Clean Energy Insight - Moving Energy Forward

( By Mike Bloom ) [Approx. Read Time: 4 minutes]
Twenty years ago, you could ask anyone from Danville, Virginia where to find a good paying job there and I bet they could name a dozen places, mostly in manufacturing, such as the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant or the Dan River Textile Plant.  Fast forward to Danville today and this is not a reality.   Along with the closure of the Dan River Plant in 2003, Danville has some of the highest unemployment numbers in the country.  Many hardworking and honest blue collar workers (including some personal acquaintances–I grew up in surrounding Pittsylvania County) have been laid off and just are hoping to find good jobs.

We’ve covered this issue before, but Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu has recently endorsed a study that may give a large boost to the Danville economy.  The study’s purpose is to determine the impact of mining the largest known uranium deposit (Cole’s Hill) in the United States, which is located about 25 minutes north Danville.  Hopefully, with the endorsement of Energy Secretary Chu, plans for the uranium mine will be enacted, providing hundreds of jobs to Danville and surrounding areas.

The President and CEO of Virginia Uranium Inc. recently thanked Energy Secretary Chu for his endorsement in the Danville Register & Bee, linked here and shown below.

Thank You, Mr. Secretary

By Norman W. Reynolds
Published: July 26, 2009

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu could not have picked a better spot than Pittsylvania County to sound his ringing call for “restarting” our nation’s nuclear energy program, as well as endorsing Virginia’s state-sanctioned study to assess the safety and feasibility of mining and milling uranium in the commonwealth.

The setting for Chu’s speech at a local farm last Saturday was just 10 miles south of the Coles Hill uranium site and 50 miles south of the City of Lynchburg, one of the most dynamic hubs of advanced nuclear technology in Virginia. Coles Hill is where Virginia Uranium proposes to mine and mill the largest known undeveloped uranium deposit in the United States.

Speaking to concerns that have been raised about mining in Virginia, Chu — a Nobel laureate in physics — explained that in “any kind of mining, whether it’s uranium, coal or nickel, or you name it, it has to be done in a way that protects the environment and protects the people. … there’s a study going on as to whether uranium mining in Virginia is going to do that. … we will wait for the results of that study.”

The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission is working with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent study to address concerns of Virginians about safety to people, livestock, crops and the environment.

The secretary’s position on the uranium potential at Coles Hill seemed to reflect that of his boss, President Barack Obama. When the president was campaigning in Virginia last year, The Roanoke Times carried the following report:

“According to an e-mail from his Virginia communications director, Obama supports a proposed study of the (Coles Hill) site to evaluate the potential environmental effects of mining. But, he adds, ‘Virginia has the potential to be a national leader in uranium mining, and development of uranium resources in Pittsylvania County could create hundreds of jobs in that part of the state.’”

On the larger subject of using nuclear energy to power America, Chu told the local audience of about 275 people that the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Energy are “very supportive of restarting the nuclear power industry,” adding that he believes it can be done safely.

Secretary Chu’s comments echo those heard from various Virginia officials over the past two years, starting with the Virginia Energy Plan released in the fall of 2007. In addition to numerous references to the massive uranium deposit in Southside Virginia, the energy plan states:

“There are sufficient resources to support a uranium mining industry in Pittsylvania County with enough to meet the fuel needs of Virginia’s current generation. Significant work to assess the risk from mining and need for regulatory controls must be completed before any decision can be made whether such mining should take place.”

For those of us who have worked long and hard on the Coles Hill project, it is gratifying that the nation’s highest energy official saw fit to come to Pittsylvania County and to endorse the scientific study and to state so unequivocally the Obama administration’s high commitment to getting nuclear back on track in the United States. We look forward to moving ahead hand in hand with such enlightened thinking.

We haven’t the slightest doubt that all aspects of the nuclear cycle — from mining to operating reactors — can be done as safely as any other industrial undertaking. When the same safety issues were studied by the state 25 years ago, scientists found that under well-defined guidelines our project could go forward safely. I am confident that similar findings will be reached this go-around.

What Dr. Chu is talking about goes straight to the heart of energy independence for our nation. Yes, we need to move ahead on all fronts that make sense. But let us keep in mind that of the 55 million pounds of uranium needed to operate nuclear facilities for one year in this country, over 50 million pounds are imported. That is a frightening statistic in a world as unpredictable as the one in which we are living.

We should be grateful for the enlightened approach expressed by Secretary Chu. And we should support sensible efforts to achieve greater energy independence, including the full development of our nuclear resources.

