similarity of wind energy and nuclear energy

Written by Zachary Shanan

You often see people claiming that nuclear energy is so cheap — (I always wonder if their figures are based on what nuclear energy projects are projected to cost or the actual cost of such projects, which often ends up beings several times higher). Of course, not even taking the great risk posed by nuclear power plants into account, wind power costs have been dropping in recent years and, …

Are you looking for some inside information on the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy? Here’s an up-to-date report from the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy experts who should know.

The Environmental Protection Agency reflects the environmental performance per unit of energy produced. That is, the relationship of emissions per billion kilowatt-hours. The Environmental Protection Agency is to install diesel particulate filters (DPFs and diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) on the 70 buses owned by its bus contractor. All buses converted from using standard diesel fuel to using ultra low sulphur diesel fuel (ULSD). …

97% of world market supplies of rare earth elements (REEs) come from China and look to become insecure in regard to meeting “green” energy targets, since exports of REEs are scheduled to be retained for Chinese energy projects. REEs are essential raw materials for the fabrication of high-performance magnets in hybrid cars and wind-turbines. Monazite sands contain around 45 – 48 % cerium, 24% lanthanum, 17% neodymium, 5% praseodymium, along with minor quantities of samarium, gadolinium and yttrium. Europium concentrations tend to be low, in the region of 0.05%, and very low concentrations of the …

… new details about GE’s disaster relief efforts following a visit to Japan by GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt.

Update: March 18, 2011: Read “Setting the Record Straight on Mark I Containment” about the performance of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant.

Update: March 17, 2011: We’ve added new details regarding our disaster relief efforts in Japan.

Update: March 16, 2011. Click here to read about the Mark I containment units used at the reactors.

Update: March 15, 2011: GE’s thoughts and condolences continue to be …

Exelon (EXC) announced this week it was buying John Deere Renewables for as much as $900 million, a purchase that marks the company’s entrance into the wind generation business and suggests its lack of confidence in a nuclear energy renaissance. As the largest U.S. utility owner and the country’s biggest nuclear …

New nuclear power systems have received significant support from President Bush, Congress, and the Department of Energy, largely because such technologies seem to hold two comparative advantages over other technologies: they can produce immense amounts of electricity, and they can do so without significantly contributing to global warming.

Such a narrow comparison between nuclear and fossil fuel systems, however, is both dangerous and counterproductive. It threatens to obscure two sets of more effective supply-side solutions to Americas energy problems: renewable energy systems and …

The Earth appears to have the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide emissions at a level of 3 gigatons per year, although the exact level of tolerance and absorption is uncertain. Today’s emissions total about 9 gigatons, about two-thirds of which is due to fossil fuels. The remainder is the result of biomass burning.

Besides carbon dioxide emissions, fossil fuel mining and technologies for controlling emissions other than carbon dioxide to the air and water contribute to environmental degradation, which is often very severe in its local and regional impacts. Further, fossil fuel use in the present mode presents risks of climate change that are not yet well understood, …

SOLAR BEST BUYS (AND WIND) – CHEAPER THAN NUCLEAR

Submitted by New Energy News Blog

Like any good salesman, a hustler at TheStreet.com promises to provide “all you need to know” to invest in solar. In fact, what’s there is a smattering of undernoticed and overnoticed investment vehicles ranging from First Solar, everybody’s favorite solar energy stock, to a hot new exchange traded fund (ETF) that pulls an interesting bunch of China solar companies into its mix.

…

… know something about what’s going on in Japan at the Fukushima reactors.

I have a BS and MS in Nuclear Engineering and, in a prior life, I worked as a Nuclear Engineer doing reactor physics calculations for some the nuclear power plants in the New England area. The plants I “got close to” were Maine Yankee (MY, Wiscasset ME, Closed), Yankee Rowe (YR, Rowe MA, Closed), and Vermont Yankee (VY Vernon, VT). I also spent a few weeks at VY and MY during one of their refueling outages and was given a great tour of Seabrook Station (Seabrook, NH) before it went on-line. In my present life, I install solar electric and solar hot water systems (

Horizon Wind Energy LLC (“Horizon”) develops, constructs, owns and operates wind farms throughout North America. Based in Houston, Texas with over 20 offices across the United States, Horizon has developed more than 3,300 megawatts (MW) and operates over 2,300 MW of wind farms.

Horizon is owned by EDP Renováveis S.A. (“EDPR”), a global leader in the renewable energy sector that designs, develops, manages and operates power plants that generate electricity using renewable energy sources. With a sound development pipeline, first class assets and market-leading …