Enlarge / An aerial view of the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant, near Red Wing, Minnesota. (credit: Getty Images) Nuclear plants occupy an odd position in the US’s energy landscape. They’re currently the most expensive form of generation out there, and many of the plants are a decade or more past their planned life span. […]
The war will accelerate energy shifts and could even change the sound of guitar music. Read More
Europe is now facing more than one kind of nuclear threat from Russia. Read More
Enlarge / Vapor rises from the cooling towers of the nuclear plant of Dampierre-en-Burly near Orleans, central Italy, on October 23, 2018. (credit: GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images ) France is planning to build up to 14 nuclear reactors in an attempt to shore up the country’s aging nuclear fleet while also reducing the country’s carbon emissions. […]
Enlarge (credit: iStock) The European Union says it wants to “prevent greenwashing” among investors, but a new proposal may end up encouraging the behavior it wants to banish. The European Commission put forward a plan today that defines what counts as a “sustainable investment, ” something that’s all but required in order to manage a […]
(credit: Felix König ) On the last day of 2021, as final preparations were being made for the New Year’s Eve firework display in central Berlin, outside the particular German capital another era was drawing to a close. It was the beginning of typically the end of Germany’s decades-long dalliance with nuclear power. On December […]
Enlarge / In TerraPower’s design, the nuclear reactor is separated from the power generation process by molten salt heat storage. (credit: TerraPower) On Tuesday, TerraPower, the US-based nuclear power company backed by Bill Gates, announced it has chosen a site for what would be its first reactor. Kemmerer, Wyoming, population roughly 2,500, has been the […]
Enlarge / Cooling water is only one factor that limits the productivity of nuclear power plants. (credit: Getty Images) With extreme weather causing power failures in California and Texas, it’s increasingly clear that the existing power infrastructure isn’t designed for these new conditions. Past research has shown that nuclear power plants are no exception, with […]
Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty Images) Texas is now entering its third day of widespread power outages and, although supplies of electricity are improving, they remain well short of demand. For now, the state’s power authority suggests that, rather than restoring power, grid operators will try to shift from complete blackouts to rolling ones. […]
Enlarge (credit: US EIA) Earlier this week, the US Energy Information Agency (EIA) released figures on the new generating capacity that’s expected to start operating over the course of 2021. While plans can obviously change, the hope is that, with its new additions, the grid will look radically different than it did just five years […]