Atomic Insights | Atomic Insights: Energy Technology, Economics and Politics from an Atomic Point of View

Setting the Agenda – Nuclear Energy Assembly 2012

Rod Adams · May 21, 2012 · Leave a Comment

For the next three days (May 21-23, 2012), the Nuclear Energy Institute is hosting the annual nuclear industry conference and nuclear supplier expo called The Nuclear Energy Assembly.

The meeting, normally held in Washington, DC, will be at the Westin in Charlotte, North Carolina. Over the past several years, Charlotte has become a significant hub of nuclear energy industry activity, so the NEI apparently decided to reward the city’s support of our industry and to go where the members are gathering.

I was excited to learn that the theme chosen for this year’s gathering is “Setting the Agenda.” I like the forward leaning sound of that phrase. Going on the offensive can be the best defense when you are being attacked with predictable regularity from competitors and misinformed antinuclear activists.

Despite what some antinuclear activists might claim, the nuclear industry is typically quite reticent. It rarely advertises its routine successes and rarely reminds people that uranium produces as much energy for the world’s economy each year as the oil produced by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined.
Read more »

It’s another day to follow @Atomicrod on Twitter

Rod Adams · May 18, 2012 · Leave a Comment

I do not have much time in my schedule over the next few days for a long form blog post, but I have lots of thoughts to share on a variety of atomic related topics. If you are interested in that stream of consciousness, follow @Atomicrod on Twitter.

Others who have posted interesting recent tweets include:

@WorldNuclear, @KateGalbraith, @yes.VY, @nuclearfriends, @NuclearStreet, @Ben_Heard_DSA, @pronuclear, @ionactive, @lukeweston, @MattWaldNYT, @billrodgers, @arclight, @Atomikrabbit, @NA_YGN, @BraveNewClimate, @N_E_I, @NuclearTraining, @UraniumInvestor, @NuclearEnergies, @nukeroadie

That list is not intended to be comprehensive. Let me know if you find a particularly useful or interesting feed to follow.

Nuclear experts crowd source detailed response to Fukushima Fuel Fable

Rod Adams · May 17, 2012 · 10 Comments

Will Davis took the lead and tapped his well of colleagues who are nuclear energy professionals to produce a fact filled post for ANS Nuclear Cafe titled

Linus Pauling Letter to President Kennedy about nuclear weapons testing

Rod Adams · May 16, 2012 · 5 Comments

Linus Pauling was one of the most famous scientists of his era. In the period immediately following WWII, he became active in efforts to ban the bomb and stop atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Like Hermann Muller, he had no compunction against using inaccurate information about the health effects of radiation to instill sufficient fear [...]

Atomic Show #183 – Discussion with Dr. Arjun Makhijani

Rod Adams · May 16, 2012 · 17 Comments

This evening I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Arjun Makhijani, the President and Senior Engineer at the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER) of Takoma Park, MD. The conversation is available at Atomic Show #183 – Arjun Makhijani Explains Carbon Free, Nuclear Free Strategy Dr. Makhijani is the author of Carbon Free, [...]

Debunking the Fukushima Spent Fuel Fable

Rod Adams · May 11, 2012 · 138 Comments

There is a scary myth floating around the internet. According to the tall tale, the spent fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi unit four poses a dire threat to all mankind. As I explain in the above video, nothing could be farther from the truth. The sources of the lies have a well established history of [...]

Reed College has a nuclear reactor operated by undergraduate liberal arts majors

Rod Adams · May 9, 2012 · 15 Comments

Reed College is perhaps best known among technologists as the place where Steve Jobs learned about calligraphy – among a number of other useful topics. It is also the only liberal arts college that owns a research reactor that is operated primarily by undergraduates. I hope you enjoyed Will and Norm’s visit to the Reed [...]

Jaczko and Issa communications dated May 7, 2012

Rod Adams · May 8, 2012 · 10 Comments

Updated (May 9, 2012 05:47 am) This now includes information from Southern California Edison and the California Independent System Operator explaining why they had published an “estimated return to service date” for San Onofre. Original post starts here. Stories that underly other stories can be fascinating topics for discussion. Yesterday morning, a friend sent me [...]

Pronuclear videos continuing to proliferate – The Nuclear Option

Rod Adams · May 6, 2012 · 21 Comments

With a hat tip to Ben Heard at Decarbonize SA, I thought it might inspire you to see two videos side by side. These videos were created in geographic locations that are about as far apart as you can get and still be on Earth. As far as I can tell, neither creative team knew [...]

Nuclear fission qualifies as “ultra low carbon” power; natural gas does not

Rod Adams · May 6, 2012 · 19 Comments

In the power system marketing wars, both nuclear fission and natural gas are currently labeled as “low carbon” sources of electricity. Even though nuclear fission reactors can be clean enough to run inside sealed submarines, the forces who oppose nuclear energy insist that there is enough CO2 produced in the fuel cycle and in the [...]