For negotiators at the Paris climate conference (COP21) to successfully advance global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, nations must embrace a prominent role for nuclear energy.
The Obama administration highlighted the crucial role of nuclear energy when it convened a White House Summit on Nuclear Energy earlier this month. “As America leads the global transition to a low-carbon economy, the continued development of new and advanced nuclear technologies along with support for currently operating nuclear power plants is an important component of our clean energy strategy,” a White House fact sheet developed for the summit states. Many environmentalists are also giving nuclear energy a second look, as they seek practical solutions to constrain carbon emissions.
Nuclear energy facilities provide 63 percent of America’s zero-carbon electricity. Globally, nuclear power plants provide one-third of all zero-carbon electricity. One of nuclear energy’s major advantages relative to other low-carbon energy sources is its unique ability to produce large-scale electricity around-the-clock in extreme weather conditions. Nuclear energy facilities don’t rely on the wind blowing, the sun shining, or just-in-time deliveries of fuel by truck, barge, rail or pipeline. In 2014, the U.S. nuclear energy industry’s average capacity factor—a common measure of efficiency and reliability—was 92 percent.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7694251-nuclear-energy-cop21-climate-goals/
A coal pile buries the UN Headquarters; gas races down 42nd Street and then New York is lost under a mountain of CO2. These dramatic CGI scenes, illustrating actual quantities, create an immersive journey that really brings home the sheer scale of global carbon emissions and the urgency for action.
This poignant four-minute film being launched today, as the UN Climate Summit in New York is kicking-off, allows us to visualize the critical part that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can play in limiting global temperature rise to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Commissioned by the WBCSD and produced by Carbon Visuals the animation is a call to world leaders, industry experts, campaigners and scientists to help catalyze action and inform conversations about what is really needed to reduce carbon emissions.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/72762541-wbcsd-carbon-capture-and-storage/
The number of safety incidents at processing plants has increased as the nation’s refineries have aged. During the first two weeks of 2013, a total of 27 process safety incidents, including fires, leaks and fugitive emissions were reported at U.S. refineries. This incident rate could climb even higher as the U.S. is expected to be the world’s top oil producer by 2017 and plants are pushed even harder. To further compound these risks, the industry is experiencing a “brain drain.” More than half of the most seasoned oil and gas professionals are set to retire in the next few years.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60413-wika-instrument-full-audit-service-team-fast-processing-plant-safety
INRIX®, Inc., a global leader for transportation analytics, today released its 2015 Traffic Scorecard, a benchmark for governments and agencies in the U.S. and Europe to measure progress in improving urban mobility.
The report reveals the U.S. faces large challenges to solve congestion issues, fueled by continued economic and population growth, higher employment rates and declining gas prices. Cities that have experienced the most economic improvement during the past year are at highest risk for consequences related to worsened traffic conditions, including reduced productivity, higher emissions and increased stress levels. For example, Washington D.C., San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Boston all saw reduced unemployment rates bringing them below the national average of 5.3 percent for 2015.1 However, according to the INRIX Traffic Scorecard, congestion in those cities alone combined to waste 1.5 billion hours for daily car commuters last year. Nationwide, commuters spent a total of more than eight billion extra hours stuck in traffic, representing almost 50 hours per driver.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7775551-inrix-2015-traffic-scorecard/
The Obama administration is holding the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy today discussing the role of nuclear energy in reducing carbon emissions linked to the threat of climate change. The event will be live streamed on WhiteHouse.gov and YouTube beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
“Nuclear energy has a really important role to play in the fight against climate change, and I think administrations in the past have recognized this but they’ve tended to be kind of quiet about it,” said Eileen Claussen, founder of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7677651-nei-nuclear-energy-summit/
The upcoming unveiling of the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to impose new far-reaching regulations on emissions of existing power plants promises to bring unwelcome increases in electricity prices for consumers and businesses, warns the National Mining Association.
"This plan is all pain and no gain," said Luke Popovich, vice president of communications for the National Mining Association." That's why state leaders across the country are coming to the same conclusion— that we should not sacrifice our power system to an unworkable plan built on a faulty interpretation of the law."
To view the multimedia news release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7221731-national-mining-association-americans-electricity-bill-increase-due-to-epa-regulations/
GE Transportation continues to harness the power of the Industrial Internet for its rail customers, while it strengthens their local economies with partnership and investment for localized manufacturing capabilities of locomotives and other rail technologies.
PowerHaul locomotives are among the most technologically advanced, fuel-efficient and low-emissions, diesel-electric locomotives in GE's fleet. Launched at InnoTrans in 2010, it has become a global platform for GE and is currently serving the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Europe and Turkey. Designed for high-haulage capability with lighter axle-load applications, the PowerHaul locomotive is engineered to generate more horsepower and tractive effort while lowering fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
To see the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7318451-ge-transportation-locomotives-data-driven-signaling-rail-operation-optimization-technology-on-display-at-innotrans-2014/
A new Obama administration regulation–the so-called Stream Protection Rule–is about to drive up energy costs and unemployment with no gain in environmental benefits, cautions the National Mining Association.
“The primary motive of this regulation is not to protect streams, as its title would suggest, but to protect federal regulators' jobs at the expense of coal miners' jobs as the nation's energy providers,” said Luke Popovich, vice president of communications for the National Mining Association.
