Energy

Native Americans Camp Out To Protest Wis. Mining Project

5:22pm September 10, 2013

by Chuck Quirmbach

A dispute over a proposed iron ore mine in Wisconsin has spilled into the nearby woods. Native Americans have set up a camp to protect land near the mine site and say federal treaty rights allow the campers to stay.

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National

Vt. Nuclear Plant Shutdown A Sign Of Changing Energy Market

6:31pm August 27, 2013

by John Dillon

The owner of Vermont's only nuclear plant says it will shut down the facility next year. Entergy had just won a lengthy battle with the state over whether the plant could keep operating. Now the company says market forces and other issues mean the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant isn't profitable.

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Science

Physicists Find New Particle, Look for Answers

10:42am August 23, 2013

Researchers say that they've discovered a new subatomic particle - one that appears to contain four quarks bound together. Physicist Sean M. Carroll describes the significance of the find, and talks about the ongoing effort in physics to explain why the universe is the way it is.

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Regulators Monitor 'Serious Leaks' At Japanese Nuclear Plant

7:25am August 23, 2013

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is back in the news — more than two years after an earthquake and tsunami triggered a series of meltdowns. New leaks found this week prompted regulators to consider raising the alert level.

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Part of the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant in Lewiston, N.Y., is seen from the air on Aug. 14, 2003, during a massive power outage that stretched from New York to Detroit and into Canada.

National

The Next Disaster Scenario Power Companies Are Preparing For

8:49am August 15, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

Ten years after a cascading power outage across a broad section of the U.S. and Canada, utility operators and regulators are concerned about another blackout scenario: a massive cyberattack that could threaten the U.S. electric grid.

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The sun sets over the Manhattan skyline during a major power outage affecting a large part of the Northeastern United States and Canada on Aug. 14, 2003. Ten years later, some improvements have been made to the grid to prevent another large-scale blackout

10 Years After The Blackout, How Has The Power Grid Changed?

12:58pm August 14, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

Sagging power lines and computer glitches led to a power outage that left 50 million people across the Northeast U.S. and part of Canada in darkness on Aug. 14, 2003. New sensors have been installed, and operator training and computer systems have been upgraded. But is that enough to prevent another massive blackout?

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World News

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Leaking 300 Tons Of Tainted Water Daily

6:56pm August 08, 2013

The Japanese government has announced that radioactive groundwater is leaking from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. To try and stop it, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which owns the plant, has proposed building an underground wall of frozen earth around the reactors. The ice wall is supposed to keep groundwater from flowing in and radioactive water from leaking out, but nobody knows for sure whether it will work.

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The offshore wind farm in the North Sea near Borkum, Germany, is nearly complete. The Riffgat facility, seen here on June 23, includes 30 turbines, each with a generating capacity of 3.6 megawatts.

Sold! First Parcels Auctioned For Future Offshore Wind Farms

6:01pm August 02, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

The federal government held its first ever auction for the right to build offshore wind farms on Wednesday. After 11 rounds, a Rhode Island company was the highest bidder, at $3.8 million.

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The Ivanpah solar project in California's Mojave Desert will be the largest solar power plant of its kind in the world.

Massive Solar Plant A Stepping Stone For Future Projects

12:33pm July 29, 2013

by Lauren Sommer

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California's Mojave Desert will power about 140,000 homes and be a boon to the state's renewable energy goals. But it was no slam dunk. Now, California is trying to bring conservationists and energy companies together to create a smoother path for future projects.

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National

Carbon Tax Gaining Popularity, But Not With Lawmakers

6:31pm July 18, 2013

by Jennifer Ludden

The idea of taxing carbon emissions to curb climate change has been gaining surprisingly diverse and bipartisan support over the past year. Everywhere, that is, except Congress.

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