On March 11, 2011, a nuclear disaster struck Japan. Translated testimony by the power plant’s manager reveals how close the world came to a greater catastrophe – and how much there is to be learned.
Nuclear power provides 60 percent of US carbon-free electricity generation, but existing plants are aging and only one is under construction. Should government intervene to keep nuclear energy in the mix?
Wind turbines are seen at Pincher Creek, Alta.
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Critical thinking is of paramount importance, especially as it applies to research on the internet – and to our energy future. Educators have a duty to ensure students avoid fake news on energy.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected a Trump administration proposal to reward coal and nuclear power plants for storing fuel on-site, as a way to make the power system more reliable.
High voltage electrical pylons on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
Kenya’s government, while promising cheaper power to consumers may actually be undercutting this promise in its pursuit of nuclear power plants and other costly projects.
For the first time, human beings harnessed the power of atomic fission.
Keith Ruffles
By figuring out fission, physicists were able to split uranium atoms and release massive amounts of energy. This Manhattan Project work paved the way both for atomic bombs and nuclear power reactors.
Solar technicians inspect panels at a Pacific Gas and Electric Solar Plant, in Dixon, Calif. in this file photo.
(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Amid news that solar power capacity will outstrip nuclear by 2018, what do those assertions really mean?
Assumptions, authoritarianism and errors are just a few of the ways in which the world could be confronted by a nuclear disaster, physicist and disarmament expert MV Ramana suggests in his book reviews.
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Nuclear power plants don’t just pump out steady, carbon-free electricity; they also help produce the people the US needs for nuclear weapons inspections.
Large nuclear reactors could fade into history, proponents of small modular nuclear reactors argue. The reality may be more complex.
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Nuclear industry players tout small modular reactors as an “inherently safe,” cost-effective source of electricity. The reality may be less attractive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks on a podium as U.S. President Donald Trump listens.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Tensions in Asia may soon boil over. If U.S. leaders fail to seek pathways to peace, the consequences may be grim, warns former National Security Council member.
Anti-nuclear demonstration in front of the Japanese Diet, June 22, 2012.
Matthias Lambrecht/Flickr
Nuclear power was a cornerstone of Japan’s energy strategy for decades, until the Fukushima disaster. The current government wants to keep some nuclear reactors open, but has lost public support.