Nukewatch Quarterly Spring 2016

The capacity of wind power generation worldwide reached 432.42 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2015, up 17 percent from a year earlier and surpassing nuclear reactor generated electricity for the first time, according to data released by global industry bodies.

The generation capacity of wind farms newly built in 2015 was a record 63.01 GW, corresponding to about 60 nuclear reactors, according to the Global Wind Energy Council based in Brussels. The global nuclear reactor generation capacity was 382.55 GW as of Jan. 1, 2016, the London-based World Nuclear Association said.

Wind energy has captured renewed attention as technological innovation has considerably lowered its generation costs while nuclear reactors continue to suffer a backlash following the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns.

Wind power is the leading energy source in the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, the wind energy council said as it released the data last week.

China led all other countries in wind energy generation capacity with 145.10 GW. China promotes wind power to shift from coal and other fossil fuels to combat air pollution and global warming.

Coming in second behind China is the United States with 74.47 GW, followed by Germany with 44.95 GW, then India with 25.09 GW, and then Spain with 23.03 GW. Japan produced 3.04 GW.

—JL 

—Kyodo News Service, Japan Times, Feb. 20, 2016

Nukewatch Quarterly Winter 2015-2016

Columnist Emily Schwartz Greco, the Managing Editor of OtherWords, a non-profit national editorial service run by the Institute for Policy Studies, has penned a scathing critique of nuclear power and its future prospects, particularly in view of the plumetting costs of solar and wind power. Titled, “A Big Fat Radioactive Lie: Billionaires are Hyping Nuclear Power as a Magic Cure for Climate Change,” Greco notes some encouraging news.

Lazard, a giant investment banking firm with offices in 43 cities in 27 countries—and $180 billion under management—says in a lengthy new report about today’s principle energy options: Utility-scale “wind and solar are much cheaper than gas and coal, and less than half the cost of nuclear.”

Source: OtherWords, Institute for Policy Studies, Dec. 2, 2015

Nukewatch Quarterly Winter 2015-2016

Known more for its steadfast work against Big Coal and Big Oil, the Sierra Club has long been critical of nuclear power and is not hoodwinked by industry propaganda about climate-safe “clean” reactors. The Club had this to say in a recent position paper: 

“Nuclear power produces less CO2 than fossil alternatives, but more [CO2] than energy efficiency and most forms of renewable energy on a life cycle basis. Nuclear power is not safe, affordable, or clean with currently available technology and practice. Mining uranium risks workers’ health and creates toxic residues. All current [reactor] designs are complex, prone to accidents and have severe security vulnerabilities. Nuclear waste transportation, storage and disposal problems remain unsolved. The industry is heavily subsidized by public subsidies, incentives and liability shielding everywhere it operates, dependencies that dramatically increased in recent federal legislation. The nuclear fuel cycle increases weapons proliferation and risk among nations and non-state entities.

“The Sierra Club will continue to oppose nuclear power unless these deficiencies are eliminated. While it is possible that a different approach to nuclear power might substantially address these issues, the likelihood is remote given the decades of research and investment already made. Clean energy resources are sufficient to address climate change and are cheaper than nuclear power. In addition, the huge investment to bring additional nuclear facilities online would siphon capital from much more cost-effective uses of financial resources, especially investments in efficiency.

“Existing nuclear plants should be frequently inspected and thoroughly monitored. They should be retired upon the expiration of their licensed operating period, and should be shut down immediately if significant safety, security or environmental threats are found. It is imperative for spent fuel from operating nuclear plants to be moved into safer temporary storage and for an effective long-term storage strategy to be developed as quickly as possible.”