Monthly Archives: December 2011

A low carbon tax in Ontario would make worst-case nuclear overrun look cheap

December 31, 2011
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A $15-per-ton tax on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Ontario power plants would add 0.8 cents to the cost of natural gas-fired power generation. Natural gas is generally regarded as the “cleanest” fossil fuel; that is because it emits roughly 550 grams of CO2 for every kilowatt-hour it generates, whereas coal—the “dirtyest” power generation...

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Extreme heat, electrical load, and political instability: the connection and the solution

December 29, 2011
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Canada and the U.S. suffered through record extreme weather in 2011. Severe heat was the hallmark of the year, both in direct and thermodynamic terms (I’ll explain in a second). Canada endured record heat waves, blizzards, hurricanes, and floods. Arctic ice melted to its second-lowest-ever level; its lowest-ever level was recorded only four years...

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American symbolism and its effect on nuclear proliferation: bureaucratic fantasy meets the real world

December 14, 2011
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In 1976 U.S. president Gerald Ford announced that the U.S. would stop reprocessing used civilian nuclear fuel. The trigger for this decision was of course political: the announcement was on October 28, and in five days there would be a general election in which Ford was the Republican presidential candidate. But why would such...

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Twenty-three (million) tons, and whaddaya get? Another day older, and still no credit

December 10, 2011
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Okay, so I’m no Tennessee Ernie Ford. But that doesn’t mean I can’t lament the sheer non-recognition of Ontario’s CANDU nuclear fleet for outstanding services rendered over the past four decades to me, my fellow Ontarians, and the planet. Sticking only to the most recent decade, while the world has argued endlessly over what...

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The 26 million ton coverup: Ontario’s stunning carbon reduction and why it’s a state secret

December 7, 2011
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The Ontario Auditor General has lambasted the (former majority) Liberal government for a litany of shortcomings in policy and implementation over the past few years. A lot of media focus has been on the so-called Green Act which forces electricity rate-payers to pay premium prices for low-quality “green” power, and the implementation of which...

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Will Japan ever restart any of its nuclear reactors?

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