New Tech Could Make Nuclear the Best Weapon Against Climate Change

by Elizabeth Svoboda (DiscoverMagazine.com)

Buoyed by an allocation of $1.25 billion in funding for reactor research from the 2005 Energy Policy Act, INL scientists are working to improve safety, boost efficiency, minimize waste, and decrease cost in a new generation of nuclear reactors. …

The rest of the article can be read at DiscoverMagazine.com

China Shenhua (601088.SS) (1088.HK) to invest $59 bln in coal conversion

By Reuters (Reuters.com)

BEIJING, June 11 (Reuters) – Shenhua Group, China’s biggest coal producer, plans to invest more than 400 billion yuan ($58.53 billion) over the next decade in facilities to convert coal to oil, methanol and gas, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

The rest of the article can be read at Reuters.com

Cleveland wants to be first to have offshore wind farm in Lake Erie

By Tom Breckenridge/Plain Dealer Reporter

Local wind energy advocates feel they are in a race to plant the first turbine in Great Lakes water.

The rest of the article can be read at Blog.Cleveland.com

By Jorn Madslien (BBC news – bbc.co.uk)

Statoil’s Alexandra Beck Gjorv told the BBC the technology, the Hywind, to be put off Norway’s coast – “should help move offshore wind farms out of sight”.

The rest of the article can be read at bbc.co.uk

Clean Coal: Fresh Legs for FutureGen Project

By Keith Johnson (blogs.wsj.com)

FutureGen, the proposed first-of-a-kind “clean coal” plant in Illinois, finally got the green light today from the Obama administration, 18 months after the Bush administration basically killed the project.

The rest of the article can be read at blogs.wsj.com.

Australia experiences geothermal surge

By EnergyCurrent.com

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: The Australian geothermal industry has experienced significant growth in the number of companies that have joined the search for “Hot-Rock Energy,” fueled by the rapidly increasing demand for renewable energy, according to Australia-based consulting and communication strategies firm Activated Logic.

The rest of article can be read at EnergyCurrent.com

Germany open geothermal power station in Bavaria

By Trinity Hartman (DW-World.de)

Germany has officially opened an eco-friendly power plant near Munich in what is seen as a significant step in the creation of its promised geothermal energy network.

The rest of the article can be read at dw-world.de

Making waves: Why getting power from the Ocean is so tough

By Keith Johnson (Environmental capital; blogs.wsj.com)

Wave power faces four primary obstacles. It’s very immature technology—there are about 80 different ways to snatch electricity from the ocean, and not all of them will be winners.

The rest of the article can be read at blogs.wsj.com

University of Nevada, Reno, set to become renewable energy leader

The University of Nevada, Reno (www.unr.edu)

The University of Nevada, Reno, is quickly filling this leadership role with a number of initiatives that promise to transform not only the economy of the state of Nevada but to revitalize and revamp the national economy with the creation of new companies, new jobs and an entirely new emphasis on renewable energy and a much-needed investment in the rebuilding of the nation’s infrastructure.

According to Manos Maragakis, dean of the College of Engineering, the University has undertaken this role because it is uniquely suited, with talented researchers in all the key renewable energy areas. Their combined talented promise to bring the diverse elements of a modern 21st-century economy together in ways that could change Nevada forever.

The rest of the article can be read at unr.edu

Island Nation to Produce 4X its Energy Needs with Geothermal Energy

By Levi Novey (Celsias.com)

The tiny two island Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis recently discovered several large geothermal reservoirs that will allow it to produce an estimated 50 megawatts (MW) of clean energy. ..

The rest of the article can be read at Celsias.com