Comments on: Japan Shuts Down Nuclear Reactor, Just One Left Running

By: Koszper Gábor

Koszper Gábor — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:50:00 +0000

It’s an interesting experiment. I hope they can produce the lacking power with renewing energy instead of reaching back to oil and coal.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:19:00 +0000

First response was to cut demand. They used less AC in offices and started a culture of short sleeve shirts as opposed to suits. Any sort of demand reduction they could think of. I seem to remember that auto manufacturing plants moved to weekend production, shutting down some weekdays when overall demand was higher.

They brought in more fossil fuel generation as an early response. And started installing more solar and wind. Japan is now pushing forward with offshore wind. They’ve contracted for large battery storage to help them incorporate solar and wind on their gird.

Japan has a very large geothermal potential. They could replace their nuclear with geothermal but that’s not a quick fix.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of their reactors come back on line, but I think Fukushima put Japan on track to get rid of nuclear as soon as they can without wrecking their economy. I don’t think they had been seriously looking at renewables but now their attention has been redirected away from nuclear. Give Japan a year or two more and I suspect we’ll see massive renewable infrastructure underway.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:56:00 +0000

(Second attempt – I may repeat myself before the day is over)

First response was to cut demand. Offices turned AC up and created a drive to get people to work in short-sleeved shirts rather than suits. That sort of stuff.

And I seem to remember that car manufacturers started working weekends when demand was less and shutting down during the week.

Japan started using a lot more fossil fuel and I think brought some more ff generation into the country.

Second response was to light the burners underneath solar and wind. Japan is moving rapidly toward offshore wind and has contracted for large scale battery storage to help them incorporate large amounts of wind and solar on their grid.

Japan has very large geothermal potential. They could easily replace their nuclear with geothermal, but that’s not something done quickly.

I would expect efficiency will be a large part of their response. Japan seems to have made a decision to get off nuclear as quickly as feasible….

By: Mattpeffly

Mattpeffly — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:03:00 +0000

54 units “gone” from the power base in Japan! That is a lot of GWs. Sure some was spare capacity, but how have are there any number on how they covered the rest?
Dropped demand (volantary/forced), Increase production other forms (coal, wind, solar, geo, hydro), other?

By: Nuclear Power Too Expensive, French Court Finds - CleanTechnica

Nuclear Power Too Expensive, French Court Finds - CleanTechnica — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:18:18 +0000

[…] The European Wind Energy Association’s response? Using its cost calculator online, EWEA projects that nuclear will cost 102 euros per megawatt-hour by 2020, onshore wind only 58 euros, and offshore wind 75 euros. Perhaps France will one day find itself where Japan is, shutting down its last nuclear reactors. […]