Denis Duff

Clean air, affordable energy, good health. Extensive professional experience in power generation. Independent. Personal views.

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

The December Irish Energy and Nuclear newsletter from @18for0:
https://t.co/ntdpHTtNaE

Lots of great nuclear and energy news from the last month

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@iaeaorg @NTBreakfast All agreed we should consider nuclear (EU's #1 clean energy)
IT problem🙁limited my input:
Already lack energy for industry
Have excessive & rising costs
High risk we can't build massive Grid & Tech even if it develops as hoped

Nuclear reduces these risks
https://t.co/J4RHBJAFui

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

Looking forward to agreeing with the DG of the @iaeaorg, who said that Ireland may need to reconsider its ban on nuclear energy in order to ensure clean energy supply

7:45 am tomorrow Friday on @NTBreakfast

[Newstalk Breakfast @NTBreakfast]

#ComingUp from 7am with Shane & @jonathanhealy

Calls for removