Atomic Insights

PBMR Update - Green Light Given to Graphite Production at SGL Carbon

Atomic Insights Blog — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:55:00 GMT

I have been publishing Atomic Insights since 1995 and have not yet published a press release article. I am going to break that string today. A few minutes ago, I received the following from Tom Ferreira - PBMR Corporate Communications. It is interesting enough to publish directly without editing: Production of graphite feedstock for the PBMR Demonstration Power Plant on track Production of graphite...(read more)

Freakonomics Discussion on the Delay in Accepting New Technology Like Nuclear Power

Atomic Insights Blog — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:55:00 GMT

Bill Tucker, author of Terrestrial Energy (warning: Terrestrial Energy has a fascinating intro video that plays automatically unless you skip it) has produced a series of posts for the Freakonomics blog hosted by the New York Times. The comments are being moderated - which slows down the conversation, but elevates it to something worth reading. On Bill's most recent of the three guest posts, titled...(read more)

Depleted Cranium has a Good Discussion Going About Wind Energy Limitations

Atomic Insights Blog — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:38:00 GMT

I encourage you all to visit the active discussion going on at Depleted Cranium about wind energy limitations. Here is a sample: I shouldn’t complain though. I’m glad to see that wind energy is finally getting some of the criticism it deserves in the mainstream media. Just like biofuels started getting called on its various empty claims a couple of months ago, the wind is shifting on wind power (pun...(read more)

Shaw Group Announces Nuclear Component Manufacturing Plant Joint Venture

Atomic Insights Blog — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:29:00 GMT

Shaw Group , which has a 20% ownership stake in Westinghouse Electric Company LLC , has announced a new plant that will build reactor components to be shipped via barge to new construction sites. The plant, destined for Lake Charles, Louisiana , will be a joint venture between Shaw and Westinghouse with about $210 million in assistance spread over 10 years from the state of Louisiana. To obtain the...(read more)

Steve Darden on Seeker Blog - CBO generation cost study

Atomic Insights Blog — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:08:00 GMT

Steve Darden at SeekerBlog.com has some thoughts worth a read in his post titled CBO Study: Nuclear Power’s Role in Generating Electricity . You might also want to visit the Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capital Blog post titled Going Nuclear: Will Dems Support Nukes To Fight Climate Change? . That one contains some interesting comments that lead me to believe that the pro nuclear message...(read more)

Better than a smoking gun - straightforward ad against nuclear power from coal industry in AU

Atomic Insights Blog — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:39:00 GMT

I have some very engaged readers. Some of you even follow up if you send something interesting and I do not get around to sharing it with all of you. Daniel sent me a scan of an advertisement that appeared in the Courier-Mail out of Queensland, Australia in November 2007. it is a very straightforward effort by the coal industry to scare people about nuclear power - not really so much about the typical...(read more)

Atomic Entrepreneur on StartupStoryRadio

Atomic Insights Blog — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:07:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed by Rob McNealy, who runs a very informative podcast called StartUpStoryRadio. You can find the recorded interview at Alternative Energy Sources with Rod Adams of Adams Atomic Engines . Read More......(read more)

Smoking Gun Part 11 - Scargill, National Union of Mineworkers, blasts Monbiot for acceptance of nuclear

Atomic Insights Blog — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:53:00 GMT

Arthur Scargill, former leaders of the UK's National Union of Mineworkers, published a commentary on August 8, 2008 on Guardian.co.uk that qualifies as one of the clearest examples of a professional coal advocate trashing nuclear power for economic reasons. Here is Mr. Scargill's view of nuclear power and his reaction when a long time critic made a statement that accepted that nuclear power...(read more)

George Monbiot - a lifelong nuclear critic - indicates reluctant acceptance

Atomic Insights Blog — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:02:00 GMT

George Monbiot, a longtime critic of nuclear power, recently made a statement that was almost a ringing endorsement considering the source. On August 5, 2008, he published an article titled The stakes could not be higher. Everything hinges on stopping coal in The Guardian . Here is a quote from that article: I have now reached the point at which I no longer care whether or not the answer is nuclear...(read more)

My apologies to Joe Romm - this time, I agree with him (kind of)

Atomic Insights Blog — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:37:00 GMT

About a week ago, I posted a link to a discussion about the world's energy situation hosted by The Economist . One of the scheduled featured debaters was Joe Romm . I assumed that he would provide commentary that strongly discouraged the use of nuclear power - that is his normal position. I was wrong and apologize. A couple of days ago, I finally got around to visiting the debate myself. I had...(read more)

Senator James Webb visits Lynchburg, Areva, Babcock and Wilcox and Central Virginia Community College

Atomic Insights Blog — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:50:00 GMT

Senator James Webb, a former Marine who holds an engineering degree "that he did not want" from the US Naval Academy, spent two days in Lynchburg VA (Aug 20, 21) getting an education about their nuclear industry and education programs . He toured Areva's engineering and development center where he got briefed on the availability of nuclear fuel recycling technology. He also participated...(read more)

Fresno Nuclear Group making progress

Atomic Insights Blog — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:32:00 GMT

The Fresno Nuclear Energy Group has made an agreement with the Westlands Water District to study the feasibility of building a dual unit nuclear plant on about 500 idled acres. Westlands has about 100,000 idle acres, much of which was taken out of production due to increasing salt concentrations. Apparently, Fresno Nuclear Energy Group wants to use grey water from the water treatment plants to cool...(read more)

Recalling the IFR experiments

Atomic Insights Blog — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:07:00 GMT

I got notified via a Google Alert on "small nuclear power plants" about a post on a blog that I had not previously visited. The post was titled The Environmentalists Nuclear Debate (2) Mark Lynas . The post provided a link to a very interesting article by Mark Lynas in the New Republic titled How nuclear power can save the planet that I highly recommend reading. (I just checked out the comments...(read more)

Economist Debate - Solving the World's Energy Crisis

Atomic Insights Blog — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:16:00 GMT

I received an email invitation to help The Economist advertise a "two-week long online, Oxford-style debate" . I am happy to oblige, and actually feel kind of honored that Atomic Insights was included in the list of bloggers invited to help such a major magazine capture reader attention. The debate proposition is: “This house believes that we can solve our energy problems with existing technologies...(read more)

Steven Milloy Warns Nukes About "Environmentalist" Alliance - He Misreads Motives

Atomic Insights Blog — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:48:00 GMT

A good friend sent me a link to Steven Milloy - of JunkScience.com - opinion piece titled Environmentalists Prompt Nuclear Power Wake-Up Call published on August 14, 2008 on FoxNews.com. Here is the lede from that piece What did the nuclear power industry get for playing footsie with the "greens" on global warming? A knife in the back, it looks like. The greens now are saying that emission...(read more)