QUICK NEWS, 3-16: HOW JAPAN FEELS; NEW ENERGY MONEY TO DOUBLE; GREEN TAPE SNARLS NEW ENERGY; UTILITIES MOVE TO SMART GRID

HOW JAPAN FEELS
Japan's Feeling of Dread Surrounding the Nuclear Crisis Intensifies
Bill Powell, March 16, 2011 (Time)

"The 50 workers struggling to contain the fallout at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant faced two significant setbacks…both of which appeared to increase the risk of a significant release of radiation into the atmosphere…The government and Tokyo Electric Power Co., Fukushima Daiichi's operator, now acknowledge that two of the three reactors that were operating at the time of last Friday's 9.0 earthquake and tsunami have since sustained damage to their containment vessels.

"The widespread feeling of dread surrounding the nuclear crisis intensified further…when, for the second consecutive day, a fire broke out at reactor unit number 4, where 15 highly radioactive spent fuel rods are being stored in a pool of water 45 feet deep. The 50 remaining TEPCO workers at the Daiichi plant, who are tasked with trying to cool the reactors down with seawater, were hustled into a protective room as radiation levels spiked…but were able to resume work [90 minutes later] when radiation levels fell."

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"…[N]uclear scientists say that the sequence of events at reactor 4 is a reason for intense concern. Once the cooling pumps stop…the water in the spent fuel pools will begin to heat up and slowly start to boil off…30 feet of water would have to boil off before exposing the rods. That could take several days…The exposure of those rods is particularly serious because TEPCO officials have said they were removed relatively recently from the reactor core…[and have] ‘a very high level of radiation and are generating more heat’…

"That under normal circumstances that wouldn't necessarily be a source of concern, because of the existence of a secondary containment unit and a ventilation system housed in the reactor's building. But on Monday morning, a huge hydrogen explosion at reactor unit 3 blew a 26-foot hole in the side of the building containing reactor 4. The hydrogen, nuclear scientists say, almost certainly came from the spent fuel…and that in turn means the water level in the pool has sunk…[so] the gaping hole in the secondary containment unit at reactor 4 means that radioactive gases — iodine-131 and cesium — from the spent fuel…will be vented…"

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"…By late Wednesday afternoon, flames were no longer visible at reactor unit 4, but smoke and steam were still billowing skyward, prompting fears that the authorities were stumbling in the face of the crisis and reacting haphazardly…Yukiya Amano, the Japanese director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, himself complained of not having sufficient information from Japanese authorities…Many Japanese share his unease. For the first time, there has been a whiff of panic as far south as Tokyo…

"Convenience stores are running out of ready to eat foods…iodine tablets, which protect against the carcinogenic effects of iodine-131 emissions [are selling out]…there are few seats remaining for flights out of Tokyo…[and hotels] have emptied. At Tokyo Station…long lines of passengers [are buying] tickets for bullet trains heading south…"


NEW ENERGY MONEY TO DOUBLE
Report: Non-nuclear clean energy to double by 2020
Wendy Koch, march 14, 2011 (USA Today)

"As concerns mount over nuclear power safety in the aftermath of Japan's massive earthquake, a new report says other energy sources not derived from fossil fuels are expanding and will likely double market share within a decade.

"Global revenue for solar photovoltaics (PV), wind power and biofuels jumped 35% last year, compared with 2009, growing from $139.1 billion to $188.1 billion, according to [the 10th annual Clean Energy Trends] by Clean Edge Inc...Most of this growth was due to a doubling in solar PV installations and steady growth in the biofuels sector. For the first time in a decade, however, the wind market showed a slight decline."

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"The global market for solar PV skyrocketed from $2.5 billion in 2000 to $71.2 billion in 2010 and that for wind power surged from $4.5 billion in 2000 to more than $60.5 billion today...[O]verall growth [is] slowing but...solar PV, wind and biofuels [are expected to] nearly double their combined global market value from $188.1 billion this year to $349.2 billion in 2020. The report projects the biofuels sector will more than double, from $56.4 billion this year to $112.8 billion in 2020."

