America at the end of 2011

We disagree on many things…that’s great…it’s the human condition. We can argue, poke fingers, call names, threaten, joke, teach, learn…all those wonderful experiences that make up our lives. This is the greatest piece of America…the freedom to do this…and whether we agree or not on an issue, whether we condone civil disobedience, whatever…the value is in our “true” democracy…to hear as much as possible, to think clearly, and to individually make our choices and decisions based on OUR understanding and beliefs.

This separates us from all those countries and societies where this freedom is squashed. I fear that there are forces in this country that are taking us in the wrong direction from what I believe America is all about.

Just one example is well stated in the internet posting below…the message being…it doesn’t matter what YOU believe about climate change. The big $$$s, Faux News, Kock brothers, Grover Norquist, and others have teamed up in a concerted effort to circumvent the whole “democratic” process…discussion and debate! No longer can individual Republican leaders make their own decisions…they HAVE stick to the “party” line, whether it is climate change, raising taxes, gay rights…or face enormous economic/political pressure in their re-election.

You can’t buy morality!

“What happened to the Republican consensus on climate change? Three years ago, prominent Republicans including Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), Tim Pawlenty, and Sarah Palin all expressed belief in human-caused climate change. Several even voiced strong support for policies to cap and reduce carbon pollution. Today, all six of these leaders have joined the rest of the Republican Party in a sudden and near-unified retreat to silence or denial.

It’s not the science that has changed — it’s only gotten stronger. What has changed, according to the National Journal, are the types and relative strengths of pressures on GOP lawmakers”.

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/12/08/383676/koch-americans-for-prosperity-bullying-gop-climate-denial/

Response to My Friend on Subsidies

Your article on wind energy in the Netherlands was interesting. I scanned it, and accidentally deleted it, and can’t seem to find it again via my searches., but as I recall, it shows the complexity of the technology…economics, resource availability, grid integration, environmental impact, etc…all things that have to be/will be sorted out in the future. The same is true of the complexity of nuclear power…construction costs, safe operation, decommissioning, waste storage, contaminated support infrastructure, etc. Right now the high subsidies are what has been in place for years…that can/will change. What is the true cost of any energy resource…oil depletion allowance, federal land leases, gas subsidies, solar subsidies…they all have required/will continue to require some government support…even the hugely profitable oil industry.

The point I’ve been making for many years is that Renewables, with all their unique aspects and problems, are consistently coming down in price. Wow! That should be startling news to any fiscal conservative. Oil was $30/bbl ten years ago, and now it has stayed around $90. Nuclear construction costs were $3-4 million/MW, and now around $8 million. Solar was $5/w and now around $1. Wind is experiencing the same Moore’s Law effect…the more we build, the more we learn how to make the technology better and cheaper. (Computers, cell phones, TVs, iPads, etc)

So it is a shame that we can’t compete in the technology that we invented. I blame that on the poor (deliberate) POLICY this country has thrown at the whole renewable energy industry for the past 30 years.

Fortunately, the rest of the world (China) will lead and benefit, as we soon add imported solar dollars to our imported oil outlay.

Pretty amazing when your product can’t compete with new and better technology.

http://news.yahoo.com/ldk-solar-reports-3q-loss-solar-prices-decline-162048454.html

This is true for the wind industry as well.

http://bnef.com/PressReleases/view/172

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/23/us-energy-iea-renewables-idUSTRE7AM0OV20111123

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/22/374779/solar-asia-booms-china-installs-surpass-america/

Your concern about tariffs and subsidies…ie. taxes…what about this:

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=227898

And remember, when we discuss the true (real) price of energy, we need to consider all the components.

http://www.offshorewind.biz/2011/11/23/the-netherlands-positive-ecological-impact-of-offshore-wind-turbines/

the transition is not going to be easy, and will take many years of hits and misses. It would be a whole lot easier if common sense were to prevail, rather than the greedy power plays that the energy industries have thrown in the way of development.

2016 seems to be a landmark year…I will get my steak dinner because there will be no new nuclear generation in the US, and that industry will be on its last leg because of economics.

Thoughts on a Tuesday Morning

As the debate as to whether human induced fossil carbon is responsible for global climate change goes on and on, here are just a few current observations. Again, I question “What IF the current climate change is human induced, and could be/could have been moderated, but is/was not because of ignorance, greed, and manipulation of facts by both sides.” The financial, environmental, and physical impacts for future generations will be greatly determined by our actions and inactions.

Some “information” from one side. (Go to Fox News for the opposing views)

We are spending a lot of money on extreme weather related events; not only here, but throughout the world. Will this get worse?

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/07/363487/a-new-record-14-us-billion-dollar-weather-disasters-in-2011/

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/02/MNFR1LP1JE.DTL

Can we do anything about this? YES! However, it would require a major shift in political and economic power…it’s all tied in to the “Occupy“ movement, and a break from the stranglehold some of the 1%ers have on American and global politics.

One of my “heros” is Amory Louvins, a man the “right” has always hated because he is/has been so right! “His Rocky Mountain Institute just released it’s latest book, Reinventing Fire, which provides a “grand synthesis” of decades-long research on how to create a profitable transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to an efficient, clean energy economy by 2050 that is 150% bigger than today — with no major technological breakthroughs and no major act of Congress.” Pretty grand scheme…even if we achieved one-third of that goal…..

