For A Million BTU: Monday 4 June 2012 | Gregor.us
Update: Check out this graph from Seth Godin’s blog: it compares fatalities in the nuclear and coal industries. (Thanks to Mike Rogers for the link). A week ago, I posted about Japanese shut-down nuclear reactors and how this had resulted in a big jump in purchases of natural gas and coal. http://www.sheffnersweb.net/blogs/accuratemaps/news/20120530-1300-japans-energy-self-sufficiency-lowest-since-81/ I had believed [...]
Big Japan trade deficits? So? We don’t need no stinking nuclear plants!
A few months after most of Japan’s nuclear power plants shut down, some people starting saying, “Hey! All those plants shut down and the world hasn’t ended! Maybe Japan doesn’t really need those power plants! Maybe it was all hype!” Yeah. That’s right. It was all just hype.
2012/02/15 05:06 – Toshiba, Others Bringing Small Generators To Market
Three cheers for the entrepreneurs (and for supply and demand in a free market)! But how do they do it without government support? (Jus’ kidding Sinfonia Technology Co. (6507) plans to release this spring a small energy generation system that combines solar, wind and water power, in addition to having lead batteries capable of storing [...]
Japan Trade Deficit Due To Special Factors, Including Quake
Tepco said earlier it will raise electricity rates for corporate customers by around 17% on average beginning in April, its first hike in more than three decades, to address soaring fuel costs following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The rate increase will be used to help the embattled utility cover the cost of buying more [...]
Effizienzhaus plus: German electric vehicle house | Lenz Blog
Prof. Lenz blogs indefatigably on the subject of solar energy production and other alternatives or emerging energy technologies. It’s all fascinating stuff, the stuff of dreams. Here’s just one recent extract. I learned that “inductive charging” means having your electric vehicle charge automatically, eliminating the need to mess around with cables. You just park it [...]
UPDATE 3-Japan power firms’ LNG use at record | Reuters
Some facts and figures on Japan’s energy use since March ’11: 15% more LNG, 12% less power (mouse-tip to AtomicRod). TOKYO, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Japan’s 10 regional power firms used a record 4.81 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas in August to help offset a record low nuclear utilisation rate in the wake of [...]
Fuel Cell System Keeps On Going In Blackouts
This looks interesting. More interesting would be a fuel-cell power pack that renders the household (or whatever the unit is) completely independent from the grid, power blackout or no. Also a cheaper price. The present price is about the same as roofing your house with solar panels. Power generated by home fuel cell systems is [...]
2011/09/02 02:00 – Tepco, Tohoku Elec To Revive Idle Fossil-Fuel Plants
Tepco and Tohoku Power companies are re-starting idled coal-fired power stations in Fukushima prefecture. There is no mention in this article of the costs or the possible effects on price. Nuclear is cheaper than coal, after all. TOKYO Nikkei–Tokyo Electric Power Co. 9501, known as Tepco, and Tohoku Electric Power Co. 9506 plan to restart [...]
Govt to allow industry to power up : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)
There are, and have been, many political philosophers who have said that government intervention leads to ever-increasing intervention and eventually to tyranny. Others have pointed to the “pretence of knowledge”, the impossibility of anyone or any group of people, having enough information to be able to make the right decisions about resource allocation, in other [...]
Japan’s Necessary Nuclear Future | The Diplomat
The Diplomat tackles the thorny issue of Japan’s energy needs and how they can be met. The people’s outrage at the nuclear industry is understandable. However, while this is hardly a time that lends itself to thoughtful reflection, that is precisely what is in order. Before the earthquake, Japan produced a third of its electricity [...]
