Month: July 2024

First Fool-Proof Nuke? Chinese Reactor Demonstrates Loss-of-Coolant Safety

Most feared accident at a nuclear plant is the LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident) – it’s what happened at Three Mile Island, and at Fukushima.

New Chinese design tested in real life demonstration and passed – cooling down completely on its own, so we’re told, after shut down of cooling system.

Could this be the first “fool proof” reactor? Waiting for more trials with bigger fools.

New Scientist (Paywall):

A large-scale nuclear power station in China is the first in the world to be completely impervious to dangerous meltdowns, even during a full loss of external power. The design can’t be adapted to existing nuclear reactors around the world, but could be a blueprint for future ones.

All modern nuclear power plants rely on powered cooling mechanisms to take excess heat away from reactors or, in the event of an emergency, human intervention to shut the plant down. Water or liquid carbon dioxide are often used as coolants, but these typically rely on external power supplies to function.

If these systems fail, then the reactors can become too hot and lead to explosions or overheating, causing the plant to literally melt from the excess heat. This was one factor in the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011, where a loss of both standard and emergency power systems led to a meltdown.

A relatively new kind of reactor design, called a pebble-bed reactor (PBR), has the advantage of being passively safe, which means that if power for cooling systems is lost, then the reactor can safely shut down by itself. Rather than use highly energy-dense fuel rods like many other reactor designs, PBRs use a large number of low-energy-density “pebbles” as fuel, which contain a small amount of uranium surrounded by graphite. This can help slow the nuclear reaction and withstand high temperatures.

This lower energy density means any excess heat will be spread out over all of the pebbles, and so will be easier to transport away using natural cooling processes like conduction and convection, says Zhe Dong at Tsinghua University in China.

Continue reading “First Fool-Proof Nuke? Chinese Reactor Demonstrates Loss-of-Coolant Safety”

Frack Sand Truckers Organize Against Oil Barons

“We carry the economy on our backs”.
Truckers have suffered years of abuse and increasing take-aways from the Oil Barons in Texas’ Permian Basin.
Some of them are now trying to organize for a better deal.

It’s not a climate story – but it is a story about the injustice that fossil fuel interests always bring when their power is unabated.

Texas Nuke Pukes, Grid Loses 1400 MW Instantly

This morning, a large nuclear unit tripped instantly offline in Texas.
The graph above shows what that looks like on the ERCOT grid.
The grid held up, but it shows how every energy source presents its own challenges to grid operators.

This is not to beat up on nuclear plants, which exist, and are a great low carbon resource most of the time, but it’s a myth that nuclear plants are “always available”. They have intermittency, just like every other resource, either for sudden outages like this or planned month-long shutdowns for refueling – and grid operators have to plan accordingly.
By comparison, Solar and Wind are, yes, variable, but quite predictable, and thus inherently simpler for operators to compensate.
Texas, and other states, are adding massive energy storage that will make the grid more resilient to every situation.
As more EVs pop up in garages, they could become additional storage capacity could be available for emergencies, providing even more security.
A zero carbon grid will be much more resilient and reliable than the one we’ve had in the past.

Fox 26 Houston:

South Texas Project Electric Generating Station officials declared an ‘Unusual Event’ around 7:20 a.m. after losing offsite power led to Unit 1 reactor tripping offline.

The incident was followed by a fire in the switchyard, which prompted immediate action from on-site crews. Local county emergency response teams and nearby industry partners were called in to assist with firefighting efforts.Officials with the nuclear charging station say the fire has been extinguished, and no injuries have been reported. Unit 1 remains offline and is under close monitoring by licensed plant operators. As a precaution, power output from Unit 2 was reduced to approximately 90 percent due to the conditions in the switchyard.

Despite the incident, both units are in a safe condition, and there is no danger to the public.

Continue reading “Texas Nuke Pukes, Grid Loses 1400 MW Instantly”

Solar Parking Lots a Good Idea, but Not the Slam Dunk that Some Think

“Why don’t we just put solar on rooftops and parking lots?”
You hear this question a lot – the presumption is usually that if we just covered all available urban space with solar panels, we’d solve our energy problem – and that’s simply wrong, for a lot of reasons.
One flavor of the argument is that we should put solar panels over every parking lot. Great. Let’s do it – but first let’s be aware of the barriers that exist to make it happen.
Simon Mahan is Executive Director, Southern Renewable Energy Association.

Simon Mahan on X:

There’s been a meme running around showing solar carports. Usually, the “take” is we should be installing solar carports instead of using farmland for solar. Here’s the thing: no one is stopping you from installing solar carports. So why don’t we do it more often?

First, parking lots are unusual things. They can be privately owned (a landlord), or publicly owned (city/school/etc.). Public owned lots/garages have to get budget line items through local/state appropriations. Private can go quicker, but still need permits, etc.

Next, regardless of parking lot ownership type, if the lot owner doesn’t have a way to use the solar (like a net meter agreement with a utility), or access to a wholesale market (being able to sell directly into the grid), they won’t recoup their costs.

