Nuclear Blogger Carnival #313: Here at Yes Vermont Yankee

Once again, we are proud to host the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers, right here at Yes Vermont Yankee. The Carnival is a compendium of nuclear blogs that rotates from blog site to blog site, and it is always a pleasure and an honor to host it.

Economics

Too Cheap to Meter

At Nuke Power Talk, Gail Marcus discusses “Too Cheap to Meter” and the continued speculation about what Lewis Strauss might have meant when he uttered those words 62 years ago. Her post links to the speech itself.  (These words were part of a set of hopes for an abundant future; they were not a price prediction.)   

It is broken markets, not uneconomic plants that are putting nuclear plants at risk

At the MZConsulting blog  Milt Caplan discusses the need for long-term investment  which is not met by today's "deregulated" markets.  In these markets, natural gas is the price maker, and all other plants are price takers. However, some types of not-natural-gas plants plants are subsidized.  This market system is broken, and the effects on existing and new infrastructure may be severe.

How Can Nuclear Power Survive after Electricity Market Deregulation?

It might seem that this article follows directly from the previous article about prices in the United States.  Instead, this one is about Japan: A report based on a dialogue between Edward Kee and Prof. Takeo Kikkawa during the April 2016 Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) Annual Conference in Tokyo. The JAIF event covered topics related to the way nuclear power will fit into the Japanese electricity industry as deregulation and electricity markets are implemented. 

Obama, Modi Kick Start the Westinghouse Nuclear Deal 

At Neutron Bytes, Dan Yurman notes that the deal won’t go very far unless some major challenges are overcome.

Clean Energy

TVA Way Ahead Of The Pack With Nuclear and Solar

At Forbes, James Conca reports on news from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  This year, TVA took significant actions that will move the country forward on what many think is the best energy mix for the future – nuclear and solar. This month alone, TVA started their latest solar power program, submitted the first-ever permit application to the NRC for a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), and their Watts Bar 2 Nuclear Generating Station became the first new nuclear power plant in the U.S. in this century to reach criticality.

A Positive Message: Pro-Nuclear Videos from World Nuclear Association

At Yes Vermont Yankee,  I share two videos from the World Nuclear Association. These short, accurate videos share a positive message on the role of nuclear energy. The first one is Nuclear Energy Leaves More Space for Nature, and the second is Nuclear Energy Helps Solve the Climate Puzzle.  Enjoy and share these one-minute videos.