In a classic example of needless regulation, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, or OSM, plans to change more than 475 regulations, as well as add more new rules – despite no demonstrated need. OSM has crafted the rule behind closed doors, Popovich said, shutting cooperating states out of discussions about the purpose and content of the regulation.
The new rule carries a heavy economic price tag, Popovich warned. He pointed to an analysis by an independent consultant that found that OSM’s rule would put more than 268,000 mining and dependent jobs at risk—adding to the 40,000 high-wage jobs already lost in the industry.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7221731-national-mining-association-americans-electricity-bill-increase-due-to-epa-regulations/
The plan for reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants that President Obama unveiled at the climate conference in Paris will come with an overall price tag that should greatly trouble American consumers and business and will have little meaningful impact on global warming, cautioned the National Mining Association.
“The plan will replace low-cost power supplies with more expensive and less reliable sources of power. And these increases will show up in monthly utility bills and have a particularly devastating effect on low-income households. About half of all American families already pay close to 20 percent of their disposable income on energy-related expenses.” said Luke Popovich, Vice President, Communications, National Mining Association.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7221731-national-mining-association-americans-electricity-bill-increase-due-to-epa-regulations/
New proposed regulations from the Obama administration will force power plants to abandon the use of coal, the largest source of the nation’s electricity, resulting in higher utility bills for households and businesses and lost opportunities for responsibly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the National Mining Association (NMA) said today.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63063-national-mining-association-nma-epa-new-source-performance-standard
2017 Renault Zoe
Renault has introduced a new Z.E. 40 battery for ZOE. At the same, ZOE owners can benefit from a range of new connected services and equipment upgrades. Order books for the new ZOE line-up are open. The new ZOEs fitted with the new Z.E. 40 battery are made at Renault's Flins plant in France and will be available for delivery before the end of 2016.
Double the range for even longer journeys
As the pioneer of all-electric mobility and Europe's number one seller of electric vehicles, Renault has stepped up its innovation programme and the deployment of its Zero Emissions strategy.
Fitted with the new Z.E. 40 battery, the Renault ZOE now delivers a record NEDC driving range of 400km, which is twice the distance delivered by the model at the time of its original launch.
The new Z.E. 40 battery has a real-world range of 300 kilometres in urban or suburban areas, for example.
The range permitted today by the ZOE is the longest of any mainstream all-electric vehicle and motorists can take advantage of this step forward now.
The ZOE is the best-selling electric vehicle in Europe and provides a real alternative to internal combustion-engine cars, since average daily commuting distances are well within the ZOE's capabilities.
The new battery removes the final psychological barrier that stands in the way of buying an electric car since ZOE users can now travel further and enjoy a wider variety of driving situations without worry about charging. This makes weekend trips a real possibility.
The Z.E. 40 battery's charging rate is similar to that of the standard battery, so 'topping up' doesn't take long at all. For example, just 30 minutes are required on average to charge the battery for an extra 80 kilometres of driving range when plugged into one of the many public charging points in operation in Europe. The ZOE continues to be equipped with the Quick Charge function to take full advantage of the maximum capacity of fast charging points located predominantly along motorway corridors.
An innovation that doubles battery capacity with no increase in size
The ZOE's new Z.E. 40 battery boasts 41kWh of useful energy, equivalent to almost double the storage capacity of the ZOE's standard battery (22kWh of useful energy).
Developed in close partnership with LG Chem, the battery uses high-energy density lithium-ion technology.
Renault and LG engineers have succeeded in increasing storage capacity without making the battery any bigger or a lot heavier. It was optimised by working on the chemistry of the cells in order to increase their energy density, rather than stacking additional battery modules, a commonly used technique.
This major new technology has been developed while ensuring the battery's reliability or safety.
The battery's large storage capacity ensures longer range for the ZOE thanks to the meticulous work that went into integrating the battery in the vehicle. The electronic management system of the battery optimises the ZOE's energy use on the move, while the new air circulation system maintains the temperature of the ZOE's battery at a constant level, making the car economical to run in very hot or very cold weather.
Hyundai Motor America today unveiled the Ioniq Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, and Electric models for the U.S. market at the New York International Auto Show. The Ioniq eco-focused vehicle is the first in the world to offer three distinct electrified powertrains on a single, dedicated vehicle platform. Hyundai’s approach for the Ioniq line delivers an uncompromising design and driving experience coupled with the latest in safety and convenience technologies, making it an appealing choice for a wide range of buyers. The Hyundai Ioniq is an important milestone in Hyundai’s global sustainability strategy.
“Ioniq will attract an entirely new group of eco- and efficiency-oriented buyers in the U.S. market,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president of Corporate and Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “With outstanding powertrain flexibility, design, connectivity, and advanced technologies, Ioniq meets the needs of a large and growing group of buyers needing a highly efficient, low-emissions vehicle without compromise to their daily lifestyles.”
The driving experience inside Ioniq is enhanced through state-of-the art connectivity features like Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto®, as well as wireless charging of smartphones. Even more, the 7-inch TFT instrument cluster displays all key driver information with outstanding resolution. Ioniq also offers the very latest in advanced safety, including Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Smart Cruise Control, for high levels of both active and passive vehicle safety.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7506053-hyundai-ioniq-model-debut-nyias/
