-renewable-energy-stock-picks-for-2015#ixzz3Mewb6m9k

December 22, 2014 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Russia-India nuclear deal no big deal, really

Russia India Nuclear Deal Not As Exciting As Previously Thought By Ag Metal Miner |By Sohrab Darabshaw Sun, 21 December 2014 The initial euphoria over Russia agreeing to build at least 12 nuclear reactors in India by 2035 has died down as sector experts get around to analyzing the Russian move vis-à-vis India’s ongoing nuclear power program.

The agreement, one of 20, was inked during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit meeting in New Delhi last week. Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin pledged to take ties between the 2 nations to a “new degree of closeness,” with cooperation in nuclear energy acting as the linchpin. A report by Indian news agency Press Trust of India said both nations would strive to complete the construction and commissioning of not less than 12 nuclear units in the next 2 decades, according to a strategic vision document.

That makes it great propaganda material for official press releases and for the official summit photographs, but going behind the scenes, as many Indian analysts and media following the nuclear program and India’s power sector have done, it emerges that the agreement is merely old wine in a new bottle……….http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Russia-India-Nuclear-Deal-Not-As-Exciting-As-Previously-Thought.html

December 22, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

World’s safety depends on USA – Russia co-operation

Russia and the U.S. Need to Get Along. The World’s Safety Depends on It. New republic 21 Dec 14  By  It is impossible to overstate the danger that nuclear proliferation posed to the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Throughout the newly independent states, nuclear weapons, as well as their components and storage sites, frequently layunguarded—sometimes because starving interior ministry troops left their posts to search for food. Highly enriched uranium (HEU) was stolen from a submarine base in 1993. Managers of top Russian defense plants offered to sell enriched plutonium to visiting foreign scientists. And a visiting White House official once discovered that enough HEU to build several nuclear bombs was being stored in simple school-like lockers at an institute in Moscow.

That’s why the U.S. implemented the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, under which the U.S. spent billions of dollars to help Moscow secure its nuclear facilities and fissile material. From the removal of 600 kilograms of weapons-grade HEU from an unguarded warehouse in northern Kazakhstan to the construction of a highly secure storage facility near Chelyabinsk, Russia, that holds the equivalent of fissile material from 25,000 nuclear warheads, CTR has been an unambiguous post–Cold War success story.

With relations chilly again due to the crisis in Ukraine, first the U.S. and now Russia have taken steps that threaten to undo decades of nuclear cooperation. We need to be firm with Russia over its incursions in Ukraine, but nothing should be done to jeopardize our cooperation over the greater risks of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism.

Our nation’s safety is at stake. Here’s what we should do to protect it………….. http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120609/russia-us-nuclear-weapons-proliferation-cooperation-deteriorating

December 22, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Shutdowns in the continuing decline of USA’s nuclear industry

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Nuclear Shutdown News, December 2014, Ob Rag by  on DECEMBER 19, 2014 by Michael Steinberg / blackrainpress

Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the continuing decline of the US nuclear power industry. As nuclear power reactors approach or surpass their planned operating life of 40 years, they have become less and less reliable and more and more threatening. What to do about this? A complete and immediate shut down of them all! NO NUKES!

Here’s our December report. Continue reading →

December 20, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA’s representative fails to impress, at Vienna Conference on Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons.

Nuclear states face barrage of criticism in Vienna Helsinki Times,  14 Dec 14  SARCASTIC LAUGHTER erupted when a civil society representative expressed his “admiration for the delegate of the United States, who with one insensitive, ill-timed, inappropriate and diplomatically inept intervention” had “managed to dispel the considerable goodwill the US had garnered by its decision to participate” in Vienna Conference on Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons.

The speaker was Richard Lennane, who prefers to call himself the “chief inflammatory officer” of Wildfire, a Geneva-based disarmament initiative. He was making a statement at the final session of the conference in the Austrian capital on 8-9 December – the third after the Oslo (Norway) gathering in 2013 and Nayarit (Mexico) earlier this year.

