Some Labor Day Weekend Reading: Blogroll Updates and "Unique Reactors"

It's been awhile since we've updated our blogroll and we have quite a few new blogs to add. In alphabetical order we have Brave New Climate from Australia who's author, Barry Brooks, writes about climate change and nuclear power. The quality and detail of his posts have generated a ridiculous amount of discussion and have been quite enjoyable to read.

From the industry we have the NAYGN Clean Energy Insight crew who we've highlighted before and Clean Energy America who's authors speak around the country at college campuses, civic groups, radio stations and other venues.

Then we have Nuclear Power? Yes Please who's authors span from Japan, Netherlands and Sweden. They caught my attention when they blasted a lame Greenpeace argument.

Sad to say, We Support Lee has been permanently deleted, we're going to miss her posts. But the new nuclear plant she advocated so strongly for is still trucking along in the licensing process.

On a different note and for some weekend reading, check out EIA's stellar new page called "Unique Reactors" which takes the reader through fission's birth on Earth all the way to the future of nuclear power on the moon. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

Comments

DocForesight said…

For information junkies, the EIA review is an overdose of great history. Thanks for the link!

September 5, 2009 at 3:50 PM

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The following is a guest post from Matt Wald, senior communications advisor at NEI. Follow Matt on Twitter at @MattLWald.

From the batteries in our cell phones to the clothes on our backs, "nanomaterials" that are designed molecule by molecule are working their way into our economy and our lives. Now there’s some promising work on new materials for nuclear reactors.

Reactors are a tough environment. The sub atomic particles that sustain the chain reaction, neutrons, are great for splitting additional uranium atoms, but not all of them hit a uranium atom; some of them end up in various metal components of the reactor. The metal is usually a crystalline structure, meaning it is as orderly as a ladder or a sheet of graph paper, but the neutrons rearrange the atoms, leaving some infinitesimal voids in the structure and some areas of extra density. The components literally grow, getting longer and thicker. The phenomenon is well understood and designers compensate for it with a …

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On Tuesday, The Ohio Public Utilities Committee hosted its third round of hearings on the Zero Emissions Nuclear Resources Program, House Bill 178, and NEI’s Maria Korsnick testified before a jam-packed room of legislators.

Washingtonians parachuting into state debates can be a tricky platform, but in this case, Maria’s remarks provided national perspective that put the Ohio conundrum into context. At the heart of this debate is the impact nuclear plants have on local jobs and the local economy, and that nuclear assets should be viewed as “long-term investments” for the state. Of course, clean air and electrons …

NEI Nuclear Notes

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