Energy

Nuclear Lobby’s Latest Spin: It’s All Just “Fear” Of Radiation

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Contributed by Christina Macpherson: According to the nuclear industry, the real hurdle to developing nuclear power isn’t cancer, birth defects, genetic instability, risks of nuclear accidents…. It’s simply overcoming the fear of radiation.

Akie Abe, Shinzo Abe’s Antinuclear Wife

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Abenomics has its detractors – in peculiar places – and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must be experiencing some interesting pillow talk. His wife has attacked one of the major components of his economic policies, the nuclear power industry.

Industry Insider: Creative Destruction And Opportunity In The Bloodied Solar Industry

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“Yes, the industry is in collapse mode, but it is not all bad, it is just a healthy shakeup needed in a maturing industry,” an insider wrote in an email. Then he offered what he called “a slightly less gloomy take on the industry and with 50% more silver lining as well.”

Next Shoe To Drop: Shoddy Solar Panels From China

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The solar-panel price war waged by state-subsidized Chinese companies killed a slew of manufacturers worldwide. Now, much of solar-panel manufacturing takes place in China. To stay alive, they cut costs – and corners. Defects are ballooning. And “cheap” solar panels suddenly get very expensive. A cruel twist for an already threatened industry.

Germany Fires Shot In China-EU Trade War … At Brussels

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Germany Fires Shot In China-EU Trade War … At Brussels

The solar-panel industry, once fattened by taxpayer subsidies and false hopes, has been in a death spiral around the world. In the US, a slew of photovoltaic standouts like Solyndra went under, taking billions of subsidies and investor capital with them. In Germany, it has been just as brutal. Even large companies are licking their wounds.

The Quiet Triumph Of Oil And Gas In Obama’s Policies

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It was announced Friday afternoon, when no one was supposed to pay attention: after years of controversy, heated rhetoric, intense lobbying, and stiff opposition from some unlikely bedfellows, the Obama Administration decided in favor of the US oil and gas industry. With major geopolitical impact.

“But The Rising Star Is The USA”

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Where German industrial companies plan to invest: a slew of losers out there, including Germany. But one country stands out … and the reasons why!

Aftermath Of A Bubble And What Rises From The Ashes

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Aftermath Of A Bubble And What Rises From The Ashes

Bubbles are a funny thing. Participants don’t see them. Outsiders shake their heads, then get sucked in themselves. Central banks create them but deny their existence. Money piles in on top of money. Risks no longer exist. Result: mayhem, capital destruction, devastation of the industry…. and a new beginning for the lucky ones. Take natural gas.

Suddenly No Solution For 56 Million Gallons Of Highly Radioactive Toxic Waste Leaking Into The Ground

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Suddenly No Solution For 56 Million Gallons Of Highly Radioactive Toxic Waste Leaking Into The Ground

Engineers have done a great job developing nuclear technologies to serve mankind’s many endeavors: medical devices, power generators, or formidable weapons to wipe out mankind and its many endeavors. Yet they haven’t figured out what to do with the radioactive, toxic materials these technologies leave behind. And we’re shuffling them to the next generation.

Natural Gas “Glut” Is Officially VERY Over

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Natural Gas “Glut” Is Officially VERY Over

Some Mile Stones: Working gas in underground storage, the primary measure of whether gas is in over- or undersupply, has now dropped 2.1% below the five-year average for this week, and a dizzying 31.6% below the same week last year. But the price of natural gas – it doubled over the last 12 months – is still below the cost of production.