Nuclear Power

Sorry I've been out for a while folks.  Been laid up with some minor surgery.  I just happened to get an invite to guest blog from the fine peope at the Sustainable Cities Collective on the day I'm back to writing.

On Monday, Germany’s state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn and Siemens AG confirmed an order for 300 of the most advanced high-speed trains in the world.  In what amounts to a Hail Mary pass, the beleaguered Deutsche Bahn is pouring EUR 6 billion into 250km/h ICx train service through 2030.  Read the rest at the Sustainable Cities Collective.

Wildly conflicting reports over the potential effects of Germany's nuclear phase-out are in the limelight, but the government and energy companies are missing the point.  Arguing cost and capacity is irrelevant in a country that decided more than a decade ago to leave nuclear behind.

Reporting with hunched back and squinty eyes, journalist George Monblot wrote in today's Guardian that the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi power plant has convinced him the nuclear power is not only safe, but the only viable energy source for the future of mankind. His rambling, Industrian Revolution-citing article ignores the real risks of nuclear power, adopts a "you gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette" view of human life, and is painfully ignorant of the fact that sustainable energy policy is still highly dependent on future innovation.

"We have seen too many cases of cost reduction competition through heightened efficiency jeopardizing safety." Such was the assessment by U.S. Ambassador to Japan J. Thomas Schieffer according to a diplomatic cable written in 2006 and published today by The Telegraph and Wikileaks.