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/08/355022/podcast-amory-lovins-reinventing-fire/

I spent the last 40 years of my life actively reading, teaching, and ultimately believing that the alternative sustainable economy is not only possible, but also inevitable. It is all based on politics, and determined by who controls the political process. The “Solyndra” scandal is a classic example of what is going on. “Solyndra’s failure was actually caused by technological success: the price of solar panels is dropping fast, and Solyndra couldn’t keep up with the competition.” Yet, this is seen as an indictment on all solar power.

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/07/362705/krugman-solar-power/

I am encouraged that times are changing at a very dramatic pace.

For more info from the other side, tune into the Kock brothers, Exxon, et.al., via Fox News, Rush, Glenn, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann. and all the other fine upstanding intelligent “leaders” in the political debate.

Meanwhile, Krugman sums it up nicely, as I see it…”Let’s face it: a large part of our political class, including essentially the entire G.O.P., is deeply invested in an energy sector dominated by fossil fuels, and actively hostile to alternatives. This political class will do everything it can to ensure subsidies for the extraction and use of fossil fuels, directly with taxpayers’ money and indirectly by letting the industry off the hook for environmental costs, while ridiculing technologies like solar. So what you need to know is that nothing you hear from these people is true. Fracking is not a dream come true; solar is now cost-effective. Here comes the sun, if we’re willing to let it in.”

Thoughts in early

A Digital Future

Some interesting things going on...

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/cutting-edge-green-building-technologies.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/02/BUA41LP7D0.DTL

Technology and human inventiveness doesn't sit still. It sure helps if there is "encouragement" in whatever form to push it along.

This is the crux of where we are today...as stated in the video, we are at the beginning of the shift from analogue to digital...in everything. "We're going from Ipads to Ihouses!"

The "old guard" is resisting the transition for fear of losing control, power, money, ideology. We have the wealth to push the change, but lack the political leadership to do so. There is no real technological "old guard" in China, hence they are moving ahead.

We're pre-occupied with the Solyndra bankruptcy...maybe it was the same executives who ran General Motors a few years ago....

"Occupy the world!" It is going to be a very interesting next 12 months... for the US and the rest of the world...after all, the world is flat!

An encouraging site:

http://future360.tv/

Beautiful warm sunny day here in Humboldt County...thank God for that global warming.

America at the Crossroads

What kind of America do you want? One extreme is a country with little government, more freedom for individuals (now including corporations), and little regulation and control over economic, environmental, health, and social issues.

The other extreme is more government meddling into everything that is for the "good" of society as a whole.

Who do you want butting into your life? Either way, someone is going to have a say.

Interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWcqxrQgcc&sns=fb

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/10/29/356067/the-1-has-a-stranglehold-on-politics-new-al-jazeera-documentary-sheds-light-on-the-koch-brothers/

The Dragon is Coming

It’s just inevitable…another chink in the greatness of America, leading us down the road to being a third world country.

http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1376-LSLQCV0YHQ0X01-3V6EHKITVV3V3OMIAQ4KI0OVOL

Invest $15 billion in the wind industry? Hell no! They are probably bigger crooks than all those in the solar industry. Push GE to really get serious with their wind…oh no…Imelt is an Obama supporter…can’t do that! It would make the President look good.

So, we’ve wasted three precious years, and will waste even more while we sit around like babies in the sandbox throwing words, accusations, lies, etc. at each other, arguing over just how big a tax break the super rich should get, so they can eventually have enough money to eventually invest in American jobs and technology.

Obama is definitely to blame…he has not stood up to his promises and convictions. The Republicans are to blame for paralyzing this nation’s political mechanism from moving forward. The American people are to blame…the 1%ers for being greedy, and the other 99% for being ignorant and duped and stupid.

This Week's Thoughts

All the Solyndra hype has escalated the 1%ers continued misleading and lying to the American public that solar and other renewables can’t give us affordable, clean energy and jobs. I (we) have been arguing against this mistruth for a long time now, and the answer has always been (as Bush so boldly said) “it would destroy our economy.” Go figure!

Here is the technology that we invented and sold (gave) away to the rest of the world. They would have us believe that we can’t do it, afford to do it, or now even want to do it.

http://www.solarbuzz.com/our-research/recent-findings/china%E2%80%99s-feed-tariff-policy-stimulates-14-gw-photovoltaic-project-pipeli

14GW…equivalent to 14 nukes…we are still struggling (6 years later) to get approval and federal loan guarantees to build ONE. Go figure!

On the nuclear front, we will continue to see more and more costs exposed from the “big lie” that nuclear electricity is cheap. Here, the stranded costs (the costs subsidized because deregulated electricity came in cheaper than nuke electricity) are starting to be addressed.

http://www.chron.com/business/steffy/article/Paying-for-the-ongoing-mistakes-of-electric-2197679.php

Good thing we have the best and brightest in the nuclear industry…just like PG&E’s Diablo Canyon.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/cleaning-up-a-diy-repair-on-crystal-river-nuclear-plant-could-cost-25/1195782

A serious accident can’t happen in the US……

http://www.abc3340.com/story/15651235/4-generator-failures-hit-us-nuclear-plants

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1371687&srvc=news&position=recent

http://enenews.com/michigan-nuke-plant-releasing-radioactive-steam-environment-after-unplanned-shutdown

These 100+ plants are approaching 30 years and the realistic end of their lives. License extension? Squeeze a few more rate-payer dollars out of them? You bet!

The rains begin...

