#renewablesnow — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #renewablesnow, aggregated by home.social.
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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However, we need to figure out #Batteries that don't involve #Lithium (or reuse lithium), and also #GreenTechnology that is TRULY green -- ideally from recycled or common place materials, that can be repaired, and that can be recycled/reused once its useful life is over...
#ClimateSolutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
Matthew Pearce
Thu 10 Sep 2026Excerpt: "The report, produced by the University of Exeter with the Earthshot prize, applies tipping point science to 51 priority areas across five environmental goals: protecting nature, cleaning the air, reviving oceans, eliminating waste and tackling the climate crisis.
"Smith said positive tipping points could be understood as the beneficial counterpart to dangerous climate thresholds, such as the collapse of ice sheets or the death of coral reefs.
" 'Tipping points can also work in our favour,' he said. The rapid growth of solar power, wind power and electric vehicles, as well as the recovery of some natural systems, showed beneficial change could accelerate after reaching a critical threshold.
"However, the transition to clean power is being impeded by slow planning and grid expansion, particularly in wealthier economies, and a severe lack of investment elsewhere. Africa receives less than 2% of global clean energy investment despite possessing 60% of the world’s best solar resources, according to the report.
"Research cited in the analysis suggests coordinated policies supporting clean power, transport and heating could bring forward tipping points in those sectors by between two and eight years. Progress in one sector makes the others easier by increasing demand for clean electricity, encouraging investment and driving costs down further.
"Transforming global commodity supply chains is identified as another high-impact intervention. A relatively small number of #companies, #banks and regulators control trade in commodities including #beef, #soy, #PalmOil, #timber, #cocoa and #coffee, which together drive much of the world’s tropical #deforestation."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hMMv4#SolarPunkSunday #NewTechnology #Capitalism #RenewablesNow #PostOil #PostCapitalism #Earth4All
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#Aotearoa / #NewZealand - #MakerFestival
12 - 13 Sept 2026
10:00 am – 6:00 pm148 Durham Street, #Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
"Innovate. Create. Electrify the Future.
#STEM #WanaTrust proudly presents our first ever #MakerFest ! A #SustainableTech event that aims to inspire #innovation and #EnvironmentalResponsibility by developing and showcasing #RenewableEnergy and electrification projects to a broad audience.
Maker Festival will also have a dedicated #RepairCafé over the 2 event days.
Registration: Register for this event and find out more by heading to the learn more button or here
Audience: While the festival is about hands-on learn by doing, #MakerFest is suited to older rangatahi and young adults. We welcome all ages, but some activities will be unsuitable to those under 12 years of age. Please check our programme for the day for more info on what to expect to avoid disappointment.
Accessibility: Public transport, #WhānauFriendly and #Mobility #accessible
Cost: Free entry
Venue: 148 Durham Street, Tauranga 3110
Maximum Capacity: 1600"FMI and to register:
https://www.repairnetworkaotearoa.org.nz/repair-festival-2026/maker-festival-tauranga-repair-caf%C3%A9#SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafes #RepairNetworkAotearoa
#RepairReuseRestore #STEMWanaTrust #ZeroWaste #FixIt #RepairFestival #RenewablesNow #SolarPunk #RepairFestival2026 #BuildingCommunity #SustainableTechnology -
Boo hiss...
Controversial #JackdawGasField set to be approved in weeks, sources say
Simon Jack, 3 September 2026
"The #UK government is set to give the go-ahead for a controversial new #GasField off the coast of #Aberdeen, the BBC understands.
"Approval for the Jackdaw project could come in mid-September, just before #Parliament breaks for party conference season, according to government and industry sources.
"The gas field was approved by the former #ConservativeGovernment in 2022 but was delayed by a legal ruling from a #ScottishCourt, after #EnvironmentalGroups argued consent was given without fully considering the #ClimateImpact.
"Jackdaw's owner says it will account for 6% of UK gas output when at peak production but environmental groups say it will provide only 2% of UK use when imports are included.
"Campaigners launched legal challenges after Jackdaw was approved in 2022 and when the #RosebankOilField off #Shetland was given the green light in 2023.
"The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled last year that #Rosebank and Jackdaw had been unlawfully approved because the government had failed to take into account the climate impact of burning extracted #OilAndGas from the sites.
"A judge ruled that more detailed climate assessments had to be published, and further estimates were put out for consultation in July.
"Both Jackdaw and Rosebank are operated by #Adura, a joint venture between energy giants #ShellOil and Norway's #Equinor. Aberdeen-based firm Ithaca also owns 20% of Rosebank.
"Adura has estimated that Jackdaw could produce 35.8m tonnes of carbon over its 11-year lifetime, the equivalent of 90% of Scotland's emissions for 2023. But it said a more likely estimate was about 23.6m tonnes - equivalent to 60% of the 2023 figure.
" #Environmentalists insist that more #drilling would be unconscionable, hampering efforts to cut planet-warming carbon emissions as deadly #heatwaves and #ExtremeWeather affect billions across the globe.
"They also say starting production would not protect energy security and that transitioning sooner to #GreenerTechnologies would be better for supporting jobs."
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj9xe09jz4eo#RenewablesNow #NoDrilling #NorthSea #ScottishCoast #UKNews #UKPol #Scotland #BigOilAndGas #ShellLies #Oiligarchy
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Unfortunately, this new breakthrough involves #Molybdenum, the mining of which is very polluting. The article does also mention breakthroughs using #perovskite, and hopefully, lead-free perovskite (like those using tin) will be developed... Always ask -- How long will this new technology last? What happens when it becomes obsolete? Are there polluting materials involved?
Scientists achieve ‘impossible’ #solar efficiency in #renewables breakthrough
‘Spin-flip’ technique promises to shatter efficiency limits
Anthony Cuthbertson
Monday 30 March 2026 1https://www.the-independent.com/tech/solar-panel-breakthrough-renewable-energy-b2948432.html
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Unfortunately, this new breakthrough involves #Molybdenum, the mining of which is very polluting. The article does also mention breakthroughs using #perovskite, and hopefully, lead-free perovskite (like those using tin) will be developed... Always ask -- How long will this new technology last? What happens when it becomes obsolete? Are there polluting materials involved?
Scientists achieve ‘impossible’ #solar efficiency in #renewables breakthrough
‘Spin-flip’ technique promises to shatter efficiency limits
Anthony Cuthbertson
Monday 30 March 2026 1https://www.the-independent.com/tech/solar-panel-breakthrough-renewable-energy-b2948432.html
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Unfortunately, this new breakthrough involves #Molybdenum, the mining of which is very polluting. The article does also mention breakthroughs using #perovskite, and hopefully, lead-free perovskite (like those using tin) will be developed... Always ask -- How long will this new technology last? What happens when it becomes obsolete? Are there polluting materials involved?
Scientists achieve ‘impossible’ #solar efficiency in #renewables breakthrough
‘Spin-flip’ technique promises to shatter efficiency limits
Anthony Cuthbertson
Monday 30 March 2026 1https://www.the-independent.com/tech/solar-panel-breakthrough-renewable-energy-b2948432.html
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Unfortunately, this new breakthrough involves #Molybdenum, the mining of which is very polluting. The article does also mention breakthroughs using #perovskite, and hopefully, lead-free perovskite (like those using tin) will be developed... Always ask -- How long will this new technology last? What happens when it becomes obsolete? Are there polluting materials involved?
Scientists achieve ‘impossible’ #solar efficiency in #renewables breakthrough
‘Spin-flip’ technique promises to shatter efficiency limits
Anthony Cuthbertson
Monday 30 March 2026 1https://www.the-independent.com/tech/solar-panel-breakthrough-renewable-energy-b2948432.html
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Unfortunately, this new breakthrough involves #Molybdenum, the mining of which is very polluting. The article does also mention breakthroughs using #perovskite, and hopefully, lead-free perovskite (like those using tin) will be developed... Always ask -- How long will this new technology last? What happens when it becomes obsolete? Are there polluting materials involved?
