Welcome ! As a young French Marketing professional with a Master's in International Management I have been selecting since January 2007 the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector. Sounds great ? Don't hesitate to subscribe now !
The French magazine Science & Vie [Fr] published this month a lengthy series of articles on thorium-based nuclear, and how it could solve the various issues encountered with uranium-based energy generation.
Much more safer, without the need to be enriched, Thorium is also four times more abundant than Uranium. Molten salt reactors could also recycle the waste of current reactors.
In today’s post we will have a look at the various other advantages of this still not commercially developped technology. Continue »
While the decisions of both Germany and Switzerland to stop using nuclear made headlines, little has been written about Poland ‘s thinking about building two nuclear reactors, which would be build by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
The reactors could go online in 2020 if an agreement was signed in 2014. The capacity would reach 3,000 MW. The country relies on highly polluting coal for 94 percent of its electricity to date. (source)
As its electricity consumption is due to increase over the next decades significantly, and as something has to be done on climate change, it is willing to diversify its energy sources. Continue »
Further to the decision Germany took on Monday about nuclear energy, I wrote an opinion piece for Cleantechies. I hope you will like and share it. As you can imagine, I am not really approving. Here it goes :
” You may surely know it by now : Germany decided to phase out completely all its nuclear power plants by 2022. This is done for political reasons as the local Greens are gaining power. ”
” Some people are cheering as they believe these are great news for the environment. I, however, believe this is utterly wrong for the reasons I will outline in today’s article. “
After my articles on the 10 reasons to support nuclear power and the one the past and present of nuclear energy it is time to have a look at the main future technologies.
David JC MacKay on his website mentions two main fission possibilities : fast breeders and thorium and fusion. We will have a look at thesemost promising solutions as well as to other technologies.
The needs for safer, cheaper and cleaner nuclear solutions are important as the IAEA forecasts the demand for nuclear is to increase by 60 percent in the next twenty years. Continue »
After my article last week on the 10 reasons to support nuclear power I wanted to write about the future technologies (fast breeders, thorium and fusion) as I was ending my article on that very topic.
But before doing that I would like to provide you this week some historical insight on nuclear physics and power as well as an overview of the current nuclear market and technologies.
Nuclear fission was achieved less than a century ago (1934). I am confident that nuclear energy will significantly change during the next decades as well. Continue »
One of my friends asked me on Twitter why I am supporting nuclear energy, and this even if it is a fossil fuel. Since this answer was quite elaborated I decided to propose you an English version of this reflection.
Please note before I continue that I don’t consider that nuclear is perfect but instead believe that : “Nuclear is not the solution, but that there is no solution without nuclear.”
This opinion is reinforced by the International Energy Agency which considers that nuclear could account to six percent of the greenhouse gases emissions cuts needed by 2050. Continue »
