Fukushima Pledges To Go 100 Percent Renewable While Japan Grapples With Nuclear Future

[madokie]

The province of Fukushima in northeast Japan, devastated nearly three years ago by the earthquake and tsunami that caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, has pledged to go 100 percent renewable by 2040.

The energy will be generated through local community initiatives throughout the province of nearly two million. Announced at a Community Power Conference held in Fukushima this week, it goes against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s agenda to reboot nuclear power throughout the country.

“The Japanese government is very much negative,” said Tetsunari Iida, director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Japan. “Local government like the Fukushima prefecture or the Tokyo metropolitan government are much more active, more progressive compared to the national government, which is occupied by the industry people.”

Former Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa is running for mayor of Tokyo on an anti-nuclear platform. The February 9 election is seen as a referendum on Abe’s efforts to restart nuclear reactors and on the future of nuclear power in Japan in general.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/02/05/3247591/fukushima-pledges-100-percent-renewable/

[NNadir]

1. There is no place on earth that is 100% renewable, because...

the wind doesn't always blow and the sun doesn't always shine.

Only fools pretend otherwise.

The renewable industry as represented by wind and solar, after sucking huge amounts of money out of the pockets of the poor and handing it to the rich, close to a trillion dollars, can't even produce 1% of the 540 exajoules humanity consumes each year.

It's nothing more than a front for the oil, coal and gas industry.

This pernicious renewable energy fantasy, which is a pop fantasy, equivalent to the idea once held that Brittney Spears was a musician, is literally killing the planet, at an ever increasing pace.

[kristopher]

2. Typical nuclear industry falsehoods

5. Introduction of nuclear power as a set with coal-fired power generation
The theory of introducing nuclear power generation to reduce the number of coal thermal power plants seems to be too naïve a thought, in the political sense. In reality, nuclear power plants and coal thermal power plants were built and introduced in Japan simultaneously. For us, nuclear power and coal thermal power have been considered as a set, with coal thermal power acting as a back-up system in case of reduced operations at nuclear power plants. Consequently, Japan has consistently increased the number of coal thermal power plants, while promoting nuclear power generation, resulting in the eventual increase in CO2 emissions.

The most important reason for this is the fact that stakeholders promoting nuclear power plants are the same as those promoting coal thermal power plants, i.e., economic bureaucrats, power generation companies, major heavy equipment manufacturers, and energy intensive industries. As they are in a mutually beneficial relationship, they share strong economic incentives to build a massive centralized power generation system and to maximize their fixed assets and electricity sales. Therefore, these stakeholders are inclined to be less enthusiastic to introduce energy-saving measures and renewable energy. In Japan, the Government and other stakeholders intentionally advocated for a trade-off relationship between nuclear power generation and climate change measures. Climate change measures are “used” to promote nuclear power generation. Many Japanese people have eventually accepted such an idea.

The conclusion in Japan is that, in order to reduce the number of coal thermal power plants, it is essential to reform the structure of industry and interests through denuclearization. Moreover, it is our belief that such events and situations are not things limited to Japan, but will happen in any country of similar industrial structure and at a similar stage of economic development.

Nuclear Power is not the Answer to Climate Change Mitigation

January 31, 2014 (ver.2)

Jusen ASUKA, Professor, Tohoku University*
Seung-Joon PARK, Associate Professor, Kwansei Gakuin University
Mutsuyoshi NISHIMURA, Former ambassador for the United Nations climate change negotiations
Toru MOROTOMI, Professor, Kyoto University

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101684781


Your remarks about social justice and the relative impact of nuclear vs renewables are too absurd to even bother addressing.

[madokie]

3. Kris if you ever find yourself with some time to waste

go here and do some reading. Some of it is fall down funny, others of it is some stupid ass shit. Once you do you will understand why I can't take this person seriously about anything.
Methinks he doeth drink too much
http://www.dailykos.com/blog/NNadir

I mean if the gentleman doesn't know it it ain't worth knowing.

[kristopher]

4. Thanks but no thanks

I'm still plenty entertained by the claims that he was going to abandon the US and sell his molten salt reactor overseas -where he was, of course, certain that he would receive the appreciation he deserved.

But I'm here:

Solar Water Pumps Wean India Farmers From Grid
Natalie Obiko Pearson and Ganesh Nagarajan, Bloomberg February 10, 2014

NEW DELHI -- India has a novel idea: Wean farmers from archaic power lines and expensive diesel fuel to run their water pumps with solar energy.

The government is looking to swap 26 million groundwater pumps for more efficient irrigation models powered by the sun. If successful, crop production could rise in India, where farms suffer from blackouts and volatile fuel costs. It would also save about $6 billion a year in power and diesel subsidies.

Companies targeting the market include BlackRock Inc.- backed SunEdison Inc., Asia’s top irrigation-equipment maker Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Claro Energy Pvt., whose investors include Standard Chartered Plc Managing Director Arun Singhal, and the solar unit of the Tata group, India’s biggest conglomerate.

“The potential is huge,” Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary at India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said in an interview. “Irrigation pumps may be the single largest application for solar in the country.”..

http://preview.tinyurl.com/lf48brm

Renewables Provide 15% of Supply During California Emergency — Time to Go 100% Renewable?
Paul Gipe, Contributor February 10, 2014

California’s over reliance on fossil fuels for generating electricity, notably natural gas, led the state’s electricity system operator to call an emergency on Thursday, 6 February. The move called on Californians throughout the state to conserve electricity and natural gas.

Because of heating and power demands in the Northeast US due to the extreme cold weather, natural gas was in short supply in Southern California, leading California’s Independent System Operator (CaISO) to call a statewide “Flex Alert”. The alert is the lowest level in CaISO’s emergency notifications.

The shortage comes at time when the continent believes — right or wrong — that it is awash in natural gas. President Obama has often repeated the phrase that the U.S. has a “100-year supply of natural gas.” Whether this is true or not, the gas does nothing for anyone in the ground. It has to be extracted, processed, and transported to where it is needed. Therein lies the rub.

Thus, it may come as a shock to North Americans — and to observers overseas — that there could be a gas shortage anywhere on the continent known for “fracking” its way to an “energy independence” nirvana.

Apparently, natural gas isn’t quite as reliable as the public has been led to believe...

http://preview.tinyurl.com/owbdmzk

Help Them Help You: IKEA to Donate Solar Lighting to Refugees with Each LED Bulb Purchase
Meg Cichon February 10, 2014

For the 10.5 million refugees around the globe, much of their lives are spent in the dark. This presents a major threat to refugees (half of which are children), and makes daily survival activities such as gathering food and water extremely dangerous. And the situation is only getting worse.

In 2013 alone, more than 2 million people became refugees, “a near 20-year record,” according to UN high commissioner for refugees Antonio Guterres. Recognizing this plight, the IKEA Foundation is using their major global influence to shine a light on this growing issue with its Brighter Lives for Refugees campaign.

In partnership with the United Nation Refugee Agency (UNHCR), IKEA announced that for every LEDARE LED lightbulb sold in its stores, it will donate €1.00 (U.S. $1.34) to UNHCR refugee camps for solar lighting, fuel-efficient cooking stoves and other renewable energy technologies.

“The absence of powered light limits everyday activities we take for granted, such as sharing a meal or doing your homework. It impacts safety and security and the ability for families to generate an income,” said Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation in a release. “[This campaign] will help bring lights and renewable energy into the streets and homes of refugees camps, so UNHCR can help build a better everyday life for refugee children and families.”

IKEA is no stranger to renewable energy and has a goal to produce more energy with renewables than it consumes by 2020...

http://preview.tinyurl.com/mhua3dd