* Reynolds is president and chief executive officer of Virginia Uranium Inc., as well as Virginia Energy Resources.

( By Michael Bloom ) [Approx. Read Time: 4 minutes]

The world is in the midst of a “Nuclear Renaissance” where a large number of new nuclear energy projects are under way. Currently, new nuclear plants are being designed to be larger and larger in order to take advantage of economies of scale and offset the large capital cost of construction. Large reactors are reliable, clean, and produce safe energy to the masses, but they do have some limitations.

Large plants are limited by the infrastructure of the power grid, the difficulty to finance, and the long construction timeline. Nuclear plant designers could address these limits by building much smaller reactors and also making them more cost effective. Doing so would create a strong catalyst for continued growth and diversification in the nuclear industry.

Several decades from now there might be a bright future for a small class of nuclear reactors known as (STAR) short for Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor. Currently in development by a team that includes the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of California, the goal of STAR is to make small scaleable power plants that can compete with the cost per output of the larger plants.

In order to do so, STAR reactors will be manufactured in a plant similar to commercial airliners. After being manufactured, STAR will be shipped safely to a construction site determined by a utility. At any point in time, the utility could increase capacity of their plants by adding more modules of STAR. The flexibility and scalability would make financing much easier and in turn, give utilities the ability to constantly add new plants to their nuclear fleets.

“In addition to those pioneering efforts, small-size reactors are employed in training, isotope production, research, naval propulsion, and in some space applications.

But what role could small-scale nuclear reactors have in generating central station power? The International Atomic Energy Agency indicates that more than 50 new concepts and designs for advanced small or moderate-size reactors are under development in more than 15 IAEA member states. Proponents of such designs believe they have the potential to meet such needs as providing energy for islands that are not served by a national grid or for regions lacking the infrastructures and grid capacity needed for large plants. Small reactors could also power such energy-intensive industrial activities as water desalinization or the extraction of oil from tar sands.”

STAR reactors may also mitigate any existing concerns, real or make-believe, about nuclear material proliferation.

“One frequently cited drawback to widespread use of nuclear power is the risk of fissionable material being diverted to produce weapons. In the 1990s, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory began looking at reactor system designs intended to minimize the potential for nuclear weapons proliferation. The initial research effort concluded that this goal could be met by a sealed reactor that was transportable and autonomous in operation and that would have a very long reactor core lifetime. Such a reactor would eliminate the need for handling or processing fresh or spent nuclear fuel and otherwise minimize the potential for any possible misuse of the reactor.”

Currently, the power grids in many developing nations are unable to transmit large quantities of electricity over long distances making it pointless to construct a large plant. STAR would make it possible to spread nuclear power to developing countries, increasing the standard of living all over the globe.

STAR might be the next big thing in nuclear industry but it will be a while before it is ready. Several technological advances are still needed as seen below.

“One of those technologies is a yet-to-be-developed and qualified advanced cladding and structural materials that will enable service in lead for the 15 to 30 years core lifetime at peak temperatures of up to about 650 °C. Other technologies that need to be developed are qualified transuranic nitride fuel meeting performance requirements, a whole-core cassette refueling system, and a means for in-service inspection of components immersed in lead coolant.”

Hopefully, for the sake of global energy needs and environmental concerns, STAR will have a bright future.

For more information and a link to this story featured in ME’s July Magazine follow this link.

( By Michael Bloom )

Here at Clean Energy Insight we promote nuclear energy because it is safe, great for the environment, and less expensive than other environmentally friendly alternatives. We know producing cheap clean energy is great, but we also want to battle America’s energy needs with energy conservation. We will be adding many posts on conserving energy but to get you started we will begin with one of the largest energy consumers in your home “Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning”.

Ways to Save

1. Install a programmable thermostat to control the temperature while you’re away from home and you could save well over $100 a year.
2. Replace your air filter at least once every 3 months.
3. Perform regular maintenance on your HVAC system (check list).
4. If you have an old HVAC system consider replacing it with a more efficient system.
5. Insulate doors and windows with weather stripping.
6. Insulate any place where air or heat could escape like your attic.
7. Using ceiling fans in the summer instead of turning the thermostat down.

For more detailed information on “Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning” check out this guide.

Tax Breaks

Taking steps to make your home more energy efficient can also provide you with up to $1500 in tax breaks due to the recent economic stimulus bill. The tax credit will cover 30% of improvements like installing energy efficient air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps. The stimulus also covers adding more insulation and installing energy efficient doors/windows. The tax credit has a lifetime cap of $1,500 and expires after 2010. For more detailed information click here.