Scientists achieve ‘impossible’ #solar efficiency in #renewables breakthrough
‘Spin-flip’ technique promises to shatter efficiency limits
Anthony Cuthbertson
Monday 30 March 2026 1https://www.the-independent.com/tech/solar-panel-breakthrough-renewable-energy-b2948432.html
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SimplyInfo.org: 15th Anniversary Report #FukushimaDaiichi
March 2, 2026
Excerpt: "This TV Asahi investigative report from March 2025 [linked below] paints a sobering picture of the enormous challenges still facing the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi, fourteen years after the accident. While #TEPCO achieved a milestone the previous November by extracting roughly 0.7 grams of #NuclearFuel debris for the first time, experts interviewed for the piece emphasized that debris removal is just one piece of a far more complex puzzle. Around 1,000 fuel assemblies
still remain in the spent fuel pools of Units 1 and 2, untouched since the accident, and officials from the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (#NDF) described clearing these pools as the single most urgent priority — in part because another
#earthquake or #tsunami could strike at any time."Before large-scale debris removal can even begin, the area around the reactor buildings must be cleared of heavily contaminated structures and exhaust stacks to make room for the massive equipment required. Because humans cannot safely approach the highly radioactive debris, all removal work must be done remotely. Radiation levels outside the buildings remain dangerously high — a dosimeter near #Unit2 showed particularly elevated readings — and contaminated water continues to be generated at a rate of roughly 80 tons per day as #rainwater and #groundwater contact radioactive materials on site, despite TEPCO having already released about 80,000 tons of treated [but still radioactive] water into the ocean.
"Perhaps the most troubling concern raised in the article is what happens to the debris and #RadioactiveWaste after it is removed. Hiroshi Miyano, chairman of the Decommissioning Review Committee of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, was blunt in his criticism, saying no serious thought has been given to managing this waste over the coming century or two.
"The Fukushima debris is uniquely complicated because it is a mixture of melted nuclear fuel and structural materials, and experts warned that removal may not even be possible until a concrete disposal plan is in place. General decommissioning superintendent Toyoshi Fukada warned that without proper storage facilities ready in advance, the entire decommissioning effort could eventually grind to a halt simply because there would be nowhere to put the waste."
Read more:
https://simplyinfo.org/2026/03/simplyinfo-org-15th-anniversary-report-fukushima-daiichi/Asashi investigative report [pdf]:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ysaf6a7hj62286sv4hoql/alps_water_d250130_14-j_translated.pdf?rlkey=3u397ndoafdtiq6fgjczg4a74&st=845tdf30&dl=0#FukushimaIsntOver #TEPCOLies #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #RenewablesNow #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #NuclearPlants #NuclearDisaster #Remember311
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World’s biggest #NuclearPlant fires up 1,356MW reactor after 13-year freeze
Story by Everett Sloane, February 11, 2026
Excerpt: "Coverage of the planned restart has noted that Japan’s #Kashiwazaki and Kariwa units faced a suspension just hours after an earlier attempt began, after a minor malfunction triggered alarms. Separate reporting on Jan developments stressed that the significance of bringing Reactor No. 6 online was rising as tight supply threatened winter reliability, a reminder that grid operators are juggling risk on two fronts at once: the risk of another accident and the risk of blackouts if demand outstrips capacity. This dual pressure is why I see unit 6 less as a side story and more as the template regulators will use to judge whether No. 7 can safely move from fuel loading to full power."
#KashiwazakiKariwa #TEPCOLies #KEPCOLIes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #Geothermal #WaveEnergy #Japan #JapanPol #RenewablesNow #FukushimaIsntOver
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Danish #WaveEnergy firm step closer to commercial pilot project in #Barbados
Danish wave energy firm #Wavepiston has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Export Barbados (BIDC), an agency of the Barbados Government, as part of its journey towards commercial wave energy deployment in the Caribbean.
February 4, 2026, by Nadja Skopljak
"Initial results show that Wavepiston’s flexible sails prove effective in mitigating peak forces during extreme events, thereby validating the company’s approach of using sails composed of flexible panels to passively counter extreme events. Data was collected by multiple gauges, including force gauges, motion trackers and video recordings from multiple angles."
#SolarPunkSunday #WaveSails #RenewableEnergy #ClimateChange #RenewablesNow #PhaseOutFossilFuels #Energy #Invention
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Oooooh... This is cool... Has there been further development on this?
'#WaveEnergy:' This Floating Spine-Like Device Generates Sea #Waves Into Electricity!
By Joaquin Victor Tacla
Published: Aug 18 2022"The #WavelineMagnet prototype, which consists of numerous floating platforms connected to give it the impression of a floating spine, was shown by the business earlier this year.
The flexible and modular system is made to allow the energy generator to follow the motion of the waves smoothly. This gives the gadget control over how much energy is collected from the waves, according to the firm."
#SolarPunkSunday #RenewablesNow #PhaseOutFossilFuels
#Energy #Invention #Cypress #Renewables -
This invention may change the world of #RenewableEnergy
February 1, 2026
"Do you know that by 2024 the total renewable energy capacity will exceed 4 tw (Terawatts)? This is equivalent to the total electricity generated in the United States. The proving grounds for the most exotic and complex projects are remote regions, whose residents regularly face the problem of a stable electricity supply. Welcome to Innovative Techs! Today you will learn how a small island off the coast of Australia will change the world with the new wave-activated power generating apparatus."
#SolarPunkSunday #WaveEnergy #RenewablesNow #PhaseOutFossilFuels #Energy #Invention #Uniwave200 #Australia
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Japan Is Restarting Its #NuclearPower Program 15 Years After the #Fukushima Disaster
One of the surviving reactors at the #KashiwazakiKariwa plant was loaded with fuel last summer and recently turned back on, to mixed reactions.
By Elizabeth Rayne, Published: Jan 28, 2026
Excerpt: "Despite the benefits [sic] of nuclear energy, not everyone is so sure about this move. The Japanese government’s strategic energy plan previously intended to reduce the use of nuclear power as much as possible, but as far back as 2021, it has been focused on incorporating nuclear back into its bank of power sources as a way to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. Its newest plan addresses the progress that has been made since the Fukushima disaster, admitting that the power plant failed to make improvements because of 'the myth [that] created the impression that meeting the standards and conditions set by the government and industry would eliminate all risks.'
"Some citizens see the return to nuclear power as a dismissal of caution."
#RethinkNotRestart #NoMoreFukushimas #TEPCOLies #KEPCOLies #NoNukes #RenewablesNow #Geothermal #Hotsprings #FukushimaIsntOver #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #Radiation #NuclearWasteIsForever
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Alas, starting to wind down this #SolarPunkSunday... TY to @MaQuest , @jblue , @BrambleBearGrrrauwling and everyone who used the hashtag and/or boosted the posts! I'll re-post a few articles from yesterday before returning to the "Doom and Gloom" posts. Please join us next week for the 1 year anniversary of SPS! We hope you'll share your stories, art, helpful hints, and tales of hope and community! #InformationIsPower!
#ABetterWorld is possible!
#SolarPunk #SolarPunkArt #SolarPunkMusings #StabilizedWorld #LtG #BuildingCommunity #Decolonize #DeGrowth #SolarPunkSunday
#HopePunk #DeCapitalize
#RightToRepair #NatureRocks #ClimateChange #RenewablesNow
#GrowYourOwnFood #ClimateAdaptation -
So, for the upcoming one year anniversary of #SolarPunkSunday on December 21st, we invite writers, artists and makers to share their works! I'll be focusing on #SolarPunk and #Resiliency around the world, as we are all in this TOGETHER! #AnotherWorldIsPossible!
#SolarPunk #SolarPunkArt #SolarPunkMusings #ABetterWorld #StabilizedWorld #LtG #BuildingCommunity #Decolonize #DeGrowth #SolarPunkSunday
#HopePunk #DeCapitalize
#RightToRepair #NatureRocks #ClimateChange #RenewablesNow
#GrowYourOwnFood #ClimateAdaptation -
Essay - How the climate conversation went punk
From #SlowFashion to #GuerrillaGardening, the internet has transformed solarpunk, a literary movement, into an alternative lifestyle trend.
Written by Sonal Gupta
Mumbai | Updated: November 20, 2025Excerpt: "In 2020, #SolarPunkFarms cropped up in California as a #communal living space whose inhabitants grow and share their own food. The leftovers are sent to local markets. They have designed their #greenhouse after the animations of #HayaoMiyazaki. In fact, the works of the #StudioGhibli founder have found resonance among solarpunks, as he places nature as a character in his plots. In his visions, nature is at its most beautiful—lush greenery, rays of light, the dew on leaves, and the wind blowing life into trees.
"Though these changes are encouraging, it’s ironic that as we move past dystopian visions, the #capitalists of the world, running in the #AI race, threaten to steer us to the very future. The use of AI itself depletes water resources and generates immense amounts of greenhouse gases and electronic waste. If we are to live in a world where technology exists in harmony with #nature, #activists, stakeholders, and individuals must actively call for more #SustainableSolutions, #AffirmativeAction, and policy changes.
"If cyberpunk warned us of what happens when technology consumes humanity, solarpunk invites us to imagine what is possible when humanity reclaims technology. It reminds us that hope, like sunlight, is a renewable resource too."
Read more:
https://indianexpress.com/article/fresh-take/what-is-solarpunk-climate-change-10334376/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/8loNL#SolarPunkSunday #SolarPunk #HopePunk #DeGrowth #DeCapitalize #RightToRepair #NatureRocks #AISucks #ClimateChange #RenewablesNow #GrowYourOwnFood #ABetterWorld #StabilizedWorld #ClimateAdaptation
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I'm fascinated with the concept of #Hydrogeneration -- using waves to generate electricity in a moving boat! Kinda like a flywheel generator on a bicycle!
#Sailors embrace green tech with electric motors and #solar power
Advances in eco-friendly options are persuading some yacht owners to ditch diesel
Patrick Temple-West
Sep 24 2025"When the wind dies, sailing boats typically rely on diesel engines, which are noisy and polluting. Now, just as electric motors are taking over the auto industry, electric motors are winning over sailors, too.
"Two years ago, the Metstrade exhibition design winner was #Oceanvolt, a Helsinki-based electric motor manufacturer. The company is one of the few in the world that sells a completely electric propulsion system — which combines solar panels on deck with batteries to generate electricity.
"The Oceanvolt propulsion system is also innovative in its use of hydrogeneration. When a sailboat is enjoying good wind and is moving without a motor, the Oceanvolt propellers can generate electricity as the water flows past them. Oceanvolt says its system can generate up to five kilowatts of power to charge equipment and batteries, depending on how fast the boat is going."
Read more:
https://www.ft.com/content/0da3ab58-d77e-4240-9310-88ad56293bb0#SolarPunkSunday #RenewablesNow #Boats #Boating #SolarPower #WavePower
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"We work the black seam together," - Sting,
#Trump administration opens more land for #CoalMining, offers $625M to boost #coal-fired power plants
By MATTHEW DALY
Updated 4:22 PM EDT, September 29, 2025WASHINGTON (AP) — "The Trump administration said Monday it will open 13 million acres of federal lands for coal mining and provide $625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired power plants as President Donald Trump continues his efforts to reverse the years-long decline in the U.S. coal industry.
"Actions by the Energy and Interior departments and the Environmental Protection Agency follow executive orders Trump issued in April to revive coal, a reliable but #polluting energy source that’s long been shrinking amid environmental regulations and competition from cheaper natural gas.
"#Environmental groups denounced the actions, which come as the Trump administration has clamped down on renewable energy, including freezing permits for offshore wind projects, ending #CleanEnergy tax credits and blocking #wind and #solar projects on federal lands.
"Under Trump’s orders, the Energy Department has required fossil-fueled power plants in Michigan and Pennsylvania to keep operating past their retirement dates to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. The latest announcement would allow those efforts to expand as a precaution against possible electricity shortfalls."
#DirtyCoal #RenewablesNow #FossilFuelsOut #TrumpIsAFossil #Oiligarchy #FossilFools #USPol #Corporatocracy #AreWeLivingInTheVictorianAgeAgain?
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@fcalva Are you kidding? There's #solar, #geothermal, #windpower, #TidalPower, etc., etc. All of those should be developed over gas and oil. Also, NO NUKES FOR AI AND DATACENTERS! Seriously!!! AI and Datacenters are SUCKING UP way more energy than day-to-day living!
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We Work The Black Seam
"This place has changed for good
Your economic theory said it wouldIt's hard for us to understand
We can't give up our jobs the way we shouldOur blood has stained the #coal
We tunneled deep inside the nations soulWe matter more than pounds and pence
Your economic theory makes no senseOne day in a #nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big holePower was to become cheap and clean
Grimey faces were never seen
Deadly for 12,000 years
Is #Carbon14We work the black seam together
We work the black seam togetherThe seam lies underground
Three million years of pressure packed it downWe walk through ancient forest lands
And light a thousand cities with our handsYour dark satanic mills
Have made redundant all our mining skillsYou can't exchange a six-inch band
For all the poisoned streams in cumberlandOne day in a nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big holePower was to become cheap and clean
Grimey faces were never seen
Deadly for 12,000 years
Is carbon 14We work the black seam together
We work the black seam togetherAnd should the children weep
The turning world will sing their souls to sleepWhen you have sunk without a trace
The universe will suck me into placeOne day in a nuclear age
They may understand our rage
They build machines that they can't control
And bury the waste in a great big holePower was to become cheap and clean
Grimey faces were never seen
Deadly for 12,000 years
Is carbon 14We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together
We work the black seam together"- #Sting, 1985
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egynEo4cIEM
#80sMusic #NoNukes #NoCoal #RethinkNotRestart #DirtyCoal #NuclearWaste #RenewablesNow! #NoNukesForAI #NoCoalForAI
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'Planet Wreckers': 4 Rich Nations Plotting Nearly 70% of New Oil and Gas Over Next Decade | Common Dreams
This is not just hypocrisy," said one climate campaigner. "It is a death sentence for communities on the frontlines of the #ClimateCrisis."
Brett Wilkins
Jun 16, 2025"Four wealthy nations—the #UnitedStates, #Canada, #Norway, and #Australia—account for the majority of planned oil and gas expansion over the next decade, according to new data published by #OilChangeInternational on Monday, the first day of the #BonnClimateChangeConference in Germany.
"Oil Change's analysis, titled #PlanetWreckers, notes that if those four #GlobalNorth nations stopped their planned new oil and gas extraction, 32 billion tons of carbon pollution would stay in the ground instead of being burned and released into the atmosphere, where they fuel planetary heating. That's the equivalent of three times the annual global emissions created by burning coal.
" 'A handful of the world's richest nations remain intent on leading us into disaster. This is not just hypocrisy. It is a death sentence for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis,' Oil Change International global policy lead Romain Ioualalen said in a statement Monday.
"It is sickening that countries with the highest incomes and outsized historical responsibility for causing the climate crisis are planning massive oil and gas expansion with no regard for the lives and livelihoods at stake," Ioualalen added."
Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/oil-change-report-planet-wreckers#Oligarchy #Oiligarchy #BigOilAndGas #DrillBabyDrill #LeaveItInTheGround #CorporateColonialism #FossilFuels #Fracking #Oil #Pollution #Drilling #Ecocide #USPol #CanadaPol #PetroState #ThanksBigOil #ClimateCatastrophe #BPKnew #ExxonKnew #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #OilUpTheSwamp #ExtractiveIndustries #NoPipelines #RenewablesNow #FossillFuel #NoJobsOnADeadPlanet
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Four days ago: #Spain Signals Openness to Keeping #NuclearPowerPlants Open
By Daniel Basteiro and Thomas Gualtieri
April 24, 2025"Spain is signaling for the first time that it’s open to reconsidering the shutdown of #NuclearPlants over the next decade amid a global revival of #AtomicEnergy.
While that’s not the plan agreed with nuclear plant operators, and it would be up to them to present concrete proposals, extensions are not ruled out, Environmental Transition Minister Sara Aagesen said in an interview." 'Nuclear energy will be present in our mix at least until 2035' but could go beyond that if companies propose extensions, which hasn’t happened yet, she said prior to an International Energy Agency summit on the future of energy security. 'We’re not considering anything because there is no specific proposal on the table.' "
Today [April 28th] "Spain's nuclear power plants automatically stopped, but diesel generators were activated to keep them in 'safe condition', officials said."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/cJiGM#RethinkNotRestart #RenewablesNow #Hydropower #Solar #Geothermal #NoNukesForAI #NoNukes #ExtremeHeat #ExtremeFlooding #NuclearMeltdowns #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange #Blackout
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HT @btschumy
And this is why we need to #RethinkNotRestart and #ShutDownAllNuclearPlants -- especially the aging ones! This article outlines a very possible #Doomsday scenario -- but it could be a number of things, including a large #SolarFlare...2030 Doomsday Scenario: The Great #Nuclear Collapse
A timeline of the #EndGame for human civilization
"Humanity has constructed a doomsday Deadman switch that threatens civilization. Climate destruction will make it increasingly difficult to avoid the looming global nuclear catastrophe we've created.
"Here's how our future might unravel:
Late 2020s: Climate Red Alert and Infrastructure Strain"By the late 2020s, Earth’s climate is in unprecedented turmoil. Global average temperatures are consistently 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Each year brings record-breaking heatwaves, “freak” floods, and droughts that batter infrastructure. Coastal cities flood more frequently, roads buckle in extreme heat, and power grids strain under surging demand for cooling.
"This cascade of climate disasters sets the stage for a systemic collapse: as societies grapple with runaway warming, the resilience of #Criticalnfrastructure (power, water, transit) erodes.
"Energy systems enter a crisis even before 2030. Nuclear power, which in 2025 still provided about 9% of the world’s electricity from ~440 reactors, becomes increasingly unreliable. Many nuclear plants struggle with climate stresses: cooling water sources heat up in summer, forcing reactors to reduce output or shut down to avoid unsafe temperatures. For example, a 2028 European #heatwave pushes river and sea temperatures above 25 °C, triggering emergency shutdowns at multiple reactors that cannot be cooled effectively.
"At the same time, stronger storms and floods threaten reactor safety. Dozens of reactors worldwide are unprepared for #ExtremeFlooding, meaning a dam failure or #StormSurge could lead to a Fukushima-scale accident. Worrisome reports emerge of power plants in #floodplains and #coasts where defenses are overtopped by #RisingSeas and torrential rains.
"By 2029, global carbon output remains high, and natural feedback loops are kicking in. In the Arctic, permafrost thaws and releases methane creating a vicious warming cycle where initial warming triggers more emissions, leading to even more warming. Scientists caution that a tipping point is near, beyond which climate change becomes self-perpetuating (a true “runaway” scenario).
"Society approaches 2030 in a precarious state: aware of looming catastrophe yet unprepared for its speed. The stage is set for the coming collapse, with power grids and nuclear facilities - the backbone of the industrial world - already under severe strain.
Early 2030s: Blackouts and the First Reactor Crises
"2030 marks the breaking point.
"A confluence of climate catastrophes collapses power grids across multiple continents. A severe global heatwave in the summer of 2030 brings record electricity demand while many power plants (nuclear and coal alike) are derated or offline due to overheating coolant water.
"Then powerful Category 5 storms strike in succession: one hurricane inundates the U.S. Eastern seaboard, while an unprecedented typhoon swamps Southeast Asia. These #disasters knock out transmission lines and flood key substations, leading to prolonged blackouts in dozens of major cities. Emergency systems are overwhelmed. With communications down and transportation paralyzed, manpower shortages become acute - many operators and engineers cannot reach their stations.
"Nuclear power plants are among the first to feel the emergency. Grid failure triggers automatic reactor SCRAMs (rapid shutdowns) at plants from Florida to France. Control rods halt the fission reactions, but decay heat in reactor cores still needs cooling for days to prevent meltdown.
"Normally, backup diesel generators would power the cooling pumps, but the scale of the #blackout means diesel resupply is uncertain and some generators fail in flooded facilities. In a grim reflection of 2011’s Fukushima disaster, several coastal reactors lose all power as storm surges drown their backup generators.
"Within hours to days, the first meltdowns occur.
"In 2031, a reactor in South Asia becomes a flashpoint: its cooling pumps falter after the grid collapse, leading the core to overheat. The reactor’s heart melts through containment in a matter of days, releasing a plume of radioactive steam and debris.
"Nearby, an even greater danger unfolds: the plant’s spent fuel pool, packed with years of highly radioactive spent rods, boils dry without cooling. Exposed to air, the zirconium cladding of the fuel ignites, triggering a fire that belches long-lived radioisotopes directly into the atmosphere. This nightmare scenario - once narrowly avoided at #Fukushima by heroic ad-hoc measures - now plays out in full."
Read more:
https://www.collapse2050.com/2030-doomsday-scenario-the-great-nuclear-collapse/#NoNukes #RenewablesNow #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Radiation #NuclearMeltdowns #Polycrisis #NoMoreFukushimas #NoNukesForAI #CivilizationCollapse #NuclearFuture #ARadioactiveWorld
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Since the 2011 #Fukushima accident, Japan has restarted 14 #NuclearReactors
1/10/2025"Japanese utilities restarted two additional nuclear reactors in 2024 that had been suspended from operations in response to the 2011 #FukushimaDaiichi accident, taking the total number of restarted reactors to 14 since the accident.
"In November, #TohokuElectricPowerCo. restarted its 796-megawatt (MW) #Onagawa Unit 2 reactor, and in December #ChugokuElectricPowerCo. restarted its #Shimane Unit 2 (789 MW). Onagawa is the nuclear power plant located closest to the epicenter of the March 2011 #earthquake and tsunami.
"Most of the restarted reactors have been pressurized water reactors (PWR) located in western Japan. Onagawa Unit 2 and Shimane Unit 2, by contrast, are the first boiling water reactors (BWR) to be restarted. Onagawa Unit 2 is also the first reactor in the eastern part of the country to be restarted. Japan’s nuclear regulator prioritized the restart of PWRs due to public safety concerns regarding BWR technology, which is the design of the Fukushima Daiichi units.
"Japan suspended its nuclear fleet from 2013 to 2015 for mandatory safety checks and upgrades following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident. Before the accident, 54 commercial nuclear reactors were operating in Japan, and nuclear power accounted for approximately 30% of the country’s electricity generation. Nuclear restarts have proceeded slowly since the first two units (#Sendai Units 1 and 2) were restarted in 2015. Restarts have been slow due to a significantly more stringent safety inspection and authorization process established after the accident and local court injunctions emerging from ongoing public safety concerns in some regions. Public support for restarts has been growing in Japan recently, however.
"Under the current restart process, once regulatory approvals have been granted, the local municipality and prefectural governments are consulted prior to restart. In addition to the 14 reactors already restarted, three more units (namely, the #KashiwazakiKariwa Unit 6 and Unit 7 and the #TokaiDaini unit) have received regulatory approval to restart but have yet to do so. Tohoku Electric Power announced in 2018 that Onagawa Unit 1 would be decommissioned rather than upgraded, but the utility plans to seek approval to restart Onagawa Unit 3. Restarting another 10 units is under regulatory review.
"The suspension of Japan's nuclear fleet after the Fukushima accident significantly increased dependence on natural gas, oil, and coal imports to make up for lost domestic nuclear generation. It also significantly increased the installed capacity of solar photovoltaic generation in the country, according to data from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Japan has limited domestic fossil fuel resources and imports virtually all the fossil fuels it uses. Consequently, Japan is the world's second-largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after China and the third-largest importer of coal.
"As part of Japan’s sixth long-term energy plan, last updated in October 2021, the central government called for the nuclear share of the country’s electricity generation to reach 20%–22% by 2030. Nuclear power accounted for about 6% of Japan’s electricity generation in 2023. A draft of Japan’s seventh long-term energy plan was released on December 17, 2024, and says nuclear power should account for 20% of Japan’s energy supply in 2040.
"Japan’s current policy intends to maximize the use of existing reactors by restarting as many units as possible and extending the #LicensedOperatingLife beyond the current 60-year limit."
Source:
http://gasprocessingnews.com/news/2025/01/since-the-2011-fukushima-accident-japan-has-restarted-14-nuclear-reactors/
#NoNukesForAI #RenewablesNow #RethinkNotRestart #NoMoreFukushimas #TEPCOLies #KEPCOLies #NoNukes #NuclearPlants #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies -
#AI and [#ComputerChip] Manufacturing Drive #Japan's #Nuclear Energy Expansion
By ZeroHedge - Dec 11, 2024- Japan's #Shimane nuclear reactor has restarted for the first time since the 2011 #Fukushima disaster, marking a significant step in the country's renewed embrace of nuclear power.
- Tech giants like #Meta are actively seeking nuclear power solutions to meet the growing energy demands of their #DataCenters and AI initiatives.
- The global resurgence of #NuclearPower is driven by factors such as increasing energy needs, the push for decarbonization, and advancements in nuclear technology."The world continues to 'warm' back up to nuclear, with the latest example coming out of Japan, where its Shimane nuclear power station in western Japan has been restarted for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima meltdown.
"Japan's long-delayed restart of the 820 MW No. 2 reactor at the Shimane plant, shut down since January 2012, raises the number of operational reactors to 14, with a total capacity of 13,253 MW, according to Reuters.
"#TohokuElectricPower also recently resumed operations of its 825 MW No. 2 reactor at the #Onagawa plant, reducing Japan's reliance on liquefied natural gas and thermal coal.
"Reuters writes that the expanded use of nuclear energy is expected to support Japan's growing power needs, particularly for #semiconductor plants and AI-driven #DataCenters."
#NoNukes #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukesForAI #NoNukesJapan #FukushimaIsntOver #ThermalEnergy #TidalEnergy #RenewablesNow #TEPCOLies #KEPCOLies #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies
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From the Bretton Woods Project: #Forests
"Finally, the [#WorldBank] ’s #forest policy and #WeakSafeguards on #ForestProtection have also been observed to infringe the rights of local communities and have failed to protect one of the planet’s most important ‘#CarbonSinks’ (see Observer Spring 2017). CSOs have called for the Bank to open up its Forest Notes – which are meant to guide the interface between its lending and forests – to consultation (see Observer Winter 2017-2018). CSOs have also been highly critical of one of the forest initiatives the Bank manages, the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), a climate investment fund that supports Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) projects. A March 2017 post in REDD Monitor called the FCPF, 'the most cost-inefficient tree-saving scheme ever,' owing to high administrative costs between fiscal years 2009-2015 absorbing 64 per cent of FCFP’s $55 million expenditure. More generally, the Bank’s overall approach to lending has undermined the protection of vital natural ecosystems in borrower countries. As noted by Bruce Rich in his influential 2013 book, Foreclosing the Future: The World Bank and the Politics of Environmental Destruction, 'When one examines the failures to conserve ecosystems, or to mitigate environmental impacts of development, one finds that failed governance at all levels is almost invariably at the root. …Many of [the Bank’s] problems are associated with a dysfunctional institutional culture in which the relentless pressure to move money out the door, even in violation of the Bank’s own policies and rules, often overrides all other considerations.'"
2017: World Bank policy lending undermines climate goals
"One of the main problems is the Bank’s refusal to adequately assess the social and environmental risks of their policy loans" - Harlem Mariño, Derechos, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
6 April 2017
"A late January report by US-based NGO Bank Information Center (BIC), together with partners in Egypt, Indonesia, Mozambique and Peru, claimed that the Bank is undermining its climate commitments by supporting investment incentives for coal, gas and oil projects through its development policy financing (DPF) mechanism. DPF accounts for approximately a third of all Bank funding and provides resources for programmes of policy and institutional reforms that are agreed by the Bank and the borrowing government (see Update 82). The report argued that the Bank’s financing through DPF contradicts the internationally agreed and Bank-supported goal of limiting the global average temperature increase to 2°C, which according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change would require that at least two-thirds of existing fossil fuel reserves are left in the ground.
"BIC’s report looked at the Bank’s DPF measures in four countries: Egypt, Indonesia, Mozambique and Peru. It found that DPF introduced subsidies for coal in all countries, apart from Peru. For example, the report argued that Bank-supported subsidies for coal infrastructure have helped Indonesia become one of the world’s top coal exporters. It found some DPF support for renewable energy, but argued that the Bank could do more given that all countries examined have potential to develop renewable energy. For example, while Peru’s DPF provides subsidies to public-private partnerships to develop oil and gas infrastructure, it does not include plans for solar or wind power projects."
https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2017/04/world-bank-policy-lending-undermines-climate-goals/
#FCPF #REDD #Ecosystems #ProtectTheForests #EnvironmentalDestruction #ForestDegradation #Deforestation #EnvironmentalImpacts #Egypt #Indonesia #Mozambique #Peru #LeaveItInTheGround #Coal #BigOilAndGas #ExtractiveIndustries #Exploitation #EnvironmentalImpacts
#HumanRights #ParisAgreement
#ParisClimateAgreement #BigOilAndGas #CorporateColonialism #IMFLoanSharks #RenewablesNow -
A coal power plant demolition serves as a poignant historical moment for the Navajo
By Adam Burke
October 5, 2024“At one point #SanJuanGeneratingStation and the #FourCornersPowerPlant, according to Los Alamos National Lab, were the largest source of point-source #pollution in the United States,' [Mike Eisenfeld of #SanJuanCitizensAlliance] said.
"But on this day, the San Juan Generating Station sat dark and inert — it shut down two years ago. As we flew over the Four Corners Power Plant, puffs of white smoke told us it was still producing energy.
'"This is the last #CoalPlant up here,” Eisenfeld said of Four Corners. 'All the others have been retired. Gone.'
"When Eisenfeld first moved to the area nearly 20 years ago, #CoalMining and coal power were on the rise in northwest New Mexico. Today, several large-scale #SolarProjects are in the works."
[...]
"[Elouise] Brown became an anti-coal activist in December 2006, after she learned that former Navajo Nation President #JoeShirley was backing a new coal-fired power plant in the region. The so-called Desert Rock project would have put a third coal plant within a few miles of the other two.
[...]
"'In our #Navajo way of life, you don’t mess with #MotherEarth. You don’t mess with the resources inside,' she said.
Read more:
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/05/nx-s1-5076973/coal-power-plant-demolition-navajo-new-mexico#Dineh #Diné #Dinetah #PeabodyCoal #Solar #RenewablesNow #CoalPower #Pollution #WaterIsLife
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Which rural area will take the UK’s nuclear waste?
