Tag: energy

Portugal builds hydro battery

As a part of the strive for renewable energy production, Portugal is constructing a new hydro plant that in effect will work as a giant battery.

By utilizing renewable energy from wind, sun, wave and hydro power to pump water up to a giant reservoir during periods of low electricity demand – such as during night time or on weekends – the hydro plant’s water reserve is “reloaded” with water that later can be used in the usual way to produce hydro electricity when needed.

In this way the hydro plant works as a giant battery, storing energy for later use. The technique is not entirely new – similar setups already exist – but for Portugal the new construction will bring the country further on its way to get 80 percent of their energy needs from renewable sources.

Source: ARD Tagesschau

Polish companies eyes small nuclear plants

Two companies controlled by two of Poland’s richest persons are eyeing the possibilities to construct small-scale nuclear reactors (SMRs) as the country continues its plans to use nuclear energy production in order to lower their dependency on coal and gas.

It is the energy company ZE Pak and the chemical company Synthos that are looking into constructing between four and six SMRs at the current coal power plant in Pątnów in central Poland.

Source: Ny Teknik

The problems with nuclear power

As if the earthquake and the following tsunami were not enough, Japan got into another nightmare with its damaged and apparently out-of-control Fukushima nuclear power plant.

It can of course be argued over the logic in the reasoning to construct nuclear plants in a region that is on the absolute top of the list when it comes to earthquake risks. Japan have naturally not been unaware of the risks involved, but have apparently deemed that in order to provide the electrical energy needed to power the world’s second largest economy the risks were worth taking. It now seems that the safeguards even in such a hightech country have not been sufficient.

It is not the first time the safety of Japan’s nuclear programme has been questioned, or even the first time incidents have cast a shadow on the policies. But this is by far the worst such incident.