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The comeback of nuclear energy and fossil fuels as well as hard times for solar energy and technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) were the highlights of a conference organised by the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) which took place yesterday in Brussels (16 February) [more about the event]. Philip Lowe, European Commission Director General for Energy, said the Fukushima nuclear disaster had in fact led to "significant decisions" only in one country, Germany.
The comeback of nuclear energy and fossil fuels as well as hard times for solar energy and technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) were the highlights of a conference organised by the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) which took place yesterday in Brussels (16 February) [more about the event].
Philip Lowe, European Commission Director General for Energy, said the Fukushima nuclear disaster had in fact led to "significant decisions" only in one country, Germany.
Read, on; Mr. Director General for Energy doesn't even pretend to be impartial, and even lies (for example when claiming that Germany turned a net importer, although it remained a net exporter). Meanwhile, back in the real world, in Germany, the federal grid agency just sent a warning to 900 electricity traders in which it accused the traders of Enron-style specualtive tricks which, by holding back capacity, brought the system on the verge of blackouts in early February. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
In a massive geomagnetic storm that could trigger a long-term power outage across large portions of the globe, the world's 400-some nuclear plants would be particularly vulnerable to catastrophic failure, for two reasons.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/the-smarter-grid/a-perfect-storm-of-planetary-proportions/0/hundreds -of-fukushimas
This is one of the most certain-to-happen of the various catastrophes that will occur within the next few decades. I'm not sure how to prioritize it compared to climate change, bird flu, massive socio-economic dislocation, etc., but this one is particularly frustrating because the technical experts say that the scenario WILL HAPPEN, and that there is a KNOWN WAY TO PREVENT IT, but there is no social support for doing anything about it.
Imagine if the grid went down for weeks during the cold snap, as a starting point. Even onshore wind wouldn't help much if half the transformers are knocked out. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
forget about internet and street lights, such an event means water pumps don't pump. 200 core melts are the least of the immediate problems.
i keep coming back to a discussion that gets no props, that this civilization is not prepared to accept the results of its lack of understanding of life and the sustainable connections.
Just so one understands, the backlog on various sized transformers is currently 9 months +/-. That means when grids are destroyed, not much could be replaced before hundreds of millions of people die, because hundreds of millions of poisoned food animals would already be dead because factory farms wouldn't be able to keep them alive. Not to mention the Tankstelle would be closed.
and i probably wouldn't be able to communicate with you even on Open Thread.
Afterwards, in their last moments. most people would have come to the realization that we did something wrong, but couldn't quite get a handle on what.
An unfinished script of mine begins with a lone Mohawk paddling his canoe down the Hudson river, between flooded people-less skyscrapers.
So yeah, i think we should have a diary. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
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