"One [#Sellafield's] oldest waste storage silos is currently leaking radioactive liquid into the ground. That is a 'recurrence of a historic leak' that Sellafield Ltd, the company that operates the site, says first started in the 1970s."
Victoria Gill and Kate Stephens
September 8, 2024"A repeating tone - blip, blip, blip - is the audible reminder that we are in one of the most hazardous nuclear sites in the world: Sellafield.
"That sound - pulsing from speakers inside the cavernous fuel-handling plant - is a signal that everything is functioning as it should.
"That is comforting because Sellafield, in Cumbria, is the temporary home to the vast majority of the UK’s radioactive #NuclearWaste, as well as the world’s largest stockpile of #plutonium.
"That waste is the product of reactions that drive the UK’s nuclear power stations and it is highly #radioactive.
"It releases energy that can penetrate and damage the cells in our bodies, and 'it remains hazardous for 100,000 years', explains Claire Corkhill, professor of radioactive waste management at University of Bristol.
"Sellafield is filling up - and experts say we have no choice but to find somewhere new to keep this material safe.
"Nuclear power is also part of the government’s stated mission for 'clean [sic] power by 2030'. More nuclear power means more nuclear waste."
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx6e2x0kdyo#NoNukes #NoWar #RenewablesNow #RethinkNotRestart #Uranium #NuclearWasteDump
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Call to end #NuclearPower ban brings heated reaction in #Australia
Opposition wants to change law and build new plants but critics say focus should remain on #RenewableEnergy
"Another factor is the #Aukus security agreement with the US and UK, which entails #nuclearpowered #submarines being built in Australia and will require the country to store #weaponsgrade #RadioactiveWaste."
by Nic Fildes
August 12, 2024"Dutton’s pitch has pushed energy policy to the fore ahead of next year’s election, as Australia — rich in resources and a big exporter of energy in the form of coal, liquefied natural gas and uranium — grapples with how to decarbonise its economy.
Anthony Albanese’s Labor government has put its focus on renewable energy, passing legislation that targets a 43 per cent cut in carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. It hopes to rapidly phase out coal — which has accounted for almost two-thirds of power generation over the past year — and deliver 82 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
But the opposition Liberals and their allies, the rurally focused Nationals, have pledged to abandon the 2030 target and scrap large-scale wind farm projects. They say nuclear energy could deliver power from the middle of next decade. "Archive:
https://archive.ph/hmsFbSource:
https://www.ft.com/content/89c1ea46-29bc-4a7e-9943-a420b3f1512c#NuclearWeapons #NuclearPlants #NoNukes #NoWar #NoNukesAustralia #NoUraniumMining #NoMiningWithoutConsent #NuclearColonialism #RenewablesNow
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Electric 'superhighway' approved between #Scotland and #England
"The project will be the first of four #subsea electricity links planned along the east coast with the eventual capacity capable of powering 7.5 million homes."
August 13, 2024
by Kevin Keane"A multi-billion pound subsea cable that can shift vast amounts of #renewable electricity between Scotland and England has been given the go-ahead by regulators.
"#SSENTransmission says the #EnergyTransferProject is needed to move energy around the grid on days when the wind doesn’t blow or demand is high.
"The two 315-mile (507km) cables will run from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Drax in North Yorkshire and will initially work alongside a similar link down the west coast.
"It is part of wider moves to modernise and increase capacity on the energy transmission network for the shift away from #Fossilfuels to tackle #ClimateChange.
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#IronAir Batteries Are Here. They May Alter the Future of Energy.
Battery tech is now entering the Iron Age.
By Darren Orf
Published: Jan 17, 2023"Each iron-air battery is about the size of a washer/dryer set and holds 50 iron-air cells, which are then surrounded by an electrolyte (similar to the Duracell in your TV remote). Using a principle called 'reverse rusting,' the cells 'breathe' in air, which transforms the iron into iron oxide (aka rust) and produces energy. To charge it back up, a current reverses the oxidation and turns the cells back into iron.
"NASA first started experimenting with iron-air batteries back in the late 1960s, and it’s obvious why this next-gen storage system has engineers excited. For one, iron-air batteries solve a few of lithium’s biggest shortcomings right off the bat. As their name suggests, these batteries use primarily #iron, the fourth most abundant element on Earth, and ... well ... air. This tech’s adoption could help curtail the large amounts of water used to mine #lithium (not to mention alleviating the potential for #GroundwaterContamination
"Secondly, and most importantly, iron-air batteries would be 10 times cheaper, perform better, and last 17 times longer. Right now, these batteries’ primary task would be to bridge the gap when utilities need more power during peak hours, and as green energy eats up a bigger share of the energy pie, they could also crucially store excess energy on sunny days to shore up supply when the clouds roll in. Lithium-ion only provides approximately four hours of storage, whereas iron-air could deliver up to 100 hours—a full four days to bridge those energy gaps.
"The downsides to iron-air batteries? They’re big and also slow to recharge, which is likely why lithium-ion will remain the battery of choice for electric cars and smartphones. #FormEnergy also says these iron-air batteries will form 'power blocks' where iron-air batteries handle long load times, while lithium-ion batteries take care of spikes in demand."
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a42532492/iron-air-battery-energy-storage/
#RenewablesNow #IronAirBatteries
#SolarPower #WindPower #EnergyStorage #NoLithiumMining #RecycleLithium #LincolnMaine -
Scientists test #agriculture and #SolarEnergy on #Illinois #farms
Two experiments in the state are measuring which crops could grow well under these panels.
By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco
Jul 18, 2024, 2:58pm EDT"Thousands of #wildflowers are blooming under rows of solar panels in eastern Illinois. #Milkweeds, #BlackEyedSusans and native #PrairieGrasses catch the sunlight that streams past solar panels on one end of this 54-acre property near Champaign.
"'Obviously, this setting is not perfect for the farming system,' D.K. Lee, a professor of crop sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said about the narrow space between solar panel arrays.
"But this experimental station called #SolarFarm 2.0 could help UIUC scientists determine whether the marriage between Midwestern agriculture and solar power will be a happy one. Researchers are piloting how crops such as grains and #soybeans used primarily to feed livestock grow with solar panels obstructing their full view of the sun. The counterintuitive practice is called #agrivoltaics, a nascent industry that partners solar developers looking for large plots of land and farmers looking to make additional income.
"That’s why two parallel experiments are underway here to find out what can grow and thrive under solar panels. To hit the ambitious clean energy targets set by state and federal officials, solar power will have to increase close to seven times over current capacity by 2035. That will mean millions of acres devoted to solar power — many of which could be in America’s #farmlands. But to make sure that agricultural communities aren’t left behind by the clean energy transition, scientists want to know what it will take for life to persist beneath solar panels — potentially a first step for farmers and solar power to co-exist.
"'We can only farm about 70% of the land here,' said Bruce E. Branham, professor of horticulture at UIUC. 'So we’ve got 30% of the land that would be farmed in full sun that is just vacant.'
"But in just two years and despite physical constraints, initial findings suggest that the #sorghum grain could be a promising crop to grow alongside solar panels. Branham said that so far it appears that combining sorghum with solar panels has resulted in a 59% increase in efficiency. And wildlife, including #birds and #bees, are flocking to the improved habitat. It’s a good start, but there’s still ways to go before solar farms like these are generating serious energy.
"'This is a 54-acre site, and we’re getting 12 megawatts,' Banham said. 'A lot of power plants are much, much greater than that.'
"In all, Solar Farm 2.0 produces close to 1% of the generating power of the #ClintonPowerStation, a #NuclearPowerPlant just a 45 minute drive east. But for Banham and others, this presents an opportunity to combine Midwestern row crops with solar power to generate enough energy to compete with #FossilFuels and other clean energy alternatives."
#SolarPunkSunday #SolarFarms #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #LocalEnergy #NoNewNukes #NoNukes #SolarFarm #SaveTheFarms #IllinoisFarms #MidwestFarms #SolarSundays #Agrivoltaic
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'This is our best option:' #Maine farmers turn to #SolarEnergy due to #contaminated fields
Story by Brad Rogers
7/25/2024ARUNDEL (WGME) – "#PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, have been nothing short of disastrous for hundreds of #Mainefarmers.
"It's ruined their land, made their cattle, milk and eggs unsafe to eat and left many farmers with serious health problems.
"'This farm has been in our family since 1914,' #FredStone, whose #Arundel farm was contaminated with PFAS, said.
"Stone was a third-generation dairy farmer in Arundel until forever chemicals were discovered in his fields, #WellWater, cows and milk.
"The pollution came from spreading #wastewater #sludge on his farm after the state told him it was safe.
"#MaineDEP has identified more than 500 sites where sludge was applied to farmland as #fertilizer.
"In 2017, Stone was the first farmer in the state to have his dairy farm and his pasture shut down due to #PFAScontamination.
"To make up for it, the state offered to buy his farm, but he refused to walk away.
"'We’re not in the farm selling or land selling business,' Stone said. 'Given what options we had left, that brought us to the solar thing.'
"He's been working with #WaldenRenewables to build a solar array on 100 acres of his contaminated farm.
"'It's their best alternative, but for some of these landowners, it's hard to kind of accept the change that they're facing,' Dale Knapp of Walden Renewables said. 'This is an injection of revenue that they desperately need.'
"This week, the Maine Public Utilities Commission [#MainePUC] approved new rules, paving the way for solar development on PFAS-polluted farms.
"'The Act provides that the commission must give a primary preference to projects that are located on contaminated lands,' Carrie Gilbert of the Maine PUC Commission said.
"'This is our best option,' Stone said. 'So reluctantly, very reluctantly I guess, that’s what we ended up having to do.'
"Stone plans to sign a 30-year lease for the solar array.
"After that, his farm may still be contaminated with forever chemicals, but 30 years is a long time for someone to come up with a solution.
"'That might mean that generational farm just goes on pause,' Knapp said. 'And the next generation may have the opportunity to return it to being a family farm someday.'
"'I’m very bitter,' Stone said. 'This is not the way we wanted to see this go. Yeah, I would love to see it continue on as a farm of some kind but damn the state of Maine for putting me in this position.'"
#MaineFarms #SolarFarms #ContaminatedFarmland #Reuse #SolarFarm #RenewablesNow #RenewableEnergy #PFOA #WaterIsLife #PFOS #PFASContamination #WaterPollution #PFASPollution #PTFE #Wildlife #Cancer #Contamination #Chemicals #Environment #GenXChemicals
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My comments in brackets.
A small drone flies into a damaged #Fukushima #nuclear reactor for the first time to study melted fuel
by MARI YAMAGUCHI
Updated Wed, February 28, 2024 at 8:20 AM EST
"A drone small enough to fit in one's hand flew inside one of the damaged reactors at #Japan's #FukushimaDaiichi #NuclearPowerPlant Wednesday in hopes it can examine some of the molten fuel debris in areas where earlier robots failed to reach [the radiation fried some of them].
"Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings also began releasing the fourth batch of the plant’s treated and diluted #radioactive #wastewater into the [#PacificOean] Wednesday. The government and TEPCO, the plant's operator, say the water is safe [BULLSHIT] and the process is being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, but the discharges have faced strong opposition by fishing groups and a Chinese ban on Japanese seafood.
"A magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed the plant's power supply and cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt down. The government and TEPCO plan to remove the massive amount of fatally radioactive melted nuclear fuel that remains inside each reactor — a daunting decommissioning process that's been delayed for years and mired by technical hurdles and a lack of data.
"To help on data, a fleet of four drones were set to fly one at a time into the hardest-hit No. 1 reactor’s primary containment vessel. TEPCO plans to probe a new area Thursday.
"TEPCO has sent a number of probes — including a crawling robot and an underwater vehicle — inside each reactor but was hindered by debris, #HighRadiation and the inability to navigate through the rubble, though they were able to gather some data. In 2015, the first robot to go inside got stuck on a grate.
"Wednesday’s drone flight comes after months of preparations that began in July at a nearby mock facility.
"The drones, each weighing 185 grams (6.5 ounces), are highly maneuverable and their blades hardly stir up dust, making them a popular model for factory safety checks. Each carries a front-loaded high-definition camera to send live video and higher-quality images to an operating room.
"In part due to battery life, the drone investigation inside a reactor is limited to a 5-minute flight.
"TEPCO officials said they plan to use the new data to develop technology for future probes as well as a process to remove the melted fuel from the reactor. The data will also be used in the investigation of how the 2011 meltdown occurred.
"On Wednesday, two drones inspected the area around the exterior of the main structural support in the vessel, called the #pedestal. Based on the images they transmitted, TEPCO officials decided to send the other two in Thursday.
"The pedestal is directly under the reactor’s core. Officials hope to film the core’s bottom to find out how overheated fuel dripped there in 2011.
"About 880 tons of highly radioactive melted #NuclearFuel remain inside the three damaged reactors. Critics say the 30- to 40-year cleanup target set by the government and TEPCO is overly optimistic. The damage in each reactor is different, and plans need to accommodate their conditions.
"TEPCO's goal is to remove a small amount of melted debris from the least-damaged No. 2 reactor as a test case by the end of March by using a giant robotic arm. It was forced to delay due to difficulty removing a deposit blocking its entry.
"As in the past three rounds of wastewater discharges which started in August, TEPCO plans to release 7,800 metric tons of the treated water through mid-March after diluting it with massive amounts of seawater and sampling it to make sure radioactivity is far below international standards [by using faulty dosimeters].
"China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday accused Japan of risking the whole world with '#NuclearContaminated water' and demanded it stop 'this wrongdoing.' Mao urged #Japan to cooperate in an independent monitoring system with neighboring countries and other stakeholders [rather than bribing the #IAEA]."
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/small-drone-flies-damaged-fukushima-051008732.html#WaterIsLife #FukushimaIsntOver #TEPCOLies #RethinkNotRestart #NoNewNukes #RenewablesNow #ThermalSprings #TidalEnergy
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TODAY! #Supai, #Ute, #Dine', #Lakota Testify on #Uranium #Exploitation before Inter-American Commission on #HumanRights
by Brenda Norrell, #CensoredNews
February 28, 2024WASHINGTON -- "The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will hear testimony from Navajo, Ute, and #Oglala Lakota, on the impacts on #IndigenousPeoples' human rights from uranium exploitation in Washington on Feb. 28, 2024.
"'#NahasdzáánShimá — #MotherEarth—provides everything we need to keep us alive—the four things we Navajos talk about —air, water, soil, and light—and it is our home,' said #EdithHood, President, of #RedWaterPondRoadCommunityAssociation.
"'We have been living with this silent killer without knowing the dangers. Once the #mining started, after the drilling, we didn’t realize we were being contaminated.'
"'When we were children playing and herding sheep we didn’t understand we were being exposed to dangerous #radiation,' Hood said.
Hood thanked the commission for the hearing and added, "Our own #Tribalgovernment doesn’t listen to us.'"The #InterAmericanCommission on Human Rights agreed to hold a thematic hearing on how U.S. uranium exploitation policies have resulted in human rights abuses in Indigenous communities across the country. This coincides with an upsurge in #UraniumMining, said the #NewMexico #EnvironmentalLawCenter.
"'As the United States doubles down on the misguided notion that #NuclearPower is a solution to the #ClimateCrisis, the uranium development industry is beginning to benefit from generous #taxpayer giveaways to the nuclear industry as a whole.'