Seems the Republican Party is the party of denial…climate change, personal rights, equity and fairness for the people, and most importantly, the ability of America, as a leader in the industrial world, to lead. It would cost too much….destroy our economy….blah, blah….

Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), who chairs an energy and commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations, originally supported the renewable loan guarantee program when Congress created it…. “We can’t compete with China to make solar panels and wind turbines,” Stearns says.

Seriously. We invented the modern solar cell, but after that, the Republicans say, Americans can’t compete. Ten years from now we will be moaning and groaning about importing “solar and wind energy” from China, like we moan and groan about importing oil from the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Germany is moving ahead with an eventual phase out of nuclear, and a concerted push for renewables.

“The great advantage we have in Germany at the moment is we really have the broad consensus in society that corresponds to the size of the task we face,” said Ulrich Luscher, who represents the CDU, the conservative party, on energy issues. “I definitely agree … that we have enormous possibilities for the economy in that [clean energy] sector.”

“We don’t have the situation like you have in the U.S., where you have this Koch brothers,” Untersteller said, referring to the billionaire heirs of Koch Industries.

Here are some quotes today from the “leadership” in the Republican Party on the Wall Street Protests:

CAIN: “I don’t have facts to back this up, but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration. Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!

TRUMP: “Nobody knows why they’re protesting, but they’re having a good time,” he insisted.

ROMNEY: “I think it’s dangerous — this class warfare,” Mr. Romney said.

It’s all so stupid…but the 1%ers want us to remain stupid. This is just the tip of the iceberg…just like Egypt, Libya, Syria….the social movement is just starting here. It is going to be interesting at the Republican Convention this summer. Remember 1968? Power to the People!

What's going on around Labor Day

The most interesting bit of news this last week was about the dry casks storing spent fuel in Virginia moving 1-4 inches due to the earthquake. Wow! Here at Humboldt Bay, our casks are in a concrete vault below grade…sort of like the cup holder in your car…they won’t go anywhere. Time for some re-engineering on the east coast.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/news/2011/aug/31/8/earthquake-caused-massive-nuclear-storage-casks-to-ar-1277791/

http://www.kypost.com/dpps/news/national/quake-risk-to-reactors-greater-than-thought_6698206

And here I thought we knew it all.

No new taxes!

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/progress-energy-customers-are-helping-to-pay-for-a-nuclear-plant-they/1189391

In 1975, the US attempted to reprocess nuclear fuel. The facility in West Valley, NY operated for a couple of years before it was shut down. The site has been under “cleanup” for 30 years, has cost several billions of dollars so far, and no end in site. Add this to the price tag of “low-cost” nuclear energy.

http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/590302/Offers-Made-To-West-Valley-Employees-By-New-Contractor.html?nav=5057

Meanwhile, in the northwest, we’re spending millions just moving dirt around…I guess it’s jobs…

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/08/22/1611020/140-acre-waste-site-cleaned-up.html

Things aren’t any better in Japan, in spite of what the company officials are saying.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110828p2a00m0na002000c.html

Complete PR bullshit:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/09/05/japan.nuclear.interview/index.html?eref=rss_latest&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+Most+Recent%29

Eat your vegetables….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxCeC0MZaZw&feature=share

This one hits close to home, because PG&E wants to send its B and C wastes to the Texas dump…there’s no place else that will accept it. Maybe Mongolia?

http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-perry-sought-sideline-nuclear-waste-critic-185732477.html

Hold on to your wallet…we’re about to see the best democracy that money can buy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44402386/ns/politics-decision_2012/#.TmZHDmqIhQh

Perry said “I’ll tell you one thing: The EPA officials we have an opportunity to put in place, they’re going to be pro-business, and there’s not going to be any apologies to anybody about it,” he said. “Those agencies won’t know what hit ‘em.”

I thought that solar was the only business that couldn’t survive in the US because of foreign competition, despite millions and millions of dollars in government subsidies.

http://news.yahoo.com/toshiba-talks-buy-westinghouse-stake-report-000351581.html

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/09/01/310408/gop-solyndra-bankruptcy/#more-310408

http://www.solarbuzz.com/industry-news/first-solar-dedicates-250-mw-mesa-factory-site

I believe First Solar is a Chinese owned company.

We will see many ups and downs in the renewable energy sphere, but ultimately, it is the future. Too bad our “country” won’t seriously commit to it.

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2105109/report-china-crank-2015-renewable-target

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/09/01/310065/german-renewable-power-production-record/

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2011-08-29/solar-may-produce-most-of-world-s-power-by-2060-iea-says.html

Finally…we’re 2/3 into this year….whew! Damn those cosmic rays!

http://news.yahoo.com/disasters-us-extreme-exhausting-121226525.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07/18/cern_cosmic_ray_gag/

As that great old gospel song says, “You’d better get down on your knees and pray!”

Where are we going?

I read a very interesting article in The Economist on the extreme weather patterns in the southern US this year.

http://www.economist.com/node/18988878

“Between July 1st 2010 and June 30th 2011 Georgia had 9,358 wildfires—41% above the five-year average—that burned 114,578 acres. Five wildfires in south-east Georgia in late March caused $26.5m in timber losses; add to that the $68.3m in losses caused by the April tornadoes, and it has been a bad year for the timber trade.

It may stay bad for a while. In the Southern Forests Futures Project, the US Forest Service and the Southern Group of State Foresters examined how a changing climate and population pressures could affect Southern forests in the coming decades. It predicted more “major wildfire events” and longer fire seasons in the spring and autumn. Since 1970 the average temperature in the South has increased by two degrees Fahrenheit. Summer precipitation has decreased and the increase in population has put pressure on the region’s water supplies.”

There are several issues that this raises:

1. Is the weather changing? Maybe this is a freak year, and things will revert back next year and on in the future.
2. If we assume the “science” and data indicating changing patterns are correct, how do we prepare/adapt to these future events?
3. Of course, the big question: is this due to man-made global climate change due to fossil fuel burning?
4. What about the money…the economic costs of not doing anything; or the costs of doing something?

The economic impact on timber and water resources in this area of the US is significant today…not only wood production, but all the jobs associated with its industry as I have seen in my own Humboldt County. The impact on water resources, on the agriculture, on industry, on population residential and commercial development, on the creation of new jobs…all hinge on what the weather will be like in the future.

My read of what defines a “fiscal conservative” is one who is very concerned about money…they don’t want to spend any more money than they absolutely have to towards investment in the future. It is all about NOW! Less government, more personal freedoms, let people do their own thing with minimum interference from anyone else.

So how does that work for the realities of today? What do you do to adapt to tomorrow’s future? Do you think about it? Do you worry about it? Do you see our society working towards the good of the society? What if man made global climate change is real? Do we invest money now to minimize it, or does society pay the cost in the future with loss of resources, jobs, industry, etc.

I guess it makes me sad that our politics today is being blind-sided by the fiscal conservatives. Their political debate is not about what is best for society, but what their money can buy in terms of tax cuts, getting rid of environmental and true fiscal regulation, and basically taking away more personal freedoms by creating new “moral” regulations dealing with women’s reproductive rights and citizen’s sexual preferences.

America is truly past its prime, and is descending down to a second-world country…not quite third-world yet…but we are approaching third-world status like Nigeria, Egypt, Sierra Leone…where there is enormous wealth accumulated by the top 1-2%, who control the politics in their favor through corruption and bribery, and the majority of citizens struggle just to survive a “comfortable?” lifestyle. Meanwhile, our infrastructure of roads, bridges, water systems, utilities, transportation, police and fire protection, libraries…our whole education system degrades to something like that in Sub-Saharan Africa.

I am sad…I think of my father-in-law who fought in WWII; who hardly ever ate rice…”I fought a war so we wouldn’t have to eat that stuff!” Today, even in America, there are many people who would love a good bowl of rice to eat…maybe even with a little chicken thrown into the pot.

Fair and Balanced News?

For years, I have long-stated the dangers of the “new” media, such as the “fair and balanced” Fox News, brainwashing the public with opinion, rather than news; and often with downright lies. The Murdoch scandal is beginning to bring all this to the light.

For example, “…by a voice vote, the House just passed a “light bulb ban” amendment to the 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations Act (HR 2354). The amendment, offered by climate denier Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), prohibits spending to enforce the incandescent lighting efficiency standards in the 2007 energy law signed by President George W. Bush.”

Leading the charge to justify the cause with the public is the misinformation, distortions, and lies by the conservative right media, namely Fox News.

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/07/19/272195/murdoch-conservative-media-misled-light-bulb-consumers/

Twenty years ago, one of my homework assignments to my students was a comparison between a 100 watt incandescent light bulb, costing 60 cents, and a “new” compact fluorescent bulb costing $20. For those that could do the math, the savings in dollars and energy (kwh) were almost 8x for 10,000 hours of light. Today, those efficient CF bulbs sell for less than a dollar each. The big issue back then was the initial high cost of the technology…the grumblings were “nobody would buy a $20 bulb, it doesn’t work right, we’ll never figure it out”…on and on…the same issues facing most renewables even today…high up front costs, but low production costs after the initial investment, resulting in much more money saved over time. But fiscal conservatives don’t get this. Their mantra is make the most money you can NOW…an investment with a payback over two years is not good “business.” Historically, technology has a tendency to come down in price as use and demand for the product increases…like computers, cell phones, digital cameras, etc.

This is basic energy efficiency…the cheapest way to make more electricity available for new/other uses, without new generation. It is much cheaper than building a new nuke! However, the real fiscal conservatives are afraid to embrace common sense energy efficiency. It hurts the big fossil fuel industries and their profits.

“For a list of inane pro-pollution GOP amendments the House will vote on see TP Green. Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL) has an amendment “to prohibit websites that teach children about energy efficiency.” We don’t need no education!”

Another misnomer in the lighting bill is that we would all be forced to buy expensive LED lights...not true. Yes, LEDs right now are expensive, due to the fact that they run on DC voltage; but in time these super-efficient bulbs will come down in price. There are many lighting options available to us today that that are cheap, save energy (I guess we should emphasis saving MONEY), and play into the whole debate on electricity generation, CO2, pollution, and on and on.

Who is in charge? Who is responsible? Who is making decisions and “buying” their political and material philosophy?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8647802/Rupert-Murdoch-I-do-not-accept-responsibility-for-wrongdoing-at-News-of-the-World.html

A Few Observations

The records keep coming…heat, cold, snow, rain, drought, floods, fires, food prices…you name it. Quite a year. If this is due to nature…wow, she sure is fighting the infection of “humanity.” If this is due to fossil

CO2,, then we might be able to moderate the highs and lows. When the $$$s become significant, even the “fiscal Republicans” will figure this out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17drought.html?_r=2

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110713/NEWS01/707139880/1003452

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43790899/ns/weather/

http://theenergycollective.com/gulledge/60496/pew-center-scientific-american-team-explain-climate-change-extreme-weather-link

Just a small peek into the “dumbing down” of America:

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/07/18/271874/news-corp-scandal-fox-news-wall-street-journal/

http://thinkprogress.org/media/2011/07/18/271534/while-palin-documentary-flops-fox-touts-packed-theaters/

And finally…too bad this country is “broke.” As Mr. Boner said, “we have a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/07/18/271513/29-companies-more-cash-than-treasury/

July 11 Update

Soon, the Blue Ribbon Panel will release it’s suggestions for dealing with high level nuclear wastes. One of the touted solutions is “reprocessing.” I’ve already addressed the issue stating that it would be a huge economic, technical, and environmental folly. It would not SOLVE the waste issue, but simply move (recycle) the most dangerous parts all around the country; would create 6x more waste volume in the form of liquids, which would have to be solidified (vitrified) and then disposed of in a repository; and would require all new types of reactors, many reprocessing and vitrification plants, an enormous transportation methodology to move this stuff all around the country…all technologically very complex, and most importantly, very, very expensive, committing us and many future generations to this nuclear insanity.

Just a sample of what this would involve…"the vitrification plant being constructed at Hanford to treat the liquid reprocessing wastes is 20 years behind schedule, 55% complete, 80% designed!, and current cost of over $12 billion." Heaven forbid that anyone raise issues about all this…there’s big money being made here!

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-adv-nuclear-whistleblower-20110705,0,6189137.story

"The $12.2 billion Waste Treatment Plant, or vitrification plant, was not designed to treat the entire 56 million gallons of Hanford radioactive and chemical waste stored in underground tanks"…another plant will have to be built! Remember, the plant itself becomes radioactive and has a defined life expectancy and will have to be decommissioned. We’ll have to build another plant to deal with the wastes from the first…then another…and another…!!!!!!!! Great for the nuclear industry!

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/07/10/1561678/delay-proposed-in-work-to-treat.html#ixzz1RoNXGLU4

And here’s the nuclear renaissance in full swing…"Georgia Power officials told state regulators they never would have started to build a new multi-billion-dollar nuclear power plant (which the government is paying $8 billion) if they knew the company might be on the hook for certain potential cost overruns. They are responsible for $6.1 billion of the $14 billion project. Should their costs grow to $7 billion, Georgia Power wouldn’t earn below a 10.25 percent return on its investment from this project. The current rate of return on investment is set at 11.15 percent." Pretty good return in today’s economy…ratepayers and taxpayers paying for this “cheap” electricity, so the CEOs can make their million dollar bonuses.

http://www.ajc.com/business/georgia-power-trashes-regulatory-1002116.html

Things have not improved in Japan. The government is now admitting that it will take decades to deal with the reactors…just to bring them under control and cold shutdown. I doubt if they will ever be fully decommissioned.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/fukushima-cleanup-decades-japan-204043882.html

The full economic and social impacts are yet to be quantified and addressed.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303365804576435023509482808.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

Meanwhile, the transition is slowly moving along. Too bad our illustrious government, s so concerned with fiscal responsibility, job creation, and national security hasn’t pushed for more investment in this direction.

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/07/renewable-power-booms-in-developing-world-as-it-tops-nuclear-in-the-us.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

I always thought that national involved running the government for the “good of the people.” Shouldn’t the priority today be creating jobs, preserving our constitutional freedoms, working for the best interests of the “people?”

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/07/10/264799/mcconnell-admits-defeating-obama-is-gops-%E2%80%98single-most-important%E2%80%99-goal/

Power to the people! Viva la revolucion! Zito America! Spoken like a true Greek!

New Step in Renewables

Finally, we’re starting to get a level playing field for renewables. Here, the Feds are guaranteeing loan payments of around $3m/MW for solar development. These 1300MW total projects will be built and completed by 2015, and since there has not been a history of cost overruns, delays, etc, they will probably come on line and produce electricity; and the loans will most likely be paid back. Not much too it…one component fails…replace it while the rest work. No major threats to security, environment, public health. Creates local jobs.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304450604576417733588446512.html

Compare this to the $3m/MW loan guarantees to build the two 1100MW reactors in Georgia…they are already behind schedule, already over budget, probably won’t be completed before 2018 at the earliest, may or may not run depending on the cost of the electricity they produce, no accounting for the future decommissioning and waste disposal costs, no accounting for the security, safety, and anti-terrorism costs, no accounting for the money Georgia ratepayers are already paying for all this, chances are there will be some default…and a whole lot of other issues. The dollars will play themselves out…renewables will win…it’s just common sense. And here it's a start.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/energy-environment/17nukes.html

A threat to America?

http://www.click2houston.com/news/28401780/detail.html

We know it all?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304887904576395580035481822.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_business

Big business as usual?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jun/30/british-government-plan-play-down-fukushima

It’s the same here, except we condone these actions and bail them out!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/elaborate-ruse-behind-vast-kabul-bank-fraud/2011/06/30/AGL3bmsH_story.html

It’s all about the money!

End of June Update

After being gone for a few weeks, here is take on what is going on at Fukushima, and it doesn’t seem very positive.

