海角大神

Nuclear industry losing its glow. Should government step in?

Vermont Yankee is the latest merchant nuclear power plant to close in the face of competition from cheap natural gas. With roughly 30 percent of America's carbon-free power coming from the troubled merchant nuclear sector, the fight against warming will suffer for at least a decade.

Why a Florida utility suddenly wants to serve Hawaii

Like many big utilities, NextEra is looking at strategic mergers that offer a business advantage. Its $4.3 billion deal to buy Hawaiian Electric will give it important experience dealing with distributed renewable energy.

Indictment of CEO potential turning point in coal mine safety

Despite campaign rhetoric, coal country readies for low-carbon future

From Georgia to Wyoming, regulators in coal-dependent states are cutting emissions to meet EPA's Clean Power Plan. The plan calls for emissions cuts of 30 percent, although states have considerable flexibility to reach that goal. 

Electric cars have batteries. Why not power plants?

A Southern California Edison wind-powered plant offers a peek at the potential for energy storage at power plants. Energy storage would allow utilities to bring more renewable energy power plants onto the grid.

Will pro-nuclear Abe government overcome Japan's nuke fears?

Japan could restart its first two nuclear reactors next month after the nationwide shutdown in 2011 after the Fukushima disaster. But nearly 60 percent of Japanese oppose the restart.

PG&E's San Bruno fine: huge, but will it stick?

Pacific Gas and Electric got hit with a record $1.4 billion fine from the California Public Utilities Commission. But Wall Street thinks the final penalty will be smaller.

Sorry, Mr. Obama, Africa needs coal

Africa faces a dilemma: It's vulnerable to climate change but needs coal to grow robustly. So which way are Africans going?

Can nuclear power rebrand itself as environment-friendly?

The nuclear industry is lining up heavy hitters from past administrations to convince Congress and the public that nuclear power represents a solution to climate change. But safety fears post-Fukushima, along with concerns about high building costs and the lack of permanent storage for spent fuel rods, remain big hurdles.   

Terrorists take aim at PG&E. Can it shield itself?

Terrorists would like nothing better than to bring down Silicon Valley in one fell swoop. One way is to cut off its electric power. But PG&E is arming itself, too.

Is the nation鈥檚 'greenest' utility green enough? Boulder says no.

Boulder, Colo., wants to take over generating its electric power from Xcel Energy it says the utility relies too much on fossil fuels. Xcel, a leader in renewables, has gone to court to stop the takeover.

Pint-size nuclear plants get a boost from Obama administration

Small-scale nuclear plants can be strung together and might save utilities on capital costs. But critics question the efficiency and operating costs of small-scale nuclear plants.

Hawaii confronts 'green' energy's bugaboo: batteries

Hawaii and California utilities are moving to add storage on their grids to accommodate 'green' energy and better match energy production and consumption. But storage is still expensive. 

Big gamble felled Energy Future Holdings. Safe bet could resuscitate it.

Using an aggressive bet on the direction of natural gas prices, Energy Future Holdings (formerly TXU) went from big deal to bankrupt. But it still has the utility assets to emerge as a much more stable entity.

Google's 'green' energy plan: Build, learn, expand

Google and other top US corporations are switching to renewable energy as a way to burnish their brands. The corporate push 鈥� and government mandates 鈥� are encouraging utilities to provide that energy, although it's not a risk-free proposition.

Is California the next fracking frontier?

California's Monterey Shale formation contains more shale oil than anywhere else in the country, but its geology and dry climate make it difficult to extract. Extremely dry conditions are also taking a toll on California's power plants.  

Thorium: a safer nuclear power

In the same month as the Three Mile Island and Fukushima nuclear disasters, China announces it is speeding up its research into so-called molten salt reactors that can run on thorium.  If it succeeds, it would create a cheaper, more efficient, and safer form of nuclear power that produces less nuclear waste than today's uranium-based technology.

Three Mile Island anniversary: the lesson the nuclear industry refuses to learn

Thirty-five years after the world's first nuclear-power scare, the nuclear industry hasn't learned the most basic lesson from Three Mile Island: Get accurate information to the public in a timely manner. 

New York pipeline blast shakes up an industry

New York City's fatal pipeline blast focuses new attention on the aging pipeline infrastructure, some of it more than a century old. With the natural gas industry needing at least 29,000 more miles of pipeline to meet new demand, can the system expand and become safer at the same time?  

Three years after Fukushima tragedy, Japan makes U-turn on nuclear energy

The terrible Fukushima nuclear accident has not stopped Japan from revamping its safety measures and restarting its nuclear reactors. Thirty-five years after its far less terrible Three Mile Island accident, the US still hesitates to embrace nuclear power