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A Nuclear Plant’s Flood Defenses Trigger a Yearlong Regulatory Confrontation
Posted by ClimateWire: Peter Behr on June 24th, 2011
Climatewire: Pictures of the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant north of Omaha, Neb., show it encircled by the swollen waters of the Missouri River, which reached a height of nearly 1,007 feet above sea level at the plant yesterday.
The plant's defenses include new steel gates and other hard barriers protecting an auxiliary building with vital reactor controls, and a water-filled berm 8 feet tall that encircles other parts of the plant. Both systems are designed to hold back floodwaters reaching 1,014 feet above...
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Integrating wind and water power, an increasingly tough balancing act
Posted by ClimateWire: Peter Behr on December 1st, 2010
ClimateWire: The Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration, the largest of 16 U.S. Department of Energy pilot projects, is under way in five Northwest states. It seeks ways to balance the region's huge base of hydroelectric power with its fast-expanding collection of wind farms.
With a budget of $178 million split evenly between an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant and local contributions by 11 utilities and other partners, the smart grid project (pdf) covers a wide array of missions. Charging...