Tag Archives: nuclear

New Yorker review of Eric Schlosser’s “Command and Control”

Posted on December 23, 2018 by

Preface.  This book has been on my reading list for several years now, but I have to admit I am lazy, lazy – the 656 pages is twice the length of most books.  And it would be hard to write … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear, Nuclear | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Wind, solar, and natural gas are driving nuclear power out of business

Posted on December 20, 2018 by

Preface. I’m no fan of nuclear power because we may already be at peak uranium, there’s nowhere to store nuclear waste, and a spent nuclear pool fire could harm millions of people. But renewable wind and solar and natural gas … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Power, Solar, Wind | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Book review of Vaclav Smil’s “Energy Transitions: History, Requirements, Prospects”

Posted on November 13, 2018 by

Preface.  In my extract of the 178 pages in the book below, Smil explains why renewables can’t possibly replace fossil fuels, and appears to be exasperated that people believe this can be done when he writes “Common expectations of energy … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Energy, Vaclav Smil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Nuclear Regulatory Commission accused of putting millions of lives and trillions of dollars at risk

Posted on August 2, 2017 by

[ Edwin Lyman and his co-authors in Science magazine have accused the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of putting millions of American lives at risk, due to “pressure from the nuclear utilities and a Congress sympathetic to the utilities’ complaints of … Continue reading →

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The electromagnetic pulse EMP Threat: House of Representatives hearing 2005

Posted on March 10, 2017 by

[ Related articles: Russian hackers suspected in attack that blacked out parts of Ukraine How the weapon works (pdf): CRASHOVERRIDE Analyzing the Threat to Electric Grid Operations The EMP Commission estimates a nationwide blackout lasting one year could kill up … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackouts, EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Nuclear spent fuel fire | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Why Nuclear Power is not an alternative to fossil fuels

Posted on January 15, 2017 by

[ Economic reasons are the main hurdle to new nuclear plants now, with capital costs so high it’s almost impossible to get a loan, especially when natural gas is so much cheaper and less risky. But there are other reasons … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Energy, Nuclear Power, Renewable Integration | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Decommissioning a nuclear reactor

Posted on July 23, 2016 by

[ Below are excerpts from the 7 March 2012 NewScientist article: How to dismantle a nuclear reactor about the costs and challenges of dismantling nuclear power plants in Europe. Other decommissioning news: 2017-5-17 Lithuania RBMK plant clean-up cost forecast at … Continue reading →

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The EMP Commission estimates a nationwide blackout lasting one year could kill up to 9 of 10 Americans through starvation, disease, and societal collapse

Posted on June 10, 2016 by

[ Several times Dr. Pry recommends that “States should harden their electric grids against nuclear EMP attack because there is a clear and present danger, protecting against nuclear EMP will mitigate all lesser threats, and both the federal government in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackouts, Congressional Record U.S., Electricity, EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Energy Policy, Extreme Weather, Infrastructure, Nuclear, Nuclear Power | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The EMP Commission estimates a nationwide blackout lasting one year could kill up to 9 of 10 Americans through starvation, disease, and societal collapse

Nuclear winter: World-wide ozone loss from small nuclear war = 1 billion + deaths.

Posted on April 14, 2016 by

[ Carl Sagan first introduced the idea of a “nuclear winter”, which helped to end the cold war.  The smoke from fires started by bombs would absorb so much sun the earth wold grow cold, dry, and dark, killing plants … Continue reading →

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Nuclear waste disposal in boreholes drilled into earth’s crust

Posted on September 30, 2015 by

[I recommending you also read my book review of Too Hot to Touch: The Problem of High-Level Nuclear Waste by William M. Alley & Rosemarie Alley. 2013. Cambridge University Press to understand how serious the problem is.  Alice Friedemann  www.energyskepticlcom … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Waste | Tagged , | 2 Comments