Climate change the cure for Australia’s noxious uranium industry?
The nuclear lobby bangs on about nuclear energy as the solution to global warming, climate change and all that. This is a 
specious claim – it’s one of the nuke lobby’s best lies.
But – how about climate change as the solution to the noxious uranium and nuclear industries? After all – it was a climate event that set off the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe. Perhaps not a result of man-made gloabl warming.
BUT – science is predicting more and more extreme weather – insurance companies are taking this seriously. There is indeed a pattern of increasing extreme weather events.
And lo – it is surely affecting uranium mining , and the transport of uranium in the Northern Territory – suggesting that this industry might not have any future there. – Christina Macpherson
Extreme weather in Northern Territory bodes no good for uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia
Australia’s ERA warns rains to hit uranium output again SYDNEY, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Energy Resources of Australia warned on Thursday that recent flooding caused by monsoon rains in northern Australia will continue to restrict its production of uranium in 2012.
Production at the company’s Ranger mine — which in previous years supplied as much as 10 percent of the world’s uranium — was halted by heavy rains in early in 2011 and did not resume until mid-June.
A second deluge in December that dumped record rains across parts of the tropical Northern Territory meant ERA would be unable to readily mine richer ores at the bottom of the lode, it said.
“As a result, access to the high grade ore located at the bottom of the pit will be delayed and is highly dependent on rainfall
experienced for the remainder of the 2011/2012 wet season,” said ERA, 68 percent owned by Rio Tinto but separately listed on the Australian bourse….. Analyst are expecting the company to show a loss on earnings before interest and tax of around A$61 million against a profit of A$68.4 million in 2010.
The stock has plummeted more than 80 percent in the last 12 months, in part due to negative sentiment toward uranium companies following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last March…..
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3E8CB8ZU20120111?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
Australian environmentalists, Aboriginal, medical experts to attend global nuclear conference in Japan
Activists at nuke talkfest, By DAMIEN McCARTNEY, Northern Territory News 11 Jan 2012 A PROTESTER and an environmentalist are on their way to a global nuclear conference in Japan. Justin Tutty and the Environment Centre’s Cat Beaton will travel through Fukishima, Yokohama, Hiroshima and Okinawa. The pair will be joined by South Australian traditional owner Peter Watts and Medical Association for the Prevention of War representative in Melbourne, Margaret Bevis.
Mr Tutty said he and Ms Beaton would make a presentation on the role of Australian uranium in the global nuclear cycle. “We will be talking a lot about the link between Ranger Mine uranium and the destroyed Fukishima reactors,” he said.
The group also will meet survivors of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima,and residents around the US military base in Okinawa.
Whisper quiet wind turbines for Australia
Newly-introduced policy regulations in states such as Victoria and South Australia have seen a number of changes to the zoning of wind farms. According to Mr Le Messurier, however, the Eco Whisper Turbine does not face the same limitations as larger turbines.
“One of the major concerns from a community standpoint around wind turbines is the issue of noise. The planning response we have had from the Victorian government, however, is that [the wind legislation] doesn’t apply to us, given that the Eco Whisper is virtually silent,” Mr Le Messurier said.
“The quietness of the wind turbine and its ability to operate effectively in a range of wind conditions makes it well-suited for organisations seeking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of the Federal Government’s carbon pricing mechanism.”.
Quiet as a Whisper Ecogeneration, 12 Jan 12, The Eco Whisper Turbine, recently released by Renewable Energy Solutions Australia Holdings Limited, is believed to be the world’s quietest 20 kilowatt wind turbine. Due to its unique design, which sees the Eco Whisper Turbine’s blades housed within a cowl that sits around the outside of the turbine, the 20 kilowatt (kW) product is virtually silent. Continue reading
$Billion enterprise – investment in USA wind farms
Global Deal: BP, Sempra Energy to Invest $1 Billion in U.S. Wind Farms WSJ, JANUARY 11, 2012, By Cassandra Sweet of Dow Jones Newswires BP PLC and Sempra Energy said Tuesday that together they will invest more than $1 billion in two wind farms under development in Pennsylvania and Kansas. Continue reading
Solar energy can power your electronic book, iPad, iPhone, other mobile phones and USB devices
Solar Panel Cover For The Kindle E-reader, by Energy Matters, 9 Jan 12 Using solar energy to provide power for hand-held devices has huge potential and while solar panels embedded in mobile phones mightn’t be much chop (yet) in terms of performance; it seems a new solar cover for the Kindle e-reader delivers.
The SolarKindle, weighing just 215 grams, incorporates a flexible, lightweight triple junction amorphous solar panel and is able to provide some level of charging even in the shade. A one hour charge in direct sunlight can provide almost three days worth of reading time according to the company that created the device, SolarFocus Technology.
After fully charging the Kindle, the solar panel automatically switches to charge the SolarKindle’s 1500mA reserve battery. A fully charged reserve battery requires around eight hours of direct sunlight and provides up to 80% of backup power to the Kindle.
However, bearing in mind that Australia’s sunshine and temperatures can be extreme during summer, perhaps sticking your SolarKindle enshrouded e-reader out in the sun on a 40 degree day for extended periods may be unwise.
The SolarKindle also incorporates an 800 lux LED reading lamp. If the reserve battery is used for lighting alone, it can power the light for up to 50 hours. An LED indicator incorporated in the SolarKindle shows battery power level and status of charging and discharging.
The SolarKindle can be purchased online for around AUD $80, plus delivery.