Net metering policies have been under attack in the U.S. Many states have a cap on the size a project can be, usually well less than 100 kilowatts. That may be enough for maybe 10 houses. That ain’t nothing, but we’re not powering the U.S. economy with that.

Additionally, carports are estimated to cost upwards of $4 per watt. A rooftop system may cost just $2.5 per watt. Meanwhile, a large “farm” based system may only cost $1 watt. Carports must be tall for vehicles, tearing up asphalt is more expensive than dirt. More work and materials.

Memes like this are designed to sway muddle headed greenies who don’t understand farmers, farming, or clean energy
Continue reading “Solar Parking Lots a Good Idea, but Not the Slam Dunk that Some Think”

Nazis Face Trial on Grid Sabotage Charges

These effin’ guys.
Just jonesing for that race war they are sure is just one small catastrophe away.
In what universe does “The lights went out. I think I’ll go kill whitey” make sense?
Trump’s base, man.

One more reason we need a distributed energy grid and massive battery storage top to bottom.

Raw Story:

Three neo-Nazis alleged to have planned an attack on the energy grid as part of a plot to launch a race war are set to go before a federal judge on Thursday for sentencing.

Liam Montgomery Collins, a one-time Marine who allegedly led the neo-Nazi terror cell known as “BSN”; Paul Kryscuk, a former porn actor; and Justin Hermanson, who also served in the Marine Corps, are expected to appear before Judge Richard E. Myers in federal court in Wilmington, N.C. 

Kryscuk pleaded guilty to conspiracy to damage an energy facility, while Collins and Hermanson respectively pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms, and conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship interstate.

Of the three, Kryscuk faces the highest maximum sentence — 20 years in prison. Collins and Hermanson respectively face up to 10 and five years.

Two other co-defendants — Jordan Duncan, 29, and Joseph Maurino, 25 — have also pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges, and will be sentenced at a later date. 

Collins and Hermanson, both 25, were stationed at Camp Lejeune, roughly 70 miles up the Atlantic coast from Wilmington, N.C., during the period when they were active in the neo-Nazi group. Kryscuk, 38, relocated from New York to Boise, Idaho to establish a base of operations for the group.

Continue reading “Nazis Face Trial on Grid Sabotage Charges”

How Does This Year Compare in Storm Development?

A Senior Hurricane specialist writes:

An alternative metric to storm count is the Power Dissipation Index (PDI), just the sum of the maximum surface winds cubed over the lifetime of each storm. This is a measure of the kinetic energy dissipated by each storm over its life. The (above) shows the accumulated PDI as a function of day of the year for year year since 1980. 

By this metric, we are off to an unusually early start, but if nothing develops soon, 2005 will overtake this year.

Saharan dust keeping a lid on activity in the Atlantic for now, but prospects for development increase in late July and early August.

Sunday was the Hottest Day Ever Recorded Globally

US News:

LONDON (Reuters) – Sunday, July 21 was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to preliminary data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. 

The global average surface air temperature on Sunday reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) — slightly higher than the previous record set last July of 17.08 C (62.74 F).

Heatwaves have scorched large swathes of the United States, Europe and Russia over the past week.

Copernicus confirmed to Reuters that the record daily temperature average set last year appeared to have been broken on Sunday, in their records which extend back to 1940.  

Last year saw four days in a row break the record, from July 3 through July 6, as climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, drove extreme heat across the Northern Hemisphere.

Every month since June 2023 – 13 months in a row – has now ranked as the planet’s hottest since records began, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, Copernicus said.

Some scientists have suggested 2024 could outrank 2023 as the hottest year since records began, as climate change and the El Nino natural weather phenomenon — which ended in April — have pushed temperatures ever higher this year. 

What Drove Musk Around the Bend? “Woke Mind Virus”

Offered without comment.

USAToday:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his estranged transgender daughter was “killed” by the “woke mind virus” after he was tricked into agreeing to gender-affirming care procedures.

In an interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Dr. Jordan Peterson, the X owner called gender-reassignment surgery “child mutilation and sterilization.” He then discussed his 20-year-old child Vivian Jenna Wilson, who he said underwent the procedures during the pandemic.

“I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys,” Musk told Peterson in a Daily Wire interview during which he referred to his child by their deadname. “This was really before I had any understanding of what was going on, and we had COVID going on, so there was a lot of confusion and I was told (Musk’s child) might commit suicide.”

The SpaceX founder claimed the process is done to children “who are far below the age of consent” and said he agreed with Peterson’s belief that anyone who promotes the practice should go to prison.

“I was tricked into doing this,” Musk said. “I lost my son, essentially. They call it ‘deadnaming’ for a reason. The reason they call it ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead.”

Musk went on to say that the experience set him on a mission.

“I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that,” Musk said. “And we’re making some progress.”

People:

The Tesla founder fathered his children with three different women over two decades. His first child was born in 2002 and his most recent baby was born in early 2024.

Continue reading “What Drove Musk Around the Bend? “Woke Mind Virus””