The last two days in June 2018 saw the first power generation from two separate first of a kind nuclear plants in China. Taishan 1, a 1650 MWe European … [Read More...] about Nuclear plant output in China poised for rapid increases in 2018-2020
Did the Republican tax reform bill add the last straw that halts large nuclear plant construction in U.S.?
Early this morning, Senate Republicans passed a tax reform package. Despite passing generous, deficit-increasing legislation that includes many provisions that favor corporations and most forms of energy production, it did not include an extension of the operational deadline that must be met to qualify for the nuclear production tax credit. In my analysis, there is […]
Atomic Show #261 – Three advanced nuclear technology developers
Advanced nuclear development projects have made some significant steps during 2017. I met – via Skype – with representatives of three of the projects yesterday. Several more were invited, but were busy doing business even on a Sunday evening. The three who were able to attend were Seth Grae, the CEO of Lightbridge (NASDAQ: LTBR), […]
NERC 10-year grid reliability report contains nuanced warnings that many fail to understand
Greentech Media recently published another article claiming that there is a new report that supports its contention that the NOPR – Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish a Grid Resilience Pricing Rule – Sec. of Energy Perry sent to FERC is misguided. I cannot help but wonder if the author read the report. If he […]
Why are many nuclear advocates turning against large scale wind and solar energy?
On Friday, a well-respected energy industry observer posed an important question on Twitter. Michael Liebreich @MLiebreich Replying to @tder2012 @Daniel_W_See and 4 others Answer. The. Question: Why have you concluded that attacking cheap wind and solar is the best way to help nuclear? Please explain, because from where I sit it’s pretty darn clear: the […]
Synergies between nuclear energy and coal
Some recent converts to nuclear energy advocacy are offended and confused by the fact that nuclear energy and coal have been lumped together in the Department of Energy’s recent effort to return profitable conditions to established power plants that do not depend on favorable weather or just-in-time natural gas fuel delivery. A segment of the […]
Michael Shellenberger explains why he is running for governor of California – Part 3
Editor’s Note: Sometimes stories are best told out of sequence. We’re starting here with part 3 of a timely tale about a strong leader with a moral compass who has decided to enter into a political race out of faith in his country, its system and himself. By Michael Shellenberger When I started Environmental Progress […]
Challenging established paradigms in one of the world’s largest industries
Leslie Dewan and Mark Massie, the co-founders of Transatomic, are striving to make a difference in the world. They want to bring power and light to those who do not have it and they want to show a way to turn “waste” into valuable fuel. In this Fast Company Freethink production, Dewan shares her inspirations […]
Atomic Show #260 – Pro-nuclear voices from COP23 in Bonn. Not a warm welcome
This episode of the Atomic Show is a conversation among five clean energy advocates who attended the COP with the goal of sharing what they know about the ways that nuclear energy can help reduce global emissions while also providing a growing amount of reliable power. With more power, more people will have a pathway […]
Giving thanks for both actinides and hydrocarbons
There is a pervasive myth claiming that energy is difficult to store. The objective fact is that our creator – or nature if you prefer – figured out how to store massive quantities of useable energy at the very beginning. Aside: Refined electricity storage doesn’t appear to be difficult from a consumer’s point of view. Charging small […]
Self-Described Antinuclear, Pro-Renewable Former Vermont Legislator Claims “We were angels, doing God’s work.”
Tony Klein, a former Vermont legislator who played an important role in Vermont energy law creation during the last decade, recently gave a fascinating talk at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Vermont. Fortunately for those of us with a deep interest in energy politics, the talk was competently recorded for posterity […]
Consumers win if electricity production capacity remains high
There are many pundits writing about the U.S. electricity markets today who hope that their readers haven’t studied market behavior and competitive price formation. They want their readers or listeners to accept their narrative and believe that keeping struggling generators in the market will be a costly market intervention resulting in higher customer prices. The […]
Environmental Defense Fund president has a fundamental misunderstanding of gas markets
Fred Krupp, the president of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), published a commentary in the Wall Street Journal titled How Local Utilities Gamed the Natural Gas Market. The article subtitle briefly explains his theory – They booked large orders and then cancelled at the last minute, which pushed electric prices up by 20%. Krupp’s commentary […]
