It's hard to keep up with a global industry.
If your employer can afford it, your firm subscribes to one or more of the specialty newsletters that tap in at $2,000 or more per year for a subscription. In return, readers get detailed, expert news and analysis that would never, ever show up in the mainstream news media. I worked for such a specialty newsletter for five years and remain grateful for subscriber support since it meant the difference, metaphorically speaking, between a having a roof over my head and sleeping under a bridge.
However, because of copyright restrictions, most of these newsletters contain web beacons or other electronic devices that are designed to stop a firm from buying one subscription and then emailing each issue to its employees. While there is the copy machine dodge, that is so 20th century. Plus, waiting for the inter-office mail to deliver a bootleg copy puts you one day behind your electronically wired-in colleagues.
So, what's a nuclear pro to do to stay current without shelling out the equivalent of a new car lease down payment? The answer is there are a number of free news services available on the Internet that can go a long way to keep your mental inbox full of interesting stuff. Here's a short list of free sources.
Nuclear Town Hall – This is a seven-day-a-week, and twice-a-day on weekdays, summary of links to business and political news about nuclear energy. Based in Washington, DC, it has a global perspective and also a special section on nuclear energy OP EDs and opinion pieces. Resolutely pro-nuclear in every respect it even cites nuclear bloggers when it sees something of interest. You can read the updates on the website or subscribe to it by email.
World Nuclear News – This is a five-day-a-week service that publishes short news reports about the global nuclear industry. Based on London, it is available on the website, or via email delivery by the time U.S. readers are pouring their second cup of coffee. A searchable archive allows readers to dig into the background of breaking news.
ANS Smart Brief – Sponsored by the American Nuclear Society, it picks up news clips from the mainstream media and posts a brief summary of about half a dozen of them a day with links to the original source online. The brief is published weekdays except major holidays. Note: The brief was sponsored previously by the Nuclear Energy Institute. The changeover took place in Spring 2018.
NucNet – NucNet is an independent global news and information network for the international nuclear community. NucNet maintains a 24-hour-7-day service to report the facts behind nuclear-related news. NucNet collects and shares information and news on nuclear issues, particularly all aspects of the safe operation of nuclear installations and the safe use of ionizing radiation.
Nuclear Power Daily – Like ANS Smart Brief, this daily nuclear news summary relies on wire services and other sources. Also, like ANS Smart Brief, it is an advertising supported service.
Google News – Google News allow you to search by keywords and to set up news alerts based on them. You can set up as many alerts as you want and have the alerts delivered by email or RSS feed. You can select instant delivery or once a day.
Nuclear Energy blogs are a great source of information often posting news in specialized developments days or weeks ahead of the mainstream news media. A good starting place is the blog roll list of links on this blog or on ANS Nuclear Cafe.
Pocket Guide to Nuclear Energy The World Nuclear Association (WNA) Pocket Guide WNA's 2018/19 new combined Pocket Guide (PDF file) brings together useful facts on four key topics. It is 44 pages of plain English facts at your finger tips.
Nuclear Power, Energy and the Environment – How much carbon dioxide does each energy source emit? Which countries have the highest and lowest emissions of CO2 ? How can nuclear energy help combat climate change?
What is radiation? Where does it come from? How can it be measured? What steps can be taken to protect against high doses of radiation?
Nuclear Power Reactor Characteristics – How do nuclear power plants work? What are the different types of reactors in use? Which countries have chosen nuclear to meet their electricity needs?
Uranium, Mine to Mill – Where does uranium come from? Which countries are the largest producers? How is uranium extracted and processed to produce nuclear fuel?
There is another "what to read" issue, and that is how to answer questions from in-laws, friends, and the occasional non-nuclear colleagues who genuinely want to know more about nuclear energy. Here's a reading list that you can clip and save. All of these books are in print and most can be found in a public library or through inter-library loan. The major online book selling services stock these volumes.
A cheap way to get many of these books is to buy an e-reader from any of the major vendor with a 7″ screen which is all you really need if you are using the device just for books. A google search shows dozens of product for about $100 or less with enough storage (16 Gb) for dozens of books. Many of these devices can expand their storage with SD cards.