SolarFocus was named an International CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for its SolarKindle Lighted Cover. The company says it holds several solar technology patents with their products used in extreme environments such as the Himalayas and the North Pole.
SolarFocus also manufactures a folding solar charger for the iPad, iPhone, other mobile phones and USB devices called the SolarMio Pro. While certainly not as compact as the embedded solar panel Nokia recently trialed, the 5 watt SolarMio Pro watt system can provide 6 hours of talk time on the iPhone 3Gs with just an hour of solar charging.. http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=1972
A busy day for the world’s nuclear news
NUCLEAR WEAPONS, Killed in Iran: Part of a Nuclear Trifecta , TIME, By MARK THOMPSON, January 11, 2012 It has been a busy day or so on the nuclear front:
– An Iran nuclear scientist was assassinated Wednesday morning in Tehran.
– The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved its Doomsday Clock warning of nuclear war to 11:56 p.m. – one minute closer to the midnight when it believes nuclear war could break out.
– And the Nuclear Threat Initiative released its Nuclear Materials Security Index, a database charting publicly for the first time 32 nations that possess the fissile guts of nuclear weapons – and how secure they are.
The trio consists of three discrete elements, but – like a radioactive Venn diagram – they overlap in disconcerting ways…..
nuclear weapons remain the crack cocaine of world leaders, crazy or not, who want the security they seem to offer. And those who fear such weapons falling into what they deem to be the wrong hands are just as determined to see they don’t get them.
That certitude is apparently behind the killing of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a 32-year old Iranian chemist. He died after an unknown killer, riding a motorbike, affixed a bomb to his gray Peugeot 405 in northern Tehran that exploded moments later. “The bomb was a magnetic bomb and is the same as those previously used to assassinate scientists,” Tehran Deputy Governor Safar Ali Baratlo said, “and is the work of the Zionists.” Both Israel and the U.S. have denied involvement in such attacks……… : http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2012/01/11/killed-in-iran-part-of-a-nuclear-trifecta/#ixzz1jIEDcSrA
French research finds higher child leukaemia near nuclear plants
French nuclear plants double child leukemia – study TVNZ January 12, 2012 Source: Reuters The incidence of leukaemia is twice as high in children living close to French nuclear power plants as in those living elsewhere in the country, a study by French health and nuclear safety experts has found.
But the study, to be published soon in the International Journal of Cancer, fell short of establishing a causal link between the higher incidence of leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, and living near nuclear power plants.. Continue reading
Energy matters video on Australia’s energy costs, community energy projects
http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=1980 Energy Matters Video News – Episode 53 – January 11, 2012 by Energy Matters In this episode, Virginia covers the SolarKindle, the power of buying solar in groups, electricity prices in Victoria jump again and what commercial enterprises can do to combat electricity cost increases resulting from Australia’s carbon tax and other price hikes. In this episode:
– Weighing just 215 grams, the SolarKindle is a solar powered cover for the Kindle E-Reader. A one hour charge in direct sunlight can provide almost three days worth of reading time, according to the company that created the device, SolarFocus Technology. Read more.
– A growing number of communities in the UK are starting renewable energy schemes through cooperatives and other forms of collaboration. A recent report states that 43 UK communities are producing renewable energy, having invested money to install solar, large wind turbines or hydro-electric power in their area. While these types of schemes are still relatively uncommon in Australia, a popular method of using the power of collaboration to install solar here is through buyers groups. Read more…….. http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=1980
Australia’s carbon tax can benefit commercial electricity consumers
Australia’s Carbon Tax And Commercial Electricity Customers , Energy Matters, 4 Jan 12, “……..While carbon tax relief for Australian households has been well publicised, the situation for commercial customers has received less coverage.
Commercial electricity customers often pay a lower rate for power than residential users; so the carbon tax will in effect see electricity costs increase by a greater degree for some enterprises from July 1, 2012. According to some estimates, the jump could be as much as 19 percent for big power users.
In terms of government support, the manufacturing sector will be able to benefit from the $800 million Clean Technology Investment Program, which will provide grants to manufacturers to support investments in energy-efficient capital equipment and low-pollution technologies, such as commercial solar power systems. ….
Small businesses can also take advantage of the Solar Credits scheme to purchase a solar power system right now. For just a few thousand dollars, even an entry-level rooftop solar panel array can slash power bills by a significant amount. The Solar Credits rebate will be further reduced from July 1 this year.
Other forms of carbon tax relief will be available for small and large enterprises, the details of which can be viewed on the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Future web site.
The carbon tax isn’t the only power bill bogeyman on the horizon – frequent electricity price rises in the years ahead due to other factors will become the norm rather than the exception. For businesses in Australia, energy efficiency and the implementation of on-site alternative energy generation will become an increasingly pressing issue and an important part of maintaining profitable enterprises. http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=1966
Australia’s largest renewable energy fund kicks off
$200 million in seed money will kick-start the fund, half coming from the Australian government and half coming from Softbank China Venture Capital.
The money comes from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, which is funded at $3.2 billion a year.
Australia Seeds Largest Renewable Energy Fund, Flagship Raises VC Fund SustainableBusiness.com News, 12 Jan 12, In a difficult environment for fundraising, especially for funds that invest in early stage companies, venture capital firm Flagship Ventures closed its fourth fund, a $270 million fund.
Flagship says they exceeded their target of $250 million for the fund, which will invest in healthcare and cleantech/ sustainability. Investors in Flagship Ventures Fund IV include pension funds, foundations, fund-of-funds, corporations and individuals. Its previous fund, launched in 2007, was $235 million, which invested in 24 companies. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 