"'Subsidies from the #Biden administration have spurred uranium mining production to restart in at least 3 mines in the last few months, in #Utah, #Wyoming, and in Arizona near the #GrandCanyon. As has been the case since the dawn of the #AtomicAge, the impacts of uranium mining are largely left out of the debate over nuclear power.'
"#EnergyFuels said it is increasing U.S. uranium production as prices reach a 16-year high. Energy Fuels said in December that it is ramping up uranium production at three mines #PinyonPlain in in the Grand Canyon, and #LaSal and #Pandora uranium mines in southeastern #Utah.
"Ore mined from the three mines during 2024 will be stockpiled at the Energy Fuels #WhiteMesaMill in Utah for processing in 2025. It is also preparing two mines, #Whirlwind in southeastern Utah, and #NicholsRanch in central Wyoming, to begin uranium production within one year, Energy Fuels said.
"Pinyon Plain began uranium mining and is now threatening the water of the #Havasupai in their homeland in the Grand Canyon. The mine is now endangering Navajo, #Hopi, Ute, and southwest residents, on the uranium haul route, from the Grand Canyon to the Energy Fuels mill in southeastern Utah.
"The White Mesa Mill is poisoning the water, land, and air of White Mesa Utes in southeastern Utah. It is now bringing in #radioactive waste from Europe. Nuclear waste at the site was transported here from the Nuclear Test Site in Nevada because it was too deadly to leave there. The Nevada site poisoned the ancestral land of #WesternShoshone."
Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/02/navajo-ute-lakota-to-testify-on-uranium.html#WaterIsLife #UraniumMining #IndigenousActivism #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #NoNukes #NoNewNukes #RenewablesNow #NoMining
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Japan nuclear watchdog halts Tsuruga reactor safety assessment again
KYODO NEWS KYODO NEWS - Apr 5, 2023
"Nuclear regulators said Wednesday they will again halt a safety assessment of an offline central Japan reactor after its operator repeatedly submitted documents containing errors, further prolonging a process toward resumption that has already taken years.
"Japan Atomic Power Co. has been seeking approval to reboot the No.2 unit at the #Tsuruga plant in #Fukui Prefecture under stricter regulations imposed following the 2011 #Fukushima #NuclearPowerPlant disaster, but its application has been fraught with mistakes and #DataTampering.
"The Nuclear Regulation Authority considered forcing the operator to withdraw its safety review application, but it ended up deciding on another suspension, citing how restarting the process all over the again would only burden the regulator.
"While public concern over the safety of nuclear facilities lingers following the Fukushima disaster, triggered by a massive quake and tsunami, the government is pushing the use of nuclear power as part of efforts to secure a stable electricity supply amid the war in Ukraine.
"Among the more than 30 existing nuclear reactors in Japan, 10 have resumed operations after clearing the post-Fukushima disaster safety hurdles, while 10 are still under examination by the nuclear watchdog, according to government data.
"The Tsuruga nuclear power plant is a two-unit complex, with the No. 1 reactor set to be scrapped. Japan Atomic Power submitted the safety review application for the No. 2 unit in 2015.
"In 2019, the nuclear regulators found over 1,000 inaccuracies in the documents submitted for measures against #earthquakes and #tsunamis, followed by revelations in February 2020 that the operator had rewritten data analyzing a drilling survey conducted on an area below the Tsuruga complex premises without approval.
"After a two-year suspension of the safety review, assessments restarted but they have remained at a virtual standstill as the regulators discovered errors in the locations given for geological features over the past months.
"In quake-prone #Japan, building #NuclearPlants or other important facilities directly above active faults is prohibited.
"Geological experts for the Nuclear Regulation Authority previously stated that a fault running underneath the No. 2 reactor was active, although #JapanAtomicPower has rejected the claims."
#RethinkNotRestart #JapanEarthquake2024 #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies #NoNukes #TidalPower #Geothermal #RenewablesNow
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#Japan Is Building Underwater #TidalPower Plants on Ocean Currents
Innovation & Technology / By Bojan Stojkovski / June 15, 2022
"Active shipping around the Japanese islands does not allow the Japanese to deploy conventional tidal power plants, and therefore Japanese experts are now developing and testing underwater power plants immersed in water to a depth of more than 50 meters.
"Successful testing of early prototypes of such power plants leads to Japan’s plans to build extensive networks of 2-MW standard tidal turbines by 2030.
"The development of the Kairyu Tidal Ocean Power Plant was started by IHI and NEDO scientists in 2011. By 2017, the partners assembled a 100 kW unit in the form of three 20-m floats with two 11-m blades (two 50 kW generators).
"The immersion depth of 50 meters was chosen for safety reasons during #typhoons, when you will not surprise anyone with the 20th wave, although the closer to the surface, the more influential the movement of water masses.
"The most promising place for installing underwater tidal turbines near Japan is the Japan Current (#Kuroshio) area off the country’s southern and eastern coasts in the Pacific Ocean. The potential current power is estimated at #205GW.
"IHI and NEDO are planning to build a 2MW tidal power plant with 40 blades for commercial use. A distributed network of such turbines could significantly contribute to providing the islands with electrical energy.
"According to Japanese experts, this type of network could generate electricity at the price of #solar energy. At the same time, the efficiency of tidal power plants is much higher than that of solar farms.
"Thus, the installed capacity utilization factor (ICUF) for solar farms is only 15%, while for tidal power plants, it reaches 70% and approaches the ICUU of thermal power plants with 80%.
"After the accident at the #Fukushima #nuclear power plant, Japan has problems with developing a peaceful atom. Also, there are no areas for full-fledged solar energy in the country, and the #winds are not as predictable as in Europe. Tidal power plants could be the foundation in Japan around which the government will build #carbonfree energy."
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#California regulators vote to extend #DiabloCanyon nuclear plant operations through 2030
California energy regulators have voted to allow the #DiabloCanyonNuclearPlant to operate for an additional five years, despite calls from #environmental groups to shut it down
AP, December 14, 2023,
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- “California energy regulators voted Thursday to allow the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to operate for an additional five years, despite calls from environmental groups to shut it down.
“The California Public Utilities Commission agreed to extend the shutdown date for the state's last functioning nuclear power facility through 2030 instead of closing it in 2025 as previously agreed.
“Separately, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will consider whether to extend the plant’s operating licenses.
“The twin reactors, located midway between #LosAngeles and #SanFrancisco began operating in the mid-1980s. They supply up to 9% of the state’s electricity on any given day.“The Public Utilities Commission's decision marks the latest development in a long fight over the operation and safety of the plant, which sits on a bluff above the #PacificOcean.
“In August, a state judge rejected a lawsuit filed by #FriendsOfTheEarth that sought to block Pacific Gas & Electric, which operates the plant, from seeking to extend its operating life.
“And in October, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected a request from #environmental groups to immediately shut down one of two reactors.
"PG&E agreed in 2016 to shutter the plant by 2025, but at the direction of the state changed course and now intends to seek a longer operating run for the plant, which doesn't produce greenhouse gases that can contribute to climate change.
“Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who once was a leading voice to close the plant, said last year that Diablo Canyon’s power is needed beyond 2025 to ward off possible blackouts as California transitions to solar and other renewable energy sources.
“#Activists condemned the extension and noted that the projected #costs of continuing to run the aging plant are expected to top $6 billion.
“’This ill-conceived decision will further escalate financial strain on California ratepayers and extend the threat of a catastrophe at Diablo Canyon,' said #KenCook, president of the nonprofit #EnvironmentalWorkingGroup.
'With California’s annual #RenewableEnergy additions exceeding Diablo Canyon’s output, there is zero reason to keep it running,' he added in a statement.”
#NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #WaterIsLife #RenewablesNow! #WindPower #TidalPower