On Monday I attended an American Nuclear Society meeting. The guest speaker was my company’s Federal Regulatory Affairs Analyst (essentially our lobbyist). He was telling us about the perceptions of legislators regarding nuclear power and its role in the climate change debate and legislation. Interestingly, when both Democrat and Republican legislators were polled (anonymously) regarding whether they would support a “cap and trade” bill if it included nuclear power, 81% of Democrats said yes, while only 3% of Republicans said yes. For Republicans it had nothing to do with nuclear and everything to do with “cap and trade.” With mid-term elections in 2010, this will be an interesting debate. What are your thoughts on “cap and trade”, climate change legislation, and the impact on the nuclear industry?
Upcoming event… “Nuclear Power: Hype or Hope?”
Clean Energy America’s Dena Volovar will join distinguished panelists at the University of Colorado-Boulder on November 5th. See below for details.
5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wittemyer Coutroom, Wolf Law Building
University of Colorado Law School
(2450 Kittredge Loop Road, Boulder, CO 80309)
Please join us for a special event that will rigorously examine the key economic, environmental, and technological issues of nuclear power generation.
This event is free and open to the public. Following the event, there will be a public reception with light refreshments provided.
For more information on this event, please contact CEES at [email protected] and visit http://cees.colorado.edu/nuclear_power_nov_5.html
Distinguished Speakers
Dena Volovar, Clean Energy America; Project Manager, Bechtel Corporation
James McNeil, Professor of Physics, Colorado School of Mines
Jerry Peterson, Professor of Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder
Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Moderator: Len Ackland, Professor of Journalism, University of Colorado at Boulder
Event Sponsors
Center for Energy and Environmental Security (CEES)
University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB)
UCB Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI)
Colorado School of Mines (CSM)
Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)
WSJ Article on Solar Subsidies
According to the Wall Street Journal (September 3, 2009) in an article titled “Spain’s Solar-Power Collapse Dims Subsidy Model” they conclude that “The industry’s fundamental problem is that, without subsidies, it’s still not economically viable. An interesting quote from Mike Ahearn, chief executive of Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar Corp. Solar power could be competitive “within a couple of years” but only if the industry gains scale. That would require generous government subsidies and other forms of support, Mr. Ahearn says: “It’s a chicken-and-egg” problem.
Catch 22: Volt needs Voltage
Finally the auto industry is listening to their customers. GM’s new Chevy Volt averages 230 mpg and goes on sale in another year. The $40,000 price tag is a little lofty in this struggling economy, but for those who can afford to be environmentally friendly; this car could be worth it.
All you need to do is plug in your car overnight and it’s good to go in the morning. There’s the catch, you’re plugging your car into the power grid. Already Congress is dealing with America’s struggling power grid. California already has had rolling ‘brown-outs’ in the past years. What is going to happen when we add several thousand cars to that grid?
We need more electricity as a country and with each new electric car we’re hiking up that number pretty fast. How are we going to meet this hefty demand? If you want to keep your car truly ‘green’ then we can’t be building more coal or natural gas power plants. That’s only shifting the emissions from your tailpipe to the smoke-stack.
Nuclear power is the best choice. We have the technology to build enough plants to supply the US with the increase in nuclear power. The other clean alternatives, wind and solar, have many years of research and development before they can even come close to catching up to nuclear power production.
Now is the time to build more nuclear power so that in the years to come when you plug in your clean car, it can truly be clean from the outlet to the road.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chevy-volt-boon-or-boondoggle-2009-08-11
Defending Nuclear
Did you know more than 60% of people are pro-nuclear? Of course not, and do you want to know why? It is because there is a perception gap that exists. If you ask the public, do you think most people are pro-nuclear, almost 50% of them believe most people are actually anti-nuclear.
The fact is out there; over 60% of people are PRO-Nuclear! So, it is time to have the majority start defending nuclear power. I ask that you talk to your state and local politicians and let them know where you stand. For far too long has the minority voice of the anti-nuclear people been heard. It is now time to start defending nuclear and start showing our support for new nuclear power plants.
I urge everyone to please do their research on the subject. There are many great places on the web to find great information and facts. Below are a few sites I find helpful.
http://www.cleanenergyinsight.org/ http://www.nei.org/
http://www.cna.ca/ http://www.cleansafeenergy.org/
Change of Heart?
FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff spoke yesterday at the Nuclear Energy Assembly in Washington D.C. and appears to be having a change of heart on the future of nuclear and coal in this country. He was previously quoted as saying that no new nuclear or coal plants may ever be needed (see my previous blog). When challenged about these comments, Chairman Wellinghoff stated that due to renewable energy and new technology you could imagine a scenario in which large central plants such as coal and nuclear may not be needed. I personally don’t see a feasible “scenario” where new base load energy won’t be necessary, but as Chairman Wellinghoff said, “Ultimately, though, it doesn’t matter what might be a rational or irrational scenario. What matters is what the markets will do.”
X-Men Origins: The Battle at Three Mile Island
I went to see the new X-Men Origins movie this weekend and was surprised that the major battle scene takes place at Three Mile Island. It apparently takes place sometime after the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. The idea behind the Three Mile Island location is that it was a good place to “hideout” where no one would notice. I think I would have actually picked a remote island in the middle of nowhere if I was trying to hide what I was doing. Guess they didn’t think about the fact that Three Mile Island was a two unit site and Unit 1 is still operating, but then again a movie about a guy that has claws that come out of his hands can’t be expected to be accurate about everything.
The Dilemma Over Coal Generated Power
Just in case you missed it on CBS’s 60 Minutes…”The Dilemma Over Coal Generated Power”
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/23/60minutes/main4964301.shtml
I think the coal debate is quite relevant to nuclear power generation. In the interview, Duke Energy’s CEO tries to be pragmatic…it took 100 years to build our carbon-based energy infrastructure, it will take at least 40 years to make meaningful infrastructure changes. Any outsider calling for faster change simply isn’t considering reality. Factoring in a lack of support for nuclear power from the “renewable” camp, the entire energy debate simply falls apart.
To me duke represents “energy reality” and i suppose a big part of Duke Energy’s “clean” future is tied to nuclear. Any resistance to move forward will in effect delay carbon-emission free power generation, raise domestic energy cost, and/or curb new electricity generation.
We need an honest, fact-based energy debate.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/23/60minutes/main4964301.shtml
“Grey Water” Cooling Systems: A Black and White Solution to Water Management for Nuclear
Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Site is located about 40 minuets outside of Phoenix, AZ. It is the largest nuclear power site in the US with three units, and produces more power than the Hoover Dam! I know what you are thinking, why would we build a nuclear power plant in the desert, where the fear of water shortages are on the forefront of many of the residents concerns in the Southwest? The answer to that question is that Palo Verde engineers have been able to overcome this obstacle by using reclaimed water from municipal water sewage treatment plants to cool their production processes. This water is also referred as “grey water” and has been utilized at the site for nearly twenty years. This is one of the greatest engineering solutions to the water consumption concerns because it is cost effective and the impact to the environment is very minimal. In fact, Palo Verde is considering adding two more units and will continue utilize the same water management strategy for the operation of the new units.
This water management strategy can be implanted at any site that has the capacity to receive enough grey water from neighboring municipalities. This cooling system should be pursued for future new builds that have water management concerns in their local communities. The best part of this water management strategy is that we have proven that it works! If this management strategy is paired with the fact that nuclear emits essentially zero carbon emissions, you can consider nuclear power an even more environmentally friendly energy source for America’s future!
FERC Chairman Doesn’t Get It
I don’t typically get upset about articles I read, but the one I saw today in the New York Times completely floored me. FERC Chairmen Jon Wellinghoff told reporters at a U.S. Energy Association forum that no new nuclear or coal plants may ever be needed in the United States. Mr. Wellinghoff believes that renewables will provide enough energy to meet base load capacity. Someone apparently doesn’t understand the meaning of base load power, the power that is there no matter what the weather is doing or what time of day it is.
“I think [new nuclear expansion] is kind of a theoretical question, because I don’t see anybody building these things, I don’t see anybody having one under construction,” Wellinghoff said.
Mr. Wellinghoff, all I can say is be prepared to be wrong. New nuclear plants are on their way.
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Recent Entries
- Perceptions on Nuclear Power in Washington
- Upcoming event… “Nuclear Power: Hype or Hope?”
- WSJ Article on Solar Subsidies
- Catch 22: Volt needs Voltage
- Defending Nuclear
- Change of Heart?
- X-Men Origins: The Battle at Three Mile Island
- The Dilemma Over Coal Generated Power
- “Grey Water” Cooling Systems: A Black and White Solution to Water Management for Nuclear
- FERC Chairman Doesn’t Get It
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