The lastest energy-related action of the Belgian government is to provide the money that was promised to SCK to evaluate or co-develop SMR technology. This is a side effect of the negociations with ENGIE in a desperate attempt to re-open a few NPPs to keep the light on. This is politics. While SCK wonders if… Continue reading Belgium developing SMRs
Van Hool bust due to bad management?
Yes, bad management of the government. Governments. Plural. Wait. Does the government manage Van Hool? Duh-uh! This is how. Van Hool knows how to build diesel busses. It’s done that for decades, innovating and all. Reading their balance sheets. Fine. Do they make mistakes? Sure. It’s their money. Nobody is perfect. Van Hool however does… Continue reading Van Hool bust due to bad management?
Nitrogen fun fact.
Because judges do not see how Engie can ever guarantee that no nitrogen deposit in the surroundings of Doel will ever exceed the deposit limits when testing or activating the diesel emergency cooling backups of the nuclear power plant, the LTO license of the plant may be rejected. Anyone out there in the universe, please… Continue reading Nitrogen fun fact.
How the nitrogen ghost interferes with energy.
The nitrogen “problem” that pisses everybody off these days is not a problem. Not really. It is more of an artificial problem. It is a government-invented problem. At least if one compares it to the climate problem. Which is in reality an energy problem. So we’re back at energy. The real problem. Compared to the… Continue reading How the nitrogen ghost interferes with energy.
The fundamental mistakes in decarbonisation
Not a lot is basically wrong with our current energy system.Internal combustion engines are pretty much optimised. Heating israther efficient and practical. The distribution systems of fuel andmethane are well established. Pretty much all appliances that can be meaningfully electrified are indeed already electrified. There’s only one problem: the entire system runs on fossil fuels.And… Continue reading The fundamental mistakes in decarbonisation
The role of BRIGID MSRs in the future of humanity.
The world is a mess, and politics are messing it up: wars, globalism, ecology. Instead of solving the world’s problems, preferably in a piecefull and democratic way, one could emigrate somewhere else and start from scratch. But where would you go? To the Moon? Gravity is really low. There is no water. There is no… Continue reading The role of BRIGID MSRs in the future of humanity.
Price of electricity goes below nought.
ENTSO-E reports more and more periods when the EPEX price of electricity go negative. Or do they, really? Not for you and me, it seems. Papers get exited and indicate that customers cannot benefit from this effect due to the billing system, based on long-term contracts. Apparently, we can’t earn a few pennies when prices… Continue reading Price of electricity goes below nought.
Where do the ENGIE numbers come from?
The sort-of-deal between Engie and the government is all about a 10-year LTO. International regulatory-wise, LTO’s are 20 years, so where does this come from? Engie does not hide that it wants to abandon nuclear plants a.s.a.p.One should realise that Engie is not an nuclear specialist, they own only the Belgian plants, which they have… Continue reading Where do the ENGIE numbers come from?
Brilliant strategies: LTO of KCD-4 and CNT-3 as a bargain to cap the future cost of waste disposal
In 2003, the government decided to close down all nuclear power plants by 2023. That’s about just now. From 2003 till 2018, we were all fast asleep. Me too. Sorry for that, by the way. In a KULeuven University Seminar in November 2018 (*), ‘expert’ Prof. R. Belmans, electrical engineer, not nuclear engineer by the… Continue reading Brilliant strategies: LTO of KCD-4 and CNT-3 as a bargain to cap the future cost of waste disposal
Free as the wind…
We need renewables, because wind is for free and uranium is expensive? Sure about this? We need renewables, because wind is clean and uranium is filthy? Again, sure about this? Advocates of sun-and-wind argue that the primary energy sources sunshine, wind and hydro are for free, while oil, methane gas and uranium are costly. There… Continue reading Free as the wind…