Nuclear Reactor Eaten by Leaky Acid, Again
Photo via Cleveland
Back in 2002, an Ohio nuclear power plant developed a leak that allowed highly pressurized cooling water containing boric acid to seep out. That acid ate away a football-sized hole into the 6-inch steel lid to the nuclear reactor, leaving the reactor’s integrity at grave risk. The cause of the narrowly averted disaster was thought to have been fixed, but the New York Times reports that signs of even more leakage have been showing up again — again stoking fears of poor safety. …Read the full story on TreeHugger
DEC Rules that Indian Point cooling technologies will not meet New York’s water quality standards
photo: SMI direct
Obama last week expanded controversial sources of energy such as drilling along the coastlines, but the nuclear power plant near Westchester, NY may be in its final years of operation. On Friday, New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation denied Entergy, the owners of Indian Point nuclear power plant, a water quality certificate. The denial of the water permit follows on the heels of New York’s utility regulator rejecting Entergy’s …Read the full story on TreeHugger
16 GW of Renewable Energy to be Created in US by Stimulus Bill
16 gigawatts is a lot of power. The average nuclear power plant in operation today provides less than just one gigawatt of power (I believe the average is around 850 MW). Which is why it’s good news that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus bill, is on track to add 16 GW of renewable energy to the US grid. …Read the full story on TreeHugger
The Week in Pictures: Sanaa, Yemen to Run Out of Water, New York Fashion Week, Dzud Killing Mongolian Cattle, and More (Slideshow)
From the news that Sanaa, Yemen may be the world’s first capital to run out of water to the small twin-engine Cessna 310 plane that crashed in Palo Alto, California, killing 3 Tesla Motors employees, a lot happened this week in green. Norway plans to build the world’s largest turbine standing 533 feet tall with a rotor diameter of 475 feet, a UK teen driver tried to kill a cyclist, who turned out to be a police officer, and Obama announced that his administration has approved an $8.3 billion loan guarantee to build the first nuclear power plant in the US. Find out what else happened in the world of green this week i…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Obama Announces Plans for First Nuclear Power Plant in 3 Decades
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US to Build 1st Nuclear Plant Since the 70s
Obama just gave a speech on clean energy after touring a clean jobs training facility in Lanham, MD. In the speech, he made the announcement that his administration has approved an $8.3 billion loan guarantee to build the first nuclear power plant in the US in three decades.
…Read the full story on TreeHugger
25 Percent of U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Are Leaking Radioactive Chemicals
The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, VT, is leaking radioactive tritium. Photo via nrc.gov.
Guest blogger Cara Smusiak is a journalist and regular contributor to NaturallySavvy.com’s Naturally Green section.
UPDATE: This post has been updated from its original version on 2/04/10.
digg_url = ‘http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/25-percent-of-us-nuclear-power-plants-are-leaking…Read the full story on TreeHugger
‘Mutually Assured Construction’ – Multiple Nuclear Power Plant Additions Aligned With Energy Security, Defense, & Now Climate Strategy
South African Nuclear Plant, 2005. Image credit:AFP, Gian Luigi Guercia
There is so much planned nuclear power development in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, these days. In the Middle East, Iran is just the tip of nuclear ‘iceberg’. Arab Emirates, for example, also is planning nuclear power plant construction in the near future.
No…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Nation’s Largest Utility Quits US Chamber of Commerce Over Climate Change Denial – Pushes Price on Carbon
Exelon’s Byron nuclear power plant, photo: Christopher Peterson via flickr.
The flight of utilities from the US Chamber of Commerce due to its climate change denial stance continues: The latest to quit (well, not renew its membership) is Chicago-based Exelon, the nation’s largest gas and electric utility. In …Read the full story on TreeHugger
Should US Commercial Nuclear Power Plants Be Located On Military Bases?
The SM-1 Nuclear Plant was the first US nuclear power plant to be designed as
a training facility for military personnel. It was in operation from 1957 to 1973. Image credit: Fort Belvoir
National Review Online has a short but fascinating post on the pros and cos of the notion to ‘mandate’ that new nuclear power plants be located on US military bases instead of having locations determined based on market demands, and the rules of the NRC, National Environmental Policy Act, and so on.
The reasoning behind this idea to militarize nucle…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Swedish Nuclear Bunker an Efficient Home for Data Center (Video)
Last year we heard about a nuclear power plant in Hanau, Germany being converted into a green data center. It looks like structures from the cold war past are helping out data centers once again, this time in Sweden. Check out the bat-cave-like data center and how the bunker location is helping it to be extra efficient in this video. …Read the full story on TreeHugger