It is now confirmed that the fuel melted inside the reactor vessels of Units 1, 2, & 3; and has breached and melted through the thick steel walls. This alone makes this “accident” the most serious technological failure in history. The sea water that is being pumped in to cool the fuel is leaking right back out and flooding the drywell and basement. This water is very radioactive, and prevents anyone getting in there to “seal” the leaks, which will be very difficult to do. The first order is to do something with the 25+million gallons of water that can’t just be released back into the ocean. Areva, from France, has installed a water treatment facility, but it isn’t working. Seems the water is more radioactive than first thought, and it clogged the filters in a very short period of time. Once the system is hopefully up and running, it will clean the water so it can be recycled back into the reactors for cooling, picking up more radioactivity in the process, until the leaks are sealed. This may take years to accomplish. It is estimated that the filters will produce 2-3000 cubic meters of highly radioactive sludge, which must be contained and stored. In the US, sludge was put into tanks at Hanford which eventually leaked and are still being dealt with after years and hundred of millions of dollars. The plan in Japan is to store the sludge in about 2000 canisters which will then be stored someplace until some kind of repository or new technology can deal with them. Pretty expensive! Let the kids deal with it!

It will be years before the three reactors are stabilized, and they probably will never be fully decommissioned. Estimates are $100+ billion…probably more than the net worth of the entire Japanese nuclear industry.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlXd5_F1goJBmZByasNwAiP6EoRA?docId=d223ba8d656345f2972d68b492c83187

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2011/06/24/robot_drone_fail_on_japan_nuke_plant_missions/

It’s all about water:

http://www.businessinsider.com/residents-near-fukushima-are-pissing-radioactive-urine-2011-6

Here in the US, flooding threatens several nukes in the Midwest. Although shut down, Fort Calhoun is now on backup emergency power to keep everything cool and working. Acts of God, acts or terrorism, acts of human stupidity…all our nukes are vulnerable. But for now, everything is fine!

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MISSOURI_RIVER_FLOODING_NUCLEAR_SAFETY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-06-27-09-36-51

Another major issue that will be addressed soon is the relicensing of old power plants. Original licenses were for 40 years, which translates to 30 years of operation, since refueling and maintenance requires long down times. Since most of our plants were built in the 60’s and 70’s, they are rapidly coming due for closure. Since building new ones is very expensive, and decommissioning will cost way more than their original construction, the industry wants to keep running the old ones, since most of them are already paid for; and they generate cheap electricity, since the utilities don’t have to contend with future costs of decommissioning and waste storage, insurance, etc. The NRC has pretty much rubber stamped the relicensing process without any serious reflection on the consequences. All this will be called to question in the near future.

Sort of like running a 1972 Ford Fairlane with 250,000 miles on it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/us-nuclear-regulators-safety-industry_n_880222.html

As for the continuing debate on the storage of High Level Wastes, more politics comes into the mix. This month, the Blue Ribbon Panel appointed by Obama will issue it’s report. Both sides will have a field day…science vs. politics…sort of like the whole climate change issue.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11176/1156265-115-0.stm?cmpid=healthscience.xml

On last quip…a very interesting article on renewables by the military.

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201107/blood-and-oil.aspx

In spite of it’s political PR on building 26 nuclear reactors by 2025, reality and intelligence pervades even the super rich!

http://blogs.forbes.com/williampentland/2011/06/24/solar-heats-up-in-saudi-arabia/

It’s sunny today…supposed to rain tomorrow!

Update on the Humboldt Bay nuke

This is an update you on what is going on with the decommissioning of our local Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power, and the demolition of the two old Fossil Fuel units which have been replaced by our new state-of-the-art engines.

Last year, I reported that the decommissioning estimate had risen from $378.5M to "about" $500M. After pressuring PG&E, I finally got some specific numbers at our Citizen's Advisory Board meeting last night. The decom process is at its half way point. A lot of major pieces of equipment have been removed, but a lot of serious work and a lot of hauling away remains. The cost estimate is now $600M, and the project should be complete by the end of 2015. This cost does include a $40M expenditure to guard and maintain the spent fuel that is in dry cask storage on site from 2015 to 2020. A lot can change in the next 4-9 years. The Trust fund is currently at $305M, and PG&E is collecting $14M/year from its ratepayers. They say that the fund is making money from fixed-income investments (I hope it isn't Bernie Maddoff"s) and at some point within the next 10 years, all this will be paid for.

Just a little mind exercise, to put things in perspective!?

The 62MW Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant was built for $33 million, and operated from 1962 to 1976. An optimistic estimate of 5.5 billion KWH was generated during its 14 year operational life. The current cost to decommission is close to $600 million. That comes out to about 11 cents/KWH for that nuclear electricity…just for decommissioning! Whew! There are about 100 more nuclear plants in the US that will have to be decommissioned, and paid for by future generations. And the high-level waste???$$$$$$??????

On the Fossil side, the demolition cost is somewhere around $75M. That work will be done by the end of August...pretty impressive to see this thing come down.

These are the two old 60MW natural gas boilers, turbines, and generators

Here the units were shrink-wrapped in plastic to create a negative atmosphere inside

for the asbestos removal..this was three months ago

Today. All this will be gone by the end of August

The nuclear unit (#3) is out of sight to the right, and will remain until about 2014

Currently, all this is providing 400 good paying jobs here in Humboldt County! Our "tax" dollars at work!

Weekly Energy Update, June 6th

A nice summary by Paul Gipe, a leader in renewables for many years, posted at:

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/06/06/237150/stunner-new-nuclear-costs-as-much-as-german-solar-power-today-and-up-to-0-34kwh-in-2018/

“Little data exists on the actual cost of new nuclear generation. Rumors persist in Ontario, Canada that the government’s delay in building its promised new reactors was due to “sticker shock” after receiving costly proposals. Whatever the reason for delay, the actual cost of the proposals are being hidden from public view.

