Also known as "if renewables are so cheap, why is my energy bill so high?" Here in Alberta we've been hearing for a long time about how cheap renewables are. Solar projects coming online at under 5 cents per kWh. Wind bids at 2 cents per kWh! So why does my electricity bill still say... Continue Reading →
So I've found that talking about nuclear safety doesn't really resonate with people. Whether it's because they think that it's far too complicated and immediately file it under "too much work" or because they might actually recognize how much work goes into it, thus putting it in the "it will just work" folder of their... Continue Reading →
I'm going to start this article off with a bit of a personal touch. I had a mentor a few years back and he gave me some very good advice that has shaped a lot of the outlook I have on what is going on in the world. One of his favourite lines is "The... Continue Reading →
How many of you have ever upgraded your washing machine, or dryer, or dishwasher to a new, high efficiency model? Or maybe you remember your parents doing so when you were younger? And now how many of you remember that you started using it more than you used the old one? Yes my lovelies. Make... Continue Reading →
To those who read this site and use Freedom Units, 1 cubic meter is about 35 cubic feet. Also the unit MTHM means METRIC Tonne of Heavy Metal, not Million Tonnes of Heavy Metal which was a mistake I made for about 2 hours before I realized I was being stupid. Not my proudest moment.... Continue Reading →
We all know what fuel is. Almost literally to the point that none of us actually knows what fuel is. Like the colour red, or microwaves, or bread (my condolences to people with Celiac disease). It's such a pervasive part of our lives that we barely even question it anymore. But that's a problem as... Continue Reading →
Today we have the first guest post in ANN's long, storied history. Ethan Dorward, a former associate of a Dr. Robert Fedosejevs at the University of Alberta working on fusion research, got in touch with me about putting out a series of articles talking about fusion research in Alberta and what the general progress is.... Continue Reading →
I have been told that I seem to have a standard method of opening with a seemingly contradictory statement to my general goal of promoting nuclear power and then suverting it either immediately or over the whole course of the article. Well since I am a creature of habit I feel no need to change... Continue Reading →
Conflict in literature is a fascinating thing. Not only for the catharsis of the resolution, but for the struggle in the action, and the tension of the incitement. However people seem to be much more cognizant of the theme of a work when they choose whether they are interested in it or not. Which makes... Continue Reading →
This is where the fun stuff really happens. And by fun I mean tedious, and by happens I mean crawls along at the snails pace of provincial bureaucracy and politics. Unfortunately however, there is only one way of pushing along the progress of promoting nuclear energy into mainstream acceptance and that is by pestering every... Continue Reading →
Changing the colours you like to wear? Check. Going where people tell you not to, to do things you shouldn't? Check. Ignoring people who want to help you? Check. And believing you have all the answers if only people would listen to you? Check. The one on the left is the asshole responsible for a... Continue Reading →
Mining is something we all benefit from, but it's not actually that great from a practicality standpoint. Huge investments of capital are required to produce and maintain the equipment required to do the work. I mean just look at the variety of drill heads that are available for various different kinds of mining. Don't judge... Continue Reading →
Quickly, and without looking online to find the answers, which of the following is a nuclear meltdown? Most of them should be pretty easy but there is a good chance I might have tricked you, because the correct answer is none of them. I'll explain what I mean in a bit, but first I'm going... Continue Reading →
I've talked about the costs of energy before, but money is just money and they are always making more of it. But what about the costs in terms of something that is actually finite? Land usage. I've touched on it before, but never really explored what those numbers actually look like. First we need to... Continue Reading →
No new post about exciting or interesting nuclear today folks as I'm going to be busy watching my home province hit the polls and vote in a government that will hopefully make my home a better place to be. If you live in Alberta and haven't voted in the advanced polls already then get your... Continue Reading →
Sorry American Nuclear Society, I'm hopping on your coat-tails for the title. This is what I would probably consider the last of the basics of nuclear energy topics. If you've been following along with my blog so far I wold say that this is the last of the 100 level courses. So straight to it.... Continue Reading →
Variability is an inescapable factor of energy usage. It doesn't matter if your grid supplies 1, 10, 1000, or 10,000,000 people. Just today Alberta's energy usage fluctuated by almost an entire GW over the course of the day. And this is a fairly nice spring day, not too much heat required and almost no AC... Continue Reading →
So if you dug into my link on Friday to the Alberta Nuclear Consultation document, at the end of it you would have seen a survey that was given out back when that was published in 2009 for residents and interested parties to fill out. One astute reader pointed me in the direction of the... Continue Reading →
So recently I found this. The public release document about the attempt to put a CANDU facility up in Peace River, Alberta. It's a great document, very clearly written and covers all the need to know bases for people wondering about nuclear power in Alberta. But what I really want to draw peoples attention to... Continue Reading →
SMRs are a rapidly expanding field of interest in the modern nuclear industry, seeking to provide all the benefits of current nuclear energy, while dramatically reducing costs and construction times and taking advantage of modern factory construction logistics. There are dozens of companies that are active in this field such as Westinghouse, GE-Hitachi, TerraPower, NuScale,... Continue Reading →
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