A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow Joshua S. Goldstein & Staffan A. Qvist (new in 2019).
A good starting point to understand spent nuclear fuel is the Blue Ribbon Commission report which is a useful volume. It is an excellent report and is accessible, for the most part, for people who have no technical background in nuclear energy.
The Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future (BRC) was formed by the Secretary of Energy at the request of the President to conduct a comprehensive review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle and recommend a new strategy. It was cochaired by Rep. Lee H. Hamilton and Gen. Brent Scowcroft.
The Commission and its subcommittees met more than two dozen times between March 2010 and January 2012 to hear testimony from experts and stakeholders, to visit nuclear waste management facilities in the United States and abroad, and to discuss the issues identified in its Charter.
Additionally, in 2011, the Commission held five public meetings, in different regions of the country, to hear feedback on its draft report. A wide variety of organizations, interest groups, and individuals provided input to the Commission at these meetings and through the submission of written materials.
In 2016 the Department of Energy is pursuing a "consent based" approach to locating a site for final disposition for spent nuclear fuel.
On Friday, March 11, 2011, one of the largest earthquakes in the recorded history of the world occurred on the east coast of northern Japan. This earthquake also generated a major tsunami, causing nearly 20,000 deaths. Electricity, gas and water supplies, telecommunications, and railway service were all severely disrupted and in many cases completely shut down. These disruptions severely affected the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing a loss of all on-site and off-site power and a release of radioactive materials from the reactors.
The leadership of the American Nuclear Society commissioned the American Nuclear Society Special Committee on Fukushima to provide a clear and concise explanation of what happened during the Fukushima Daiichi accident, and offer recommendations based on lessons learned from their study of the event. The American Nuclear Society, a professional organization of 11,600 nuclear science and technology professionals, has a strong tradition of advancing nuclear safety, and the Special Committee on Fukushima was organized to further its members' interests in this important professional obligation.
The release of this report is the culmination of a nearly year-long effort by Special Committee members to analyze a range of factors related to what happened at the Fukushima Daiichi facility. The report was officially released at a press conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. ANS Executive Director Robert Fine made opening remarks and introductions. Drs. Dale Klein and Mike Corradini, the Special Committee co-chairs, lead the discussion of the report and the Q&A session. Special Committee members Paul Dickman — who also served as study director — and Jacopo Buongiorno, lead for regulatory issues, also appeared on the discussion panel.
The report, special videos from the press conference, and other materials can be found here.
In The Future of Nuclear Power in China, Mark Hibbs identifies and analyzes the challenges facing Chinese decision makers in developing and deploying nuclear power technology through mid-century. Will China succeed where others have failed in transitioning from existing reactor designs to advanced technologies? Can China's nuclear program continue to expand at the rapid pace of the last two decades? Or will reduced growth, market forces, and corporatism slow reactor building to a crawl, as in Western countries? How will China manage greater nuclear risks? What will emerging Chinese nuclear leadership mean for multilateral nuclear governance?
Download the Executive Summary or the Full Report (PDF files) here.
The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) has released recommendations to support the development and commercialization of small modular reactors (SMRs) by U.S. companies.
The report provides guidance for state and federal governments to accelerate both light water and non-light water SMR design availability to meet global energy challenges and national security imperatives.
On a global scale, the report notes that SMRs have the potential to help meet growing international energy demand, as nations work to lift billions of people out of poverty. These technologies offer an alternative to traditional, large light water reactors with power outputs that can better match the scale of developing world energy needs. SMRs have enhanced safety cases and operational flexibility, including the ability to better complement variable energy sources such as wind and solar.
I found "Nuclear 2.0" by Mark Lynas interesting, easy to read, and well-sourced. Just a couple bucks on Kindle.
Excellent source for people in the environmental movement who have questions about nuclear energy. I added it to the list.
Leslie Corrice deserves more than an honorable mention for his chronicle.
The online library at WNA has a new section which looks like an excellent primer for nuclear energy – they also update articles quarterly so this info should remain current.
Thanks for the update. I added a link to it in the main article.