Autonomous Vehicle Consultant

The U.S. government has failed to learn that industry regulation is absolutely essential to insure safety and stability in large-scale industries that affect the entire nation. The absence of regulation led to the catastrophic financial turmoil in 2008 and the horrific environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico during 2010. The United States is ill prepared to confront yet another disaster, this time a nuclear power plant calamity. Nuclear lobbying influence has stifled the imposition of regulation that might prevent a Japanese Fukushima style meltdown that occurred in 2011. The following statements show that Japan can learn from its mistakes, while the United States has failed so far in that regard.

Japanese Prime Minister during Fukushima Disaster – Lessons Learned

“In an unusually stark warning, Japan’s prime minister during last year’s nuclear crisis told a parliamentary inquiry Monday that the country should discard nuclear power as too dangerous, saying the Fukushima accident had pushed Japan to the brink of ‘national collapse.’ ” May 28, 2012

U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) – Lessons Learned: None

“I am confident that the need for new nuclear power plants will emerge beyond 2020 because the long-term fundamentals for nuclear energy remain sound,” said William Johnson, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy. Johnson also serves as NEI chairman. May 23, 2012

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) – Lessons Learned: None

“The NRC has never rejected a license renewal application of a nuclear plant. It has previously renewed the licenses of 72 of the nation’s 104 commercial nuclear reactors…” From 1991 to present time

According to IHT Global Opinion, “Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, died on May 20, 2012.” Mother Jones reported, “In 2007, BP and the Libyan government agreed upon a $900 million oil exploration deal for the Gulf of Sidra. Last year, BP admitted that it had lobbied the UK government on the issue, after the company became ‘concerned that a delay in concluding a prisoner transfer agreement with the Libyan government might hurt a $900 million oil deal it had just signed.’ ”

The figures below strongly suggest real reasons for the release of the Lockerbie Scotland bomber. Figure 1 shows the declining oil production in the UK sector of the North Sea. The decline began around 2000 without interruption and includes the Norwegian sector as well.

In fact, “Oil and Gas of the United Kingdom (OGUK) estimated an 18% fall in North Sea production in 2011 compared with an average 6% decrease over the last five years. Meanwhile, exploration drilling is down 50% versus 2010, a level not seen since the mid-1960s.”

Figure 2 illustrates the fact that the National Oil Companies (e.g., Saudi Aramco) own approximately 94 percent of the world’s oil assets in contrast to 6 percent by the International Oil Companies (e.g., BP)

Conclusion: Both the UK and BP suffer from declining oil assets. It is highly likely that the UK made a deal with Libya for the untimely release of the Lockerbie Scotland bomber in exchange for BP access to Libyan oil. The 270 lives that were lost in the plane crash over Scotland in 1988 counted for nothing and the United States did nothing of substance to prevent this release.

Renewing nuclear plant licenses for aging electric power generators is mired in a sink hole of politics and regulators, who are more concerned with the economical woes of that industry rather than safety. Here is a summary of the risks and a path forward to mitigate them:

1. Aging nuclear plants are risk prone and could lead to catastrophic consequences.

2. Ninety percent of the uranium used in nuclear power plants is imported with 15 percent from Kazakhstan and 23 percent from Russia. These sources are not necessarily reliable.

3. There are 65,000 tons of spent uranium rods stored at more than 30 locations. Nearly 2000 tons of spent fuel are added annually. It could take 15-20 years to identify a permanent waste storage site. Can we afford to wait that long?

4. Decommissioning a nuclear power plant will cost at least $600M and require several years. The cost of a new reactor ranges from $5B to $7B based on a Westinghouse AP 1000 model.

5. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is incapable of making unbiased decisions regarding license renewals. Cozy relations continue between politicians and regulators in spite of Fukushima.

6. License extensions are granted to save the nuclear power industry money, coupled with the hope that nothing bad happens during the 20-year license renewal period.

7. Nuclear plants could be replaced with natural gas-fired electric power generators. The United States has a plentiful (allegedly) supply of natural gas in the Marcellus shale formation, among others, and can be produced with horizontal drilling and hydro fracturing (“fracking”). However, it remains to be seen whether fracking can be accomplished without environmental harm. Some have questioned the extent of shale gas reserves, which might be overstated by at least a factor of 2.

Note: There are 11 government agencies that support the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Solicitations from these agencies are published several times during the year and contain dozens of problem topics. For example, many topics from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have a keen interest in energy efficiency and renewable energy, some of which may overlap the issues raised in this post. Small businesses, sometimes teamed with universities, may submit proposals in response to these topics and possibly receive awards for technology/process development.

Small Business Innovation Research Grants: How to get them and how to manage them

Wed., April 18, at 8:00 am

Meeting room 221E in Bldg. 100

Cummings Center, Beverly, MA

Are you a smart startup?

–  Do you know what SBIR/STTR grants are all about?

–  How do you identify grants that might fit your company?

–  Are you not sure how the process works or if you should bid a SBIR proposal?

–  What sort of preparation is needed to write a proposal with a decent chance of winning?

–  What does it take to manage the grant if you win?

Join us for our next Innoventures U with Betsy Wilhelm of SciGro, Inc & Jeff Everson of JHEverson Consulting – recognized experts in winning SBIR grants for their clients. Betsy focuses on the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical diagnostics, and the life sciences industries. Jeff’s specialties include renewable energy, applied robotics, sensors, optics, nanotechnology, medical devices and electro-mechanical systems.

The seminar is free.  All current NSIV incubator members, candidate companies, sponsors, mentors and advisers are invited.

Seminars are always the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 8 a.m. at the Beverly, MA Cummings Center.

More info:  visit – www.nsiv.org or email  tom.kinneman@nsiv.org

The long View – Sustainability Radio, On WUML FM 91.5s “Thinking Out loud”

Dr. Jeff Everson speaks on Peak Oil: what is it and what does the future hold without citizen and Government intervention. We know that Clean Renewable Energy (CRE) is what we need to protect the remaining health of the planet. Can we organize CRE AND vehicle technology fast enough to move away from fossil fuels in upcoming years – or not? Listen to an .mp3 of the interview here.