Gold Standard, or Gold-Plated Handcuffs?
Why NRC must combine regulation with innovation.
The NRC today has come to serve not just as policeman, but also judge and jury.
China
The Fortnightly 40 Best Energy Companies
A reshuffling of the rankings. Is nuclear the cause?
Of the top ten movers in this year’s Fortnightly 40, seven utilities rose in the rankings and three went down. But the utilities moving the most from 2013 to 2014 went down hard.
Can U.S. Shale Gas Producers Find Fortune Overseas?
Not now but down the road, it is possible.
European Perspective: While U.S.-based shale gas developers are having luck domestically, they are stymied overseas, for now. For how long?
Shale Gas Showering Economy
The U.S. steel and chemical industries are among those benefiting from natural gas production.
The shale gas boom isn’t just for drillers and power generators. It’s also for manufacturers and chemical makers, which now have access to an inexpensive and abundant fuel to use as both power and a feedstock.
NRC Approves Safety Report for Westinghouse Small Modular Nuclear Reactor
Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2015-03-25 14:23The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved Westinghouse Electric’s testing approach for the Westinghouse small modular reactor (SMR) design. The NRC told Westinghouse that it has granted a safety evaluation report (SER) for the licensing topical report that the company submitted in April 2012 for agency review and approval. The Westinghouse SMR is a 225-MW integral pressurized water reactor with all primary components located inside of the reactor vessel.
The Case for Smart Grid
Funding a new infrastructure in an age of uncertainty.
The world’s electricity supply will need to triple by 2050 to keep up with demand. What follows is a look at where we are, and what may lie ahead, with a focus on the the scope of the problem, regulatory reform initiatives now underway, and how to go about rethinking the business models that might evolve.
The Reselling of Coal
Its future rests with new technologies – not outdated PR.
If advanced coal generation is to reach fruition, then the coal sector will need a federal partner – one that it cannot afford to continue alienating.
Microgrids: Friend or Foe for Utilities?
For many, it’s the next logical step for smart grid technology.
A small, but growing, number of utilities are embracing these technologies. Microgrids offer a networking platform that the utility can both aggregate and optimize.
Digest (January 2015)
FERC approved the proposed merger of Exelon and Pepco Holdings; SunEdison and TerraForm Power agreed to acquire First Wind for $2.4 billion; NorthWestern Energy closed on its $900 million purchase of facilities from PPL Montana; Siemens Energy Management partnered with Microsoft and FuelCell Energy to develop the nation's first zero-carbon, waste-to-energy data center; ABB commissioned a power solution that will control power flow and enhance grid stability in Michigan; AES Southland was awarded a 20-year PPA by Southern California Edison to provide 100 MW of interconnected battery-based energy storage; Renewable Energy Systems Americas developed what will be the largest, fully commercial energy storage projects in North America; Westinghouse Electric, China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corp., and Electricity Generation Co. agreed to develop and construct a four-unit nuclear power plant site in the Republic of Turkey. And others ...
Cutting Carbon Reveals Sharp Differences Between Rich and Poor
Submitted by meacott on Thu, 2014-12-18 05:46If climate talks are to succeed, the winning formula is well known: Cut coal use and give the developing world more resources to build out alternative energy portfolios. With easy access to coal, though, that is a lot more difficult than it sounds.
If climate change stands atop your priorities, then the recently ended confab in Lima, Peru, registered only modestly on your radar. For true believers, the best spin is that talks are going forward - and that all parties got at least some of what they are seeking for the November 2015 UN climate summit in Paris.