Nuclear | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability

The Nuclear Power Resurgence: How Safe Are the New Reactors?

By Yale Environment 360 on July 12, 2010 2 Comments and Russia, Asia, boiling water reactor, China, Climate Change, Edwin Lyman, electricity, emergency cooling water, environmentalists, Finland, France, gravity, Gregory B. Jaczko, India, Kerry-Lieberman climate billSusquehanna, Marvin Fertel, NRC, nuclear, nuclear advocates, Nuclear Energy Institute, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Pennsylvania, pressurized water reactor, reactor core, reactors, River of Dreams, Russ Bell, South Korea, superheated water, Susan Q. Stranahan, thermal energy, Three Mile Island, Union of Concerned Scientists, Westinghouse, Yale Environment 360

As utilities seek to build new nuclear power plants in the U.S. and around the world, the latest generation of reactors feature improvements over older technologies. But even as attention focuses on nuclear as an alternative to fossil fuels, questions remain about whether the newer reactors are sufficiently foolproof to be adopted on a large scale.

Leading the Charge to Make Solar as Cheap as Conventional Electricity

By Chris de Morsella on June 25, 2010 3 Comments battery systems, China, coal, cost per watt, electric generating plant, energy systems, First Solar, fossil fuel, grid connectivity, grid electricity, grid parity, installation costs, inverters, mining, MIT Review, module assembly manufacturing, Moore’s law, nuclear, photovoltaic, PV market, silicon, solar cells, solar energy, solar power, solar PV, Suntech, supply chain, thermo electric energy, Zhengrong Shi

Suntech CEO, Zhengrong Shi, a prime mover in helping to turn China into a global force in photovoltaic technology, has been a major influence in bringing China’s solar PV cost structure down and making China a powerhouse in photovoltaic technology–and became a billionaire in the process. Shi’s ambition is to make solar power as cheap as conventional electricity.

CO2 Capture and Storage Gains a Growing Foothold

By Yale Environment 360 on March 11, 2010 1 Comment abandoned gas wells, abandoned oil wells, acid rain, Alstom, American Electric Power, amine scrubbers, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, Australia, Barendrecht, Beijing, capture and sequestration, carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide, CCS, China, clean coal, Climate Change, CO2, coal, coal fired power plants, coal-burning, coal-fired electricity generation, David Biello, Department of Energy, depleted natural gas field, Duke Energy, Edwardsport, emissions, Erora Group, France, Futuregen, gasification group, General Electric, geologic formation, Germany, greenhouse gas, Henderson County, Huaneng Group, IGCC plant, IGCC technology, International Energy Agency, Jurancon, Ky, Lacq, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Mattoon, Mobile, Monte Atwell, Netherlands, New Mexico, nitrogen oxides, nuclear, Obama administration, Oklahoma, Peabody Energy, Philip Sporn Plant, Philippe Paelinck, Racine, Rajesh Pawar, Schwarze Pumpe, Scientific American, Scott Hill, Southern Company, Sporn, sulfur dioxide, Taylorsville, Tenaska, U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, waste gas, West Virginia, Yale Environment 360

The drive to extract and store CO2 from coal-fired power plants is gaining momentum, with the Obama administration backing the technology and the world’s first capture and sequestration project now operating in the U.S. Two questions loom: Will carbon capture and storage be affordable? And will it be safe? by David Biello, Editor of Scientific […]

Fracking Geothermal

By Chris de Morsella on October 5, 2009 1 Comment Apex Petroleum Engineering Inc., atmospheric vortex engine, AVE, base-load electric power, base-load generating capacity, coal, Colorado, Department of Energy, DOE, dry cooling, Englewood, Fracking, Geothermal, heat mining, hot dry rock geothermal, hydraulic fracture, Idaho, Joe Moore, John McLennan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, microseismic activity, MIT, nuclear, oil & gas industry, Raft River power plant, renewable energy, solar;, thermoelectric, U.S. Geothermal Inc., University of Utah, wet cooling, wind

Seriously folks you read it right… fracking (an actual technical term for hydraulic fracturing) hot dry rock reservoirs has the potential to open up vast hot dry rock “heat” reservoirs for use as a reliable geothermal energy source. According to a 400 page MIT study The Future of Geothermal Energy sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) and published in 2007 the economically recoverable potential for “Heat Mining” in the US could grow to a cumulative installed generating capacity of 100GW in less than fifty years.

5 Million Jobs and 5 Billion Tons in CO2 Reductions Can Be Achieved By 2020 Says Gigaton Throwdown

By Tracey de Morsella on July 10, 2009 2 Comments biofuel, building efficiency, building regulation, capital investment, carbon dioxide, clean energy, clean energy jobs, climate policy, climate protection, CO2 emissions, construction materials, Dan Kammen, Drexel University, efficiency standards, electrical grid, energy policy, energy security, fuel standards, Geothermal, Gigaton Throwdown, greenhouse gas emissions, industries, laboratory-to-industry partnerships, MIT, nuclear, policymakers, private capital, solar;, Stanford, UC Berkeley, University of California-Berkeley green businesses, University of Michigan, utility regulation, venture capitalists, wind

In a presentation before national policymakers and analysts recently, leading clean energy venture capitalists, academics and CEOs unveiled the “Gigaton Throwdown,” an assessment of the nation’s clean energy potential that identifies seven industries capable of creating 5 million clean energy jobs and reducing CO2 emissions by 5-7 gigatons by 2020. The report, a collaborative effort between leading researchers at UC Berkeley, MIT, University of Michigan, Stanford, and Drexel University, and clean tech leaders, challenges Washington policymakers to remove obstacles that keep billions of capital investment dollars sitting on the sidelines.

Internship Spotlight: Department of Energy Corporate-Federal Career Intern Program

By Tracey de Morsella on June 8, 2009 1 Comment accounting, Albuquerque, Bachelors, biology, budget analysis, business administration, business management, chemistry, civil, computer engineering, computer science, contract managers, contracts, corporate training, D.C., Doctoral degree, DOE Career Intern Program, DOE Online Learning Center, economics, electrical, engineering, engineers, federal government, finance, information systems, information technology, internship, law, marketing, Masters, math, mechanical, National Nuclear Security Administration, NM, nuclear, Office of Environmental Management. Executive Order 13162, operations management, physical sciences, President Management Agenda, procurement, public administration, rotational assignments, scientific, scientist, security, social Sciences, statistics, technical, US Department of Energy Career Intern Program, veterans, Washington

US Department of Energy Career Intern Program is a 2-year career-entry and development program aimed at hiring entry-level employees into scientific, technical and business occupations in GS 5-9 grade levels within the Department of Energy. Participants receive: a comprehensive individual development plan with features acquiring job-related certifications, formal classroom and online training, and mentorship by renowned government leaders; rotational job assignments with opportunities to travel across the United States and possibly internationally; possible $5,000 to $7,000 Recruitment Signing Bonuses and up to $10,000 per year for student loan repayment; accelerated promotions and the opportunity to advance quickly within the organization and a comprehensive federal benefits package.