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Japan pulls plug on troubled fast breeder reactor![]() Tokyo (AFP) Dec 19, 2016 Japan has scrapped plans to generate electricity at a multi-billion dollar experimental nuclear reactor, the government said Monday, giving up on the decades-old project due to spiralling costs. Once touted as a "dream reactor," the Monju facility was designed to generate more fuel than it consumes via nuclear chain reaction, an attractive alternative in a country with few natural resources. But its complex fast breeder reactor technology has been plagued with problems that have left it idle for ... read more |
Discovery to inspire more radiation-resistant metalsMetals exposed to radiation at high temperatures swell. That's a problem for the nuclear energy and aerospace industries. ... more
White House points to Putin over election hackThe White House on Thursday pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin's direct involvement in cyber attacks designed to impact the US election, dramatically upping the stakes in a dispute between the world's two leading nuclear powers. ... more
Bulgaria seeks investor to revive nuclear projectBulgaria is looking for an investor ready to revive a long-delayed project for a new nuclear power plant on the Danube, the government announced Friday. ... more
Japan switches on nuclear reactor after safety shutdownJapan has restarted one of its few operating nuclear reactors after a two-month safety checkup, despite still-heated debate over atomic power following the Fukushima disaster. ... more |
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Fukushima costs to double to nearly $180 bn: reportThe estimated cost of dealing with the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis has doubled to some $180 billion, a report said Thursday, underlining the challenge Japan faces in overcoming the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. ... more
Ukraine moves giant new safety dome over ChernobylUkraine on Tuesday unveiled the world's largest moveable metal structure over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant's doomed fourth reactor to ensure the safety of Europeans for future generations. ... more
'Diamond-age' of power generation as nuclear batteries developedNew technology has been developed that uses nuclear waste to generate electricity in a nuclear-powered battery. A team of physicists and chemists from the University of Bristol have grown a man-made ... more
Nuclear energy: who's advancing and who's retreatingSwiss voters on Sunday rejected a bid to speed up the phaseout of its ageing nuclear power plants, but is still sticking to its plan to gradually close its reactors. ... more
Ukraine to unveil giant new safety dome over ChernobylUkraine was on Tuesday due to unveil the world's largest moveable metal structure over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant's doomed fourth reactor to ensure the safety of future generations across Europe. ... more |
![]() Swiss reject speedy nuclear phaseout
Timeline of Chernobyl nuclear disasterThe Chernobyl disaster in then Soviet Ukraine, the worst civil nuclear accident in history, left thousands of people dead or dying and contaminated up to three quarters of Europe. ... more
Breakthrough offers greater understanding of safe radioactive waste disposalA group of scientists from The University of Manchester, the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and the UK's synchrotron science facility, Diamond Light Source, has completed research into radioactiv ... more |
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Photosynthetic algae have been refining their technique for capturing light for millions of years. As a result, these algae boast powerful light-harvesting systems - proteins that absorb light to be turned into energy - that scientists have long aspired to understand and mimic for renewable energy applications.
Now, researchers at Princeton University have revealed a mechanism that enhance ... more People willing to pay more for new biofuels Investing in the 'bioeconomy' could create jobs and reduce carbon emissions Argonne researchers study how reflectivity of biofuel crops impacts climate |
Private sector investors are showing new interest in Saudi Arabia's solar energy market, after the nation's leadership included plans to add 9.5 GW of renewables to the energy supply as part of Saudi Vision 2030, along with opening the way to greater private sector and international investment.
Announced in April, the Vision 2030 strategy sets 9.5 GW as an 'initial target' to help build th ... more Canadian Solar Subsidiary Recurrent Energy Completes 200 Megawatt Garland Solar Facility Beaumont Solar Expands Construction Capacity to 20 Megawatts (MW) per Quarter EDF EN France chooses Trina Solar modules for its PV plant in Fos sur Mer |
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Turbines are spinning at a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island, powering the region for the first time in an offshore capacity, a company announced.
Project developer Deepwater Wind said its Block Island wind farm is now in commercial operations, marking a first for the United States.
"We've made history here in the Ocean State, but our work is far from over," Deepwater Wind ... more Apple invests in China wind farms German energy company plants wind farm seed in Texas New York to bid in Federal Offshore Wind Auction |
Growth for energy-hungry Asian economies is starting to level off as a slowdown in India drags on regional momentum, a regional lender said.
The Asian Development Bank trimmed its outlook for full-year 2016 from 5.7 percent to 5.6 percent for all of Asia. The forecast for 2017 remains stable at 5.7 percent. The bank said a slowdown in India was behind most of the downgrade.
"Indi ... more US push to low-carbon future 'unstoppable': Biden China's Shanghai Electric to invest $9bn in Pakistan upgrades China power plant collapse kills at least 22: Xinhua |
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Catalysts are at the heart of fuel cells-devices that convert hydrogen and oxygen to water and enough electricity to power vehicles for hundreds of miles. But finding effective, inexpensive catalysts has been a key challenge to getting more of these hydrogen-powered, emission-free vehicles out on the road.
