The 2011 Fukushima disaster was a huge turning point for how many countries saw nuclear energy. Years later, many Japanese people have not returned home but may be forced to help pay for the cleanup. Tatsujiro Suzuki looks at the current situation and recommends that the Japanese government take measures to regain public trust.
In this article, Democracy Now recaps what exactly happened at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington State. The most polluted nuclear weapons production site has been leaking for years, and the state’s Department of Ecology has taken legal action. Amy Goodman of Democracy now speaks to Tom Carpenter, executive director of Hanford Challenge.
South Africa shows how quick an energy transition can be. In four years, with coal and nuclear power stations on hold, South Africa’s renewable energy program has nearly 100 plants in development. Leonie Joubert takes an in-depth look.
Gouda wind farm, South Africa (Photo by Discott, edited, CC BY-SA 4.0)
The news of the recent successful plasma experiment at a nuclear fusion research facility in Germany went wild on social media, but a lot of people wondered what kind of sense it makes for a country with a nuclear phase-out to be conducting research in nuclear fusion. In fact, Germany is a leader in nuclear fusion in two ways. Craig Morris explains.
If it takes too much energy to make generators of renewable energy relative to what these units produce, the energy transition will not be possible. A new study by nuclear researchers finds that the need for storage and backup makes the EROI of renewables too low. Craig Morris investigates.
In the last decade, governments, the European Commission and numerous research institutes have produced one scenario for the electricity system after the other. These scenarios inform us of the future electricity mix and, importantly, of its costs, as a base for national and European energy policies. Johan Lilliestam argues that cost can not be the only determinant of our future electricity system – first, we have to politically determine what kind of energy future we want to live in.
For the second time in 11 years, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria have experienced a “once-in-a-century flood.” Craig Morris takes a look at how nuclear plants in the area are faring.
How much carbon does the average American or European emit per year? How much does the world emit? And if you know the answers to those questions, maybe you can also tell Craig Morris how many tons of nuclear waste the world has? He tried, and failed, to find out.