The 186-page report, 2010 Comparative Costs of California Central Station Electricity Generation, found that a 1,000 MW Pressurized Water Reactor would generate electricity in 2018 from as little as $0.17/kWh to as much as $0.34/kWh.

The 157 page report by Versicherungsforen Leipzig estimated that the premium necessary to insure a nuclear reactor from accident would cost from €0.14/kWh ($0.20/kWh) to a staggering €2.36/kWh ($3.40/kWh).

Thus, the cost to insure a nuclear reactor — at a minimum — would cost as much as the electricity itself from a nuclear plant built in California in 2018.

Renewable energy, even costly solar photovoltaics, begins to look like a bargain to consumers when realistic costs of new nuclear plants come to light.”

Nothing new to report on Fukushima…they are still struggling to figure things out.

It will take years to wean ourselves off of nuclear power. Meanwhile the debates rage on.

Saudi Arabia announced that they will build 16 new reactors over the next 20 years.

That will never happen. Interesting ploy to support the diversion away from renewables.

Last week, the financial officer for oil development in Saudi Arabia said on CNN:

“BIN TALAL: The stiff position of Saudi Arabia, we want the price to be between $70 and $80. Not only to help the West, but also to help ourselves. We don’t want the West to go and find alternatives, because, clearly, the higher the price oil goes, the more you have incentive to go and find alternatives. So, really, our interest coincides with American interest, to have the price for around $70, $80 which is a price good for consumers and producers.”

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/06/01/Saudi-Arabia-to-build-16-nuclear-reactors/UPI-48881306926260/

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/154170/20110530/saudi-prince-seeks-to-discourage-western-alternatives-to-high-priced-oil.htm

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It’s all about the money…the status quo...the big money controlled by the Kock brothers, etc. No care about the future.

"The Tea Party congress hates the idea that the nation could be weaned off its energy dependence, or fossil fuels. They hate renewable energy because their primary sponsors in the fossil fuel industry want above all to slow progress on that front, and drag the nation back into the 19th century [see the CP post, "David Koch pulls the strings of the Tea Party extremists"].

We’ve seen a number of these over recent months, now the anti-science crusade continues. Lead by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), 9 members of congress have now asked for the closure of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO."

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_18203985

************************************************************************************************

Meanwhile, the floods continue, tornados and hurricanes blow by, drought and wildfires rage, food prices go up, CEOs are getting bigger bonuses, and we’re still worried about gays and abortions.

“…a nuclear waste advisor to the Japanese government reported that about 373 square miles near the Fukushima power station — an area roughly 17 times the size of Manhattan — may now be uninhabitable.”

Thoughts on Veteran's Day

In honor of all the Vets who sacrificed so much for this country, I'm cognizant of all the enemies out there, both internal and external, who continue to threaten the basic values of America. The fight goes on.

Just a short quip....I've been saying and arguing this point for a long time.

"Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ), a Chinese maker of solar panels, rose the most in more than two months after it formed a joint venture with GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Inc. to build a 600-megawatt solar wafer plant.

The plant, which can be expanded to 1.2 gigawatts of annual capacity, will cost $77 million...

Canadian Solar expects the venture to reduce its manufacturing costs starting in the first quarter of 2012..."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-31/canadian-solar-surges-on-wafer-production-joint-venture-in-china.html

The significance of this is that this manufacturing plant will produce 600mw of generating capacity each year for the life-span of its operation...30 years or so (18,000mw!). Compare this to building a single 1200mw nuclear power plant for $10-12 billon, which would take ten years to construct, and then produce enormous future decommissioning and waste costs, and other problems...even a fifth grader can figure that out. The global renewable energy industry is expanding very rapidly, and will do so even more as Germany and Japan get very serious about their energy options. The implementation of solar and other renewables will far out-pace any new nuclear, and will 1) come down in price, 2) create many more good local jobs, 3) create a new economic industrial base, and 4) be environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. The next major push will be in energy storage ( I strongly believe in hydrogen-fuel cells), and energy efficiency to moderate demand. That is the future, and I'm really disappointed in the lack of political leadership (controlled by big money...oil, nukes, banks, etc) to move America forward. Maybe some day people will pay their tribute to the "Vets" like me who are fighting for America's future.

PS It's interesting how the nuclear industry is trying to take on this strategy...build small nukes in a manufacturing plant, and then ship them out for deployment. Too bad that is not going to work!

Nuclear Updates

Monday updates on Fukushima have nothing new to report. The situation remains “very serious” at all three damaged reactors, and it will take months, if not years to achieve some state of stability and control. The main focus now is to try and keep everything cool to avoid reaching criticality. The spent fuel pools at the other two reactor sites appear to be stable, although the collapse of building #4 is of concern.