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"The report says China, the global leader in new wind installations for the third year in a row, posted a 27% increase last year. The United States, the world's second-largest market, declined after record growth in 2009, adding only half as much capacity as the prior year...[N]ew solar installations reached more than 15.6 gigawatts of power worldwide in 2010, a more than doubling from 7.1 gigawatts in 2009, representing the largest year-over-year increase on record. Strong growth occurred in the U.S. solar market as well.

"President Obama has touted nuclear power as a non-polluting energy source and has sought tens of billions of dollars in government insurance for new plant construction...Yet, some members of the U.S. Congress are now holding back their support as they wait to see what happens at Japan's nuclear power plants, now at risk of a meltdown..."


GREEN TAPE SNARLS NEW ENERGY
Clean Energy Thwarted as Much as Coal by Rules, Group Says
Katarzyna Klimasinska, March 10, 2011 (Bloomberg News)

"Renewable-energy projects such as wind farms and solar fields are just as hard to build in the U.S. as coal-fired power plants because of regulatory obstacles and activists’ protests, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said.

"Energy projects valued at $576.6 billion were abandoned, delayed or challenged by the state governments or environmentalists, according to [Project No Project; Progress Denied…]…Wind, solar, hydropower, ethanol, biomass and geothermal projects accounted for about 45 percent of the challenged investments…"

All kinds of projects delayed (click to enlarge)

"The Chamber, the nation’s biggest business lobbying group, is urging lawmakers to rein in “excessive regulation” and President Thomas Donohue has led criticism of regulations enacted during the Obama administration.

"The report listed 351 projects delayed by state and federal action or by local protests. Save Jones Beach, a Wantagh, New York-based citizens’ group, opposed a 940-megawatt wind farm off the coast of New York’s Long Island proposed in 2008. The state of New Mexico denied a permit for a 35-megawatt biomass project in Torrance County, because a local community complained about the expected emissions…"

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"Electricite de France SA lost a partner for planned construction of a nuclear reactor in Maryland after Baltimore- based Constellation Energy Group Inc. (CEG) withdrew from the investment amid “burdensome” federal-loan guarantee conditions…[and] EDF will seek a U.S. partner to add a third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs plant…[because under] U.S. law, the NRC can’t grant a license to…a foreign entity…Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club opposed Green Path North Transmission Line in California, abandoned in March 2010, and a 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant proposed by Southwestern Electric Power Co. in Arkansas…"

[Bill Kovacs, senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce:] “If our great nation is going to begin creating jobs at a faster rate, we must get back in the business of building things…We also need to figure out how to do it without years and years of permit delays related to our complex regulatory process that allows almost anyone to impede or stop any energy project.”


UTILITIES MOVE TO SMART GRID
Utilities Getting Serious About Smart Grid Implementation, Concludes New Study
10 March 2011 (Renew Grid)

"More utilities are moving past the smart grid planning phase and into implementation, concludes [The Microsoft Worldwide Utility Industry Survey 2011]…[which] shows an 8% increase in the number of utilities moving from the smart grid planning phase to the implementation phase…[and] that 73% of utilities expect their budgets to support smart grid efforts.

"The survey, which polled more than 210 professionals within electric, gas and related companies around the world, also highlights the challenges utilities face - from financial and regulatory to technology and return on investment - as they move from planning to actual smart grid implementation."

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"One of the survey's key findings is that utilities need architectural and implementation guidance to be certain that future smart grid technology advances will integrate with and help protect their existing technology investments.

"Responses to a new survey question show that, despite their confidence in today's smart grid technologies, 64% of respondents do not have a clear view of the enterprise-wide information and technology infrastructure they will use to structure current and future smart grid deployments. The same percentage of respondents said the flexibility to adopt new or future technologies is paramount to achieving the grid of the future…"

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"In similar results to those found in the 2010 survey, 72% of utility professionals and executives perceive distribution management as the most important solution needed for successful smart grid implementations, and 60% expect their budgets for distribution- and energy-management technologies to increase this year.

"In addition, more than 50% of respondents see their customer information systems changing dramatically as a result of the smart grid, with many utilities looking at replacements or working to find ways to adapt their systems to interval billing, electric vehicles and other demand-side management and new energy programs."