To help tackle this challenge, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) B ... more Finger swipe-powered phone? We're 1 step closer Battery research reaching out to higher voltages Lower cost of LEDs reduce profitability for manufacturing landscape |
The battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group is leaving a legacy of environmental damage and health risks that will pose dangers to people for years to come.
Iraqis have already paid the initial price from burning oil wells and a sulphur factory that IS set alight south of Mosul, Iraq's last jihadist-held city which is the target of a major military operation launched two months a ... more China chokes under heavy smog with worse ahead Beijing issues red alert for severe air pollution Researchers create new way to trap dangerous gases |
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Partners behind one of the largest natural gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea said they're planning more drilling with the aim of starting production in 2019.
Delek Group and its partners at the Leviathan natural gas field off the coast of Israel announced plans for appraisal and production operations in the region. Delek Group President and CEO Asaf Bartfeld said the appraisal is part ... more More drilling scheduled in Barents Sea Wood Mackenzie: Shale wins with OPEC deal Oil prices decline on production questions |
A major challenge in the exploration of Mars by robots is its uneven surface, which is marked by trenches and craters. Whether the systems can withstand the rough terrain on the Red Planet, they have to prove it on the earth first - for example, in the rocky deserts of the American state of Utah.
There, scientists from the Robotics Innovation Center of the German Research Center for Artifi ... more First detection of boron on the surface of Mars All eyes on Trump over Mars A Promising Spot for Life on Mars |
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Australian, South African and US researchers say that although the environmental movement is in shock at US President-elect Donald Trump's election victory and its implications, it is not all doom and gloom.
"The environmental movement should proactively seize opportunities over the next four years," said lead author Dr Duan Biggs of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions ... more Glee to gloom: Climate and the 'Trump effect' Climate report says 2016 on pace to be hottest year yet 'Fear is palpable' among US climate scientists over Trump moves |
A potential solution for addressing climate change is to securely store carbon dioxide underground in reservoirs from which oil was previously extracted, an approach known as carbon sequestration.
This is expensive, but the costs can be reduced by extracting any remaining oil from these reservoirs at the same time as introducing the carbon dioxide. However, it has been difficult to determi ... more Closing the carbon loop Rapid and mass production of graphene, using microwaves Meadow restoration studied for potential to build carbon credits in California |
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BAE Systems has received a $368 million contract to perform weapon system engineering services for U.S. and U.K. Ohio- and Vanguard-class submarines.
The five-year contract supports the U.S. Navy's Strategic Systems Programs office, which oversees the Strategic Weapons System and Attack Weapons systems for both developing platforms. Company officials say the work will bolster maritime d ... more Australia launches second air warfare destroyer China aircraft carrier group conducts first live-fire drills BAE rolls out first Amphibious Combat Vehicle 1.1 prototype |
Lockheed Martin has received $60 million in contracts to sustain and modernize intercontinental ballistic missile re-entry systems for the U.S. Air Force.
The agreement is comprised of a new contract in addition to an extended second contract. The company will be tasked with providing equipment and services for U.S. Air Force personnel to support testing and maintenance for all Minutema ... more Iran discusses nuclear ships plan with IAEA chief IAEA content with oil-rich Iran, Iran seeks sanction review N. Korea calls time on 200-day mass mobilisation |
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Multiple ground assaults and a deluge of air strikes shrank the Islamic State group's "caliphate" to a rump and decimated its fighters in 2016 but the organisation remains a potent threat.
The jihadists have squandered close to half of the land they controlled in 2014 and many of their losses came this year, which saw major operations by myriad forces and countries.
The loss of symbolic ... more Jihadists' return from frontline a major threat, US experts warn Drone strike kills IS figures in Syria, some with Paris attack ties US blacklists alleged IS backer, money exchanges |
Heading home for the holidays may fill you with joy, as well as a little dread at the thought of the complexities of air travel at one of the busiest times of the year. The good news is that NASA is working on new technologies and concepts in air traffic management that will not only provide some relief from holiday travel headaches, but increase the efficiency, safety and environmental friendli ... more Germany receives first tactical A400M transport from Airbus Raytheon to provide new F-16 mission computers for U.S. Air Force Bell-Boeing contracted for V-22 Osprey repair services |
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China has charged 10 people over a power plant collapse that killed 74 last month, state media reported Monday, after first detaining 13 in the immediate aftermath of the accident.
A platform more than 70 metres (230 feet) high in a cooling tower at the Ganneng Fengcheng power station in the central province of Jiangxi crashed to the ground in late November, killing 74 people and injuring an ... more Sawdust reinvented into super sponge for oil spills China arrests 18 over fatal October blast Canada buys new Airbus search and rescue planes for Can$2.4 bn |
Technological revolution means robots no longer are the song of the future. The Governor of the Bank of England predicts today that up to half of British workforce face redundancy in the imminent 'second machine age'. No wonder, the research of multi-robot systems generates serious buzz both for promising (albeit at times scary) results and for their application prospects in the real world.
... more A skillful rescue robot with remote-control function Zuckerberg builds software butler for his home Artificial intelligence creeps into daily life |
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