On the American nuclear front, more bad new for the industry. Aside from the industry line that the 104 reactors operating now are “perfectly safe,” the new generation of plants we would build would be even MORE perfectly safe. The shining new technology is the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor, designed over the last 30 years, and now under review by the NRC. (The French version, the Areva EPI reactor is having it’s problems in its construction in Finland and France…cost overruns, years of delay, etc.) A few years ago, it was back to the drawing for Westinghouse to revamp the containment structure against terrorist attacks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110520/ap_on_re_us/us_nuclear_reactor_3

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/business/energy-environment/21nuke.html?_r=3&sq=Westinghouse%20ap1000&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=all

Now, with Fukushima, the NRC is under pressure to basically do what it is supposed to do…seriously look at and regulate the nuclear industry; and it seems they have found some very serious design flaws in the AP1000, based on faulty compilations in the computer modeling of the plant. Remember, we haven’t actually built and tested one of these new “perfectly safe” reactors…they are just computer models. The folks in Georgia will serve as guinea pigs for this design!

Thirty years of work on the design, and they still can’t get it right. What else have they missed? How much will the re-evaluations cost? Who will pay for that? The ratepayers in Georgia are already paying for their two reactors that aren’t even off the drawing boards! Is the Federal subsidy and loan guarantee going to cover the cost of this failure, or will the industry absorb the cost? Gee…any guesses on that one?

As Donald Rumsfeld once said, our biggest problem is the “unknown unknowns.”

More news leaking out about the future of spent fuel storage. As I have said before, there is no viable solution to this issue. The president’s “Blue Ribbon” panel will release its recommendations in July, but their conclusions are already leaking out.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/7387497.html

Deep geologic disposal is still considered to be the ultimate option, but we just can’t do it now. We don’t have the technology, the thermodynamic and geotech information and knowledge, nor the suitable geographic location to do this. Even though politicians and the industry say we should just stick it in the ground, scientifically we know we can’t just do that. This waste is radioactive, and thus thermodynamically hot for thousands of years! Maybe we will figure it out in the future, but not right now. So, the other two options are (1) to store the wastes in dry casks either on site or at one or two centralized locations; and our present technology should be good for about 100 years. The latest MIT study concurs with this. What will happen after 100 years, nobody knows; and it will be up to future generations to deal with it. Again, we’re talking about 75,000+ tons of this stuff, in thousands and thousands of canisters that will have to be constructed, loaded, transported. Stored and monitored. What cost? What transportation problems? Accidents? Environmental releases? Terrorist attacks? Floods, tornados….human stupidity?

The other option would be reprocessing; but that does nothing to solve the problem. It only exasperates the whole issue; but the industry has a way of trying to simplify issues and keep themselves knee deep in the problem, and play it up as the ONLY solution to the ONLY energy source we have for the future. Besides, we can’t afford reprocessing…period.

So life goes on. The weather is setting records…flooding, tornados, drought, wildfires…hurricane season is coming…I wonder what FEMA is thinking about these days. The insurance companies are starting to get worried. From a global insurance conference last year, “…if pricing of existing products can reflect the underlying risk, then climate change is an opportunity—if not, then it's a threat…” Raise those rates, boys…somebody has to pay!

http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20100418/ISSUE01/304189974

As the World Turns

Science vs big money...with our children's future at stake

http://climateprogress.org/2011/05/12/national-academy-america%E2%80%99s-climate-choices/

I trust the work of our top scientists over the last thirty years over the big money misinformation being put out by Exxon, Koch bros, Fox News, etc.

If you really think the Republicans (and I'll include Democrats, because it is now the super rich vs the average American) are really interested in the future of America...you need to open your eyes and ears. If you think the problem is too much government spending and national debt...think again. We are not out of money...it is just that the super rich have a whole lot of it, and are not making it available to do what we need to do for education, infrastructure and public works, and investing in jobs and the future of America. It's "I've got mine, and I want more while I can get it!"

"Florida State University has accepted a $1.5 million grant from a foundation controlled by petrochemical billionaire Charles Koch on the condition that Koch’s operatives would have a free hand in selecting professors and approving publications." Control what is being taught...no creative free thinking...that's dangerous. This is even happening at our local community college.

"On Wednesday, ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva outraged many on Capitol Hill when he released a statement calling it “un-American” to end subsidies to the Big 5 oil companies — ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips." It's ridiculous to believe that without subsidies the oil industry would just stop developing for the future. I ran a successful business for 30 years...without subsidies, and I worked hard to grow my business! If these guys are as smart as they think they are, they should work and earn their obnoxious salaries. Exxon is using its profits to buy back its own shares...before too long, they will own most of their own company via shell companies, investment funds, a few top execs, etc.

"Microsoft and Skype saved billions of dollars in taxes because Microsoft used its foreign profits to purchase Skype, which also happens to base its corporate headquarters in a major tax haven itself, Luxembourg." If there is a corporate tax problem, let's fix it! Nobody's really saying that.

"Republican nominee Jane Corwin, is also investing heavily in corporations that outsource U.S. jobs and has reaped massive dividends from these holdings." Get the money out while you can!

"One of Forbes 400 richest Americans — with a net worth last estimated at $1.4 billion — McCombs has gotten state Comptroller Susan Combs to agree to build a racing track in Austin at taxpayer expense. Austin’s city government may also invest an additional $4 million a year in tax revenue to facilitate the plan." That's what it's all about. Creating jobs!

Is Congress, or any of the 2012 candidates talking about/dealing with the real problems we face? Look at the debate on increasing revenues? Yes, we have to cut spending. Yes, there is waste and fraud. But saving someone who is making $1million, $10million...whatever 4% off their taxes is NOT going to give them incentive to invest in infrastructure, industry, things that create jobs. It's a no brainer...but the super-rich controlled media is playing this all up in a very skillful way that is brainwashing the public.

What's good for General Motors is no longer good for America! It's a whole new global world, and we need new rules.