Unlike the previous conferences, the United States and Britain – two of the five members of the nuclear club, along with France, Russia and China – participated in the Vienna conference.

But Washington’s diplomatic jargon was far-removed from the highly emotional impact of statements by survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and of nuclear testing in Australia, Kazakhstan, and the Marshall Islands. They gave powerful testimonies of the horrific effects of nuclear weapons.

Ambassador Adam Scheinman, special representative of the US president for non-proliferation, assured that “underpinning all of our efforts, stretching back decades, has been our clear understanding of the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use.”

This claim not only left a large number of participants unimpressed but also failed to give reason for hope that the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference next year would bear fruit. All the more so, because as the US-based Arms Control Association, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, Nuclear Information Project of the Federation of American Scientists, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Union of Concerned Scientist pointed out in a joint statement, “nearly five years after the successful 2010 NPT review conference, follow-through on the consensus action plan – particularly the 22 interrelated disarmament steps – has been very disappointing………Growing ranks of nuclear armed-states do not ensure global stability, but instead undermine it – a view with which also faith organisations gathered in Vienna agreed.http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/world-int/world-news/international-news/13080-nuclear-states-face-barrage-of-criticism-in-vienna.html

December 20, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

2014 a great year for renewable energy in 8 ways

8 Ways It’s Been a Great Year for Renewable Energy  , senior energy analyst, Clean Energy

December 19, 2014 As 2014 comes to a close, it’s helpful to look back and take  Union of Concerned Scientists  stock of successes in the clean energy space. Here are 8 ways that it’s been a great year for clean energy (and just a few areas for improvement)………..http://blog.ucsusa.org/renewable-energy-2014-773

December 20, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Alerting Chicago to the nuclear propaganda from “Nuclear Matters” and Exelon

text-Nuclear-MattersChicago, IL: Zero Carbon AND Zero Nuclear! Zero Carbon Chicago, Just about every day when I open the newspaper, I see a full page ad from an interest group called “Nuclear Matters” suggesting that — Good News! — we have the solution to global warming and it’s good, old nuclear energy!

It’s very important — for people in general, and for people who live in the Chicago area in particular— to understand how vital it is at this moment to stand up against the possible resurgence of the nuclear energy industry.

…………….Does the average person living in Chicago have any idea about the degree to which they are surrounded by nuclear plants here?

In recent days there was a release at a nuclear facility in southern Illinois. (See “Metropolis Radiation Site Emergency — Leak of Toxic Uranium Hexafluoride”)

Chicago people need to know what we’re up against. The company that calls the shots on energy in our neck of the woods, Exelon, has been trumpeting its role as a nuclear energy operator. (See“Exelon, politics and Illinois’ low-carbon future” by Julie Wernau in the Chicago Tribune, August 15, 2014: “‘What Exelon is suggesting here is, put all your eggs in the nuclear basket and just trust Exelon,’ [said] Lee Davis, executive vice president and regional president for NRG Energy’s east region” ) Put that together with the “Nuclear Matters” lobbying effort, and its clear that people in Illinois are going to continue to be exposed to more, not less, nuclear plant risk. Unless we do something about it.http://zerocarbonchicago.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/chicago-il-zero-carbon-and-zero-nuclear.html

December 19, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

British public not really “fed up with wind farms”

Are the British public really ‘fed up with wind farms’? Thursday 18 Dec 2014 Earlier this week David Cameron stated that the British public are ‘fed up’ with onshore wind farms, and called for them to stop receiving state subsidies. Speaking to MPs, the Prime Minister said it was time to ditch funding for new turbines: ‘Let’s get rid of the subsidy, put them into the planning system. If they can make their case, they will make their case.’

We asked Metro readers what they thought of Cameron’s remarks – and here are a selection of responses received so far.

MORE: Poll: Are you fed up with wind farms?

We’re NOT fed up with wind farms

‘Wind farms are better than chimneys and also look better than a smokey sky.’ Mark Ulyatt

‘When me and my daughter are out in the car, we look for them. My daughter likes watching them go round, just as I do. I find them quite relaxing to watch.’ Kirsty Winfield

‘Well we could look at it this way. We could marvel at the ever improving technology using an almost infinite resource to help power our throwaway lifestyles. Or we could go like China and have pollution so bad you have to wear a mask if you go outside. If you ask me? Wind power, all the way.’ Chris Xryzoa Tempest …….

December 19, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Unprofitable uranium mines in Namibia

Namibia: Uranium and Zinc Industries Perform Poorly All Africa News, 16 Dec 14 Windhoek — Bank of Namibia Governor, Ipumbu Shiimi says the local uranium and zinc industries performed poorly over the last 10 months, compared to other sectors such as construction, diamond mining, manufacturing and wholesale/retail.

December 17, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Positive atmosphere as Iran nuclear talks continue

diplomacy-not-bombsflag-IranIran says nuclear talks with U.S. proceed in good atmosphere DUBAI Tue Dec 16, 2014 (Reuters) – Iran said on Tuesday bilateral nuclear talks with the United states were proceeding in a good atmosphere despite lingering gaps over key issues such as Tehran’s uranium enrichment capacity and how fast economic sanctions should be lifted.

U.S. and Iranian diplomats began a two-day meeting in Geneva on Monday to pave the way for resuming broader negotiations involving Iran and six world powers there on Wednesday.

They are aimed at resolving a 12-year stand-off over Iran’s disputed nuclear aspirations that has wrought heavy economicsanctions on the Islamic Republic and fears of a new Middle East war unless the dispute can be settled diplomatically soon…………(Reporting by Mehrdad Balali; Editing by Mark Heinrich) http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/16/us-iran-nuclear-usa-idUSKBN0JU12Q20141216

December 17, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Radioactive nano particles from Fukushima spread around the world

FUKUSHIMA’S “DUST OF DEATH” IS BLANKETING THE WORLD – PARTICLES FOUND IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES Ondependence Day, DECEMBER 8, 2014  “………….March 11, 2011, the date that Fukushima blew and started to emit radioactive particles into the airstream and ocean currents surrounding Japan. We have all read the warnings and seen the pictures, but do you really know the extent of the damage and deadly radiation that was released and continues to be emitted to this day?

Even experts in radiation, nuclear plant safety and the atmospheric and oceanic sciences are not fully aware of the potential for planetary disaster that already begun. Why?It is being stifled and hidden from public view for good reason. Fukushima was a man-made disaster with specific objectives in mind. The evidence is there and waiting to be discovered, distributed and digested and we’ll get to that later.

Those that do know and are trying to educate the public are a very small group of courageous and expert scientists and some advocates for transparency and truth who are trying to get the word out. That knowledge is the very real possibility that mass exterminations are facing the world’s populations no matter the place or distance from Fukushima’s ongoing fountain of death. The latest reports of the deadly plutonium nanoparticles or “Dust of Death,” include Lithuania bordered by Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Baltic Sea.

What I am about to share with you is eerily possible yet too horrific to contemplate. We have read that the Japanese authorities, the government and the managers of the Fukushima plant (Tepco), have not been forthcoming with regard to the severity and extent of the damage. After all who wants to admit to have started the world’s largest fire?

There are two scientific and very real theories that describe what is currently happening. The first is Wigner’s Effect (named for its discoverer, E. P. Wigner), ……..http://www.independenceday.pro/?p=8169

December 15, 2014 Posted by | general | 2 Comments

The biggest global threats – Climate Change and Nuclear War

Artificial intelligence, asteroids and zombies: how the world could end, news.com.au 14 Dec 14 “…… 1. Climate change

Scientists, including Dr Karl, say you would have to be pretty daft to not acknowledge the effect that humans and our carbon emissions are having on the planet. Recent reports suggest that average temperatures will likely rise 2-4 degrees from where they are today, which will create a dramatic environmental shift.

The author of an Australian climate change report from earlier this year, Professor Will Steffen, has warned that the economic damage will be just as bad as the physical damage.

“We’re talking about the loss of beaches, property, infrastructure and commercial assets worth billions to our economy,” he said.

This probably won’t end humanity, but we will need to learn to focus all our resources on getting through it. Millions of mostly people – most of whom are poor – will lose their homes, and weather shifts will greatly change the agriculture industry.

2. Nuclear war

Movies and video games would certainly like you to believe that a nuclear war is the most plausible way for humanity to end.

While Dr Karl pointed out that we have gone from around 50,000 nuclear weaponsacross the world to about 16,000, he says even one nuke going off in a major city would have a catastrophic effect for the rest of the world.

While a war between Russia and Western countries probably won’t end absolutely everything, it would send us into a nuclear winter. Not just from the immediate damage or radiation – the Earth would get cooler, the ozone layer would be damaged and rainfall would be significantly reduced, meaning the crops we use for food would struggle to grow.

The effect of this would be felt for up to 20 years…….http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/artificial-intelligence-asteroids-and-zombies-how-the-world-could-end/story-fnjwl2dr-1227155744514

December 15, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Radioactive water leak at Susquehanna nuclear power plant

Leak found at nuke plant STAFF REPORT December 14, 2014
PPL officials announced Saturday that operators at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant disconnected Unit 1 from the regional electric grid after detecting a small water leak inside the containment structure...http://standardspeaker.com/news/leak-found-at-nuke-plant-1.1802812

December 15, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Thousands of Peruvians march in support of action on climate change: call for renewable energy

climate-change‘The water is ours’: thousands in march at Lima climate forum SBS World News, 11 Dec 14 Thousands of Peruvians have marched through the streets of Lima in support of policies to limit greenhouse gases as climate talks grind on. Thousands of people have marched in central Lima against the abuse of earth’s resources, urging ministers haggling over a world climate deal to ensure a global switch to 100 per cent clean energy by 2050.

Students, environmentalists, workers, women’s defenders, anti-poverty activists and indigenous groups joined the “People’s Climate March” in the Peruvian capital on Wednesday, chanting “Water yes, gold no!” and “The water is ours!”

The colourful line of festive demonstrators snaked its way through the city, accompanied by rhythmic drumming and brass bands.

Police estimated the crowd at about 1800 people, but AFP witnessed many times that and organisers said about 15,000 turned out……http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/12/11/water-ours-thousands-march-lima-climate-forum

December 13, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

No utility executive could propose a nuclear reactor ”in good conscience” – industry executive

scrutiny-on-costsAnother Giant Declares Nuclear Dead In Fracking America, Forbes, Jeff McMahon, 9 Dec 14, No utility executive could propose a nuclear reactor ”in good conscience” in the U.S. today, the director emeritus of Argonne National Laboratory said in Chicago Monday.

Alan Schriesheim became the first industry executive to lead a national laboratory when he took the helm of Argonne in 1983, after serving as Exxon’s head of engineering and the director of its research lab, which developed more efficient processes for producing components of gasoline. At Argonne he championed, among other projects, an integral fast reactor  and he is credited with fostering a revival at Argonne. …….

“In the United States the price of natural gas is of such a level that I don’t think a CEO of a utility could in good conscience propose a nuclear-power reactor to his or her board of directors,” Schriesheim told about 75 students at UIC’s engineering building.

Nuclear is infeasible for the next 10 or 15 years in this country, he said, with the price of natural gas as it is.

“It’s the up-front cost of nuclear construction that really gets you. It’s a very large up-front cost. ….

December 10, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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