Archive for category Nuclear Power

The Cost of Transition from Nuclear Power to Renewables in Germany

Posted by Mila Luleva in Nuclear Power on October 10, 2012

Switching from nuclear power to renewables has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now in German media. The main concern is that this transition might not be possible without having to dig into the power storage reserves or rely on coal use. A study conducted in Germany by the Association for Electrical, [...]

World’s Most Powerful Nuclear Fusion Laser Array Misses the Mark

Posted by Benji Jerew in Nuclear Power on October 3, 2012

The National Ignition Facility [NIF] in California, US, is the world’s leading nuclear fusion research lab. Fusion is the stuff stars are made of, literally. Heat energy in the billions of degrees, and pressure in the billions of atmospheres, forces hydrogen atoms to fuse, releasing energy and helium, as well as sustaining further reaction. Recreating [...]

Fukushima disaster still determines the world’s nuclear energy growth

Posted by Mila Luleva in Nuclear Power on September 27, 2012

A year and a half after the major nuclear accident on 11th of March 2011 in Fukushima, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released their predictions for the future world nuclear power generating capacity. In comparison with last year’s projections, the reported numbers are between eight and sixteen percent lower that the estimates made before [...]

UK Report Finds Benefits of Thorium Fission “Overstated”

Posted by Benji Jerew in Nuclear Power on September 16, 2012

Proponents of thorium as a nuclear fuel speak of its safety and cost savings over uranium, but a new government report from the UK finds these statements overly exaggerated. Supposedly, thorium waste is impossible to use as a bomb component, isn’t toxic, and is more efficient. “Thorium has theoretical advantages regarding sustainability, reducing radiotoxicity and [...]

DOE Studying How to Better Extract Uranium from Seawater

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Nuclear Power on August 22, 2012

Although the Earth’s oceans only contain uranium in trace amounts (3 parts per billion), if someone put their mind to it and gathered all of the oceanic uranium, 4.5 billion tons would get harvested, enough to fuel our civilization’s energy needs for the next 6,500 years. This is not news, however. Japan tinkered with oceanic [...]

Fukushima Butterflies Genetically Affected by March 11 Accident

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Nuclear Power on August 14, 2012

Last year’s Fukushima March 11 event taught us one of the most important lessons ever: there’s no toying with tsunamis or nuclear power – they’re too powerful to be contained and controlled. Now, the butterflies from Fukushima, exposed to the harmful radiation, teach us something even more terrifying: they suffered genetic mutations and fears are [...]

Argonne Scientists Developing New Nuclear Recycling Techniques

Posted by Maria Reyes in Nuclear Power on June 29, 2012

Nuclear energy is the most viable option for the looming energy crisis. It is carbon-free energy since it does not produce carbon dioxide that can cause global warming. However, limitations in the current technology only allow us to use 5% of the uranium rods that are used as nuclear fuel to generate usable energy. That [...]

The Necessary Evil: Japan to Restart Two Nuclear Reactors in Fukui Prefecture

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Nuclear Power on June 19, 2012

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda approved the restart of reactors 3 and 4 at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, owned by Kansai Electric Power Company. This is the first plant to come online after the total shutdown from last month, which left Japan with zero nuclear contribution to the power grid. The [...]

Australia to Become Recipient for Newest Nuclear Technology Soon, Adelaide Scientist Says

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Nuclear Power on June 5, 2012

While Germany, Switzerland and other European countries, along with Japan, of course, want to stop relying on nuclear power, Australia is likely to become world’s most advanced nuclear technology owner, says Professor Barry Brook, a University of Adelaide scientist. Brook lead the Environment Institute, and thinks that Australia will be the first country to adopt [...]

Researchers Urging Decision Makers for Agreement on Plutonium Waste Disposal

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Nuclear Power on May 10, 2012

A new research on the actions to be done about nuclear waste has been recently published in the science journal Nature. Their conclusions have been that the wastes should be disposed of safely and securely, so that they are unreachable by third parties who could build nuclear weapons. Worldwide, about 500 metric tons of plutonium [...]

Scientists Theorize One of the Problems Facing Nuclear Fusion

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Nuclear Power on May 7, 2012

Fusion reactors are thought to be the mothers of all power plants. They’ll emit no gases, eat up no polluting resources and provide all of the energy humanity needs for heading towards self-destr… evolution. However, science didn’t allow us thus far to produce more energy than we consume in a nuclear fusion process, but a new [...]

New Nuclear Waste Recycling Technology Discovered by Notre Dame Researchers

Posted by Mike Sandru in Nuclear Power on March 23, 2012

Maybe the folks at Fukushima should hear about this, or more precisely those handling the recovery process, which is far from over: as the latest discovery in the field, the Notre Dame Thorium Borate-1 (NDTB-1) is apparently just what you need to clean up a radioactive mess. Although the current trend is all for clean [...]

New Butterfly-Shaped Uranium Molecule Helps Cleaning Nuclear Waste

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Nuclear Power on March 12, 2012

A new uranium molecule developed by scientists from the University of Edinburgh can literally clean the waste that nuclear power plants leave behind. The researchers found out that the molecule may be involved in forming clusters of radioactive material in waste that are difficult to separate during the cleanup process. The new discovery could lead [...]

The First Floating Wind Farm to Replace Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Posted by Mike Sandru in Nuclear Power, Wind Power on March 9, 2012

The Fukushima disaster in the spring of 2011 was first of all an environmental disaster for Japan. But like the Phoenix bird that is reborn from its own ashes, the site could become the home of world’s first offshore, floating wind farm. The government intends to install two 7-megawatt turbines and another 2-megawatt turbine off [...]

U.S. Nuclear Power Not Dead: Two New Plants to be Built in Georgia

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Nuclear Power on February 20, 2012

Green light for the construction of nuclear reactors in Georgia. On February 9th, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a licence for Southern Company, an energy utility, for the building of two nuclear reactors at Vogtle, Georgia. In the past 34 years no such licence has been granted and no new reactors have been built [...]