A few years ago, Germany was “fully committed” to the EU’s goal of ending fossil fuel use. It was building lots of wind turbines, and even some solar farms despite its often-cloudy skies. After the tsunami, Prime Minister Angela Merckel announced Germany would phase out its nuclear plants quickly, implying more power from renewables.
Dr. Kelvin Kemm, a South African nuclear physicist and CFACT advisor, explains on Kenyan TV that Africans need to greatly increase the availability of affordable electricity and do not need Europeans telling them “No.”
The headlines this week deal with the North Anna nuclear plant in Virginia and the earthquake that struck nearby. Earlier in the summer, it was the Fort Calhoun and Cooper nuclear plants in Nebraska and the encroaching Missouri River floodwaters. Before that it was Japan’s earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear complex.
Here in the “upside down” Southern Hemisphere, we have now passed mid-winter and are heading toward summer. However, the nights will remain rather cold for another month, before we start to really feel the returning warmth of summer.
In light of the nuclear crisis in Japan, should the world abandon nuclear power for safety reasons? Dr. Kelvin Kemm, a nuclear physicist, says no, and here explains why: “The Fukushima nuclear plants are forty years old and use an outdated boiling water reactor design. . .”
The ground hadn’t stopped shaking. Tsunami waters had not receded. And yet coverage of this awful natural disaster – a scene of almost unfathomable devastation and death – was already giving way to single-minded focus on radiation exposure and meltdowns.
Holland has long been known for its tulips, wooden clogs and, of course, windmills. So it’s probably not surprising when the European Union moved to increase its use of renewable energy, Holland was among the first to jump on board the windmill bandwagon.
The earthquake and tsunami in Japan delivered a devastating one-two punch to that island nation and to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. So what does much of the world do? You guessed it. They blamed the designers, builders and operators of the nuclear plant for not doing a good enough job.
CHURCHVILLE, VA—The air over northeastern Japan is slightly radioactive—not at dangerous levels for people, but an indicator that higher levels might come. The newspapers in Japan and here are talking earnestly about failures in pressure vessels and falsified safety reporting, as they should. But now, a slightly hysterical Surgeon General of the United States is [...]
The recent tragic events in Japan have brought the issue of nuclear energy to the forefront of public discussion. While radical environmentalists have exploited the issue to advance anti-nuclear policies, others have tried to defend this important energy source on the grounds of its importance to our economy and standard of living. Missing in the [...]
By Evelyn Mervine This Q&A briefing provides a concise overview of much of what you need to know on the nuclear emergency in Japan. Nuclear engineer Mark Mervine gave this interview to his daughter Evelyn Mervine. It was originally posted on her blog, Skepchick. Mark and Evelyn Mervine are not associated with CFACT. My [...]
The leading energy company Vattenfall and it’s owner has been under attack recently. Einar Du Rietz tries to sort out the mess. One of the largest energy companies in Europe, Swedish state owned Vattenfall has come under heavy media attack recently, and so has the responsible minister for industry, Maud Olofsson. The main reason is [...]