A crane stands next to a wind turbine mast under construction in a wind park on October 6, 2010 near Stoessen, Germany. The German government recently set ambitious goals for renewable energy sources in a new energy policy plan that calls for heavy investment in wind, solar and biogas electricity production.
The Danish wind giant is dealing with fallout from a fire on one of its turbine models. A number of operating turbines were paused following the fire, and the company responded to media questions this week with the following statement: Keep reading →
Fukushima Anniversary: The Road Ahead
By Peter GardettThere was no way for the nuclear industry to succeed at handling Fukushima. The disastrous and poorly-managed shutdown of a nuclear reactor built too close to shore, hit by an earthquake and an even-more-devestating tsunami, gave birth to a year’s worth of images and heartbreak no normal business could handle in normal ways.
In the days after the Fukushima disaster the US industry dialed up its responsiveness in ways that ranged from a North Carolina-based disaster response center handling technology questions, sending personnel to Japan, and handling a leap in internet traffic to relevant websites. Most of what the general public wanted was information that could reassure, and the US nuclear industry sought to supply that information. Keep reading →