Bill Weihl

Q. What does the pathway to cheap renewable energy at scale look like? Do you think there’s enough political and societal will to make it happen?

A. As a society, we have chosen to invest too little in alternative energy over the years, and that has made some of the choices much harder than they should be… We should be investing in new wind technologies that promise substantially lower cost. We should be investing in enhanced geothermal, we should be investing in cheaper, safer, cleaner nuclear…. We need to invest across the spectrum.”

– Google’s Energy “Czar” Bill Weihl
from the New York Times from January 7, 2010.

Governor Jan Brewer

And more news about the need for both nuclear energy and renewables, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer “wants more nuclear power for in state.” According to the Associated Press, Brewer said Tuesday that “the state should include more nuclear power plants in its energy portfolio while cutting taxes and government regulation to provide a welcome mat for solar and wind projects encountering “green tape” elsewhere.

Said Brewer, “Memo to California solar industries: Arizona’s door is open, we’ll leave the light on for you.”

Brewer outlined a portfolio of positions and initiatives on energy topics during an address to a regional business summit held at a Phoenix resort.

Arizona already is home to the three-reactor Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix, and Brewer said she wants to develop more nuclear power.

No new nuclear power plant has been built in the U.S. for decades but economic and environmental factors warrant a new emphasis on that electricity source, Brewer said.

“I believe it’s the wave of the future,” she said.”

Read the rest of the piece by Paul Davenport of the Associated Press here.

Jacques Besnainou, AREVA North America CEO

“Despite broad support for effective climate legislation, its passage is not certain. Yes, many stakeholders want action. But too many of them are promoting parochial interests at the expense of the greater good.

Some special interest groups focus entirely on energy efficiency. Others are wedded to renewable sources and say no others need apply. Still others are battling for a greater role for biofuels, small hydro, clean coal, nuclear energy or any of a host of others. Which one should the government choose?

My response is that it is not an either/or question. We need a broad range of clean energy alternatives and we need to get moving. While some projects already are under way, a strong climate bill would hasten the development of more clean energy projects and create thousands of additional green jobs.

Rather than advocating and defending so many individual energy “silos,” none of which will solve the problem alone, we should unite behind a holistic approach. We should rally around the broad banner of clean energy, defined as all sources that produce little or no carbon dioxide and have a minimal impact on the environment.
Two areas are particularly promising and deserve priority attention in developing a holistic solution.

The first is renewable energy, especially offshore wind, biomass and solar. Today, renewables account for 3 percent of our energy supply, but there is great potential for growth.

Wind off our coasts is perpetual, continuous and clean. No one can disrupt its supply. Similarly, the sun offers the potential for an inexhaustible source of energy.
The second is nuclear energy, which supplies 20 percent of the nation’s total electricity, but is by far the largest source of CO2-free electricity.

America’s nuclear power sector accounts for nearly 75 percent of our clean air energy, thus any expansion of our nuclear sector would avoid massive volumes of emissions.

But a sizeable number of Americans still harbor fears of nuclear power. Our challenge is to do a better job of informing the publicabout the nuclear industry’s exemplary safety record over the last 50 years.

There are those who suggest that, as we develop a cleaner, more efficient power sector, we must choose between nuclear energy and renewables. This is a false choice, and forcing people to make one would be a huge mistake.

The solution is not nuclear energy or renewables. It is not a focus on energy efficiency or new generation. Finding our way to a low-carbon future means we need more energy efficiency, renewables, nuclear energy and other clean sources if we are to succeed.”

Read the full piece from the Tri-City Herald (Wash.) here.

A version of the op-ed also appeared in Sunday’s Lynchburg (Va.) News & Advance.

More information on the Alpha Ventus project is available here.

And while on YouTube, be sure to look at the other videos on AREVA Inc.’s channel.

If you cannot access the video, you can also find it on the AREVA Multibrid site, which is on key part of AREVA’s Renewables growing portfolio of renewable energy options.

Going into the last day of the conference in Copenhagen, AREVA Vice President of Sustainable Development and Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce Environment and Energy Committee Laurent Corbier chatted with Kai Ryssdal of the Marketplace program produced by American Public Media (their conversation aired yesterday on NPR). Laurent emphasizes that while many companies have already begun investing in a low-carbon energy economic future, “signals” from the world’s leaders that may eventually provide a consistent regulatory framework are critical to accelerating that investment.

In addition to providing low-carbon energy generation solutions, AREVA is an active member and leader in international sustainable development associations such as the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Business for Social Responsibility, and the United Nations Global Compact.

The text and audio are available here.

AREVA Multibrid M5000 offshore wind turbines

Not too far from Copenhagen, AREVA is making sure that some progress in reducing CO2 emissions is a reality. AREVA, through its German subsidiary Multibrid, has installed and commissioned six of its specially designed offshore M5000 turbines.

Located in the North Sea, these AREVA turbines are part of the Alpha Ventus project, the first German offshore wind park nearly 28 miles from the Island of Borkum. This is a major achievement for renewable energy because of the technical merit and large energy output these wind turbines have successfully demonstrated.

These five megawatt M5000 turbines are specially designed for the harsh marine climate and are able to capitalize on these excellent wind conditions. Already the six Alpha Ventus turbines have generated almost 30 million kWh, including nearly 10 million kWh with 99% percent availability in the last two weeks of November.

AREVA is very proud and excited about these technical achievements and what the M5000 contributes to the offshore wind industry.

For more information, check out the press release and the AREVA Multibrid Site.

Rendering of proposed Gadsden plant

Residents, area leaders, and local business people from Greater Gadsden County packed the City Commission Building in Gretna, Florida on Wednesday to learn about ADAGE’s new partnership with the community to build its second biopower facility in Florida.

ADAGE President Reed Wills joined City of Gretna Mayor Anthony Baker, Gadsden County Commission Chairman Eugene Lamb, State Representative Alan Williams, and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David Gardner to deliver this exciting news.

Photo Caption: From Left: Reed Wills, President, ADAGE; Anthony Baker, Mayor, City of Gretna; Eugene Lamb, Chairman, Gadsden County Commission; David Gardner, Executive Director, Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce; and Representative Alan Williams

“We are excited to partner with the community here in Gadsden County as ADAGE continues to work to build a biopower industry in Florida that will deliver clean energy and new economic development to the state,” said Reed Wills. “ADAGE looks forward to working with the City of Gretna to deliver new job opportunities to Florida in 2010.”

“The people of Gretna share ADAGE’s vision for creating new economic development opportunities through 21st century clean energy technology,” said Gretna Mayor Anthony J. Baker.

ADAGE has secured the rights to a site in Gretna and plans to submit the applications for the state environmental permits before the end of the year. ADAGE hopes to begin construction before the end of 2010.

Who are we?

A few weeks ago, I introduced AREVA Federal Services as an AREVA subsidiary that works to support the Department of Energy’s projects throughout the United States. In my last blog entry, I talked about our work in nuclear waste cleanup and how we contribute to nuclear nonproliferation. In this blog entry, I will discuss AREVA Federal Services’ role and experience in nuclear energy and sciences and radioactive waste services.

AREVA Federal Services supports these projects because they promote the use of nuclear power as an energy source.

Nuclear Energy and Sciences

AREVA Federal Services actively supports projects that advance nuclear energy to develop new nuclear energy generation technologies, such as the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The NGNP project that we support is a research and development project which consists of the research and development of the design, construction and operation of a prototype nuclear power plant. The type of nuclear power plant that this project is research is one that will be used in the near future, in the next 30 years or so.

Radioactive Waste Services

AREVA Federal Services is a leader in developing and licensing packages and handling equipment for the nuclear industry, and is instrumental in the design and licensing of many of the modern packages in daily use throughout the U.S. and around the world. The division deploys solutions to meet licensing, engineering, and maintenance challenges that packages, such as the Hanford Unirradiated Fuel Package shown below, face for permanent disposal of used fuel and high level waste.

Transportation Cask

This is just an example of some of the things we support and participate in. We do so much more! Thanks and come again!

Multibrid M5000 Turbine

Earlier this week, the first offshore wind farm in Germany, alpha ventus, was completed. Located in the North Sea, alpha ventus features twelve 5 megawatt turbines, half of which were developed and constructed by AREVA Multibrid. Taking just under seven months to complete the entire project, this also becomes the world’s first offshore wind park to have a dozen turbines this size. This a major project for Germany as the country works to generate a larger percentage of its energy from renewable resources.

The M5000 turbine made by AREVA Multibrid is designed specifically for the difficult marine weather conditions. The installation of the Multibrid M5000 began in April of this year, and their six tripod foundations were secured within two months. The first offshore turbine was completed in the middle of July, making it the country’s first. All six of the M500 offshore turbines are complete and undergoing test runs. Already, they have produced more than 13 million kilowatt hours of clean, offshore wind generation. AREVA Multibrid is working right now to bring this renewable energy source to the United States. With the constancy of wind and generating capacity, offshore wind turbines, like the M5000, could make a huge impact in renewable energy generation for the United States.

AREVA subsidiary T&D is also contributing its knowledge and practical expertise to the alpha ventus project—they are delivering a high-voltage transformer-station platform which will receive the wind generated energy and distribute it to the shore. Please download “Offshore Wind Farm ‘alpha ventus’ 110/30 kV transformer station on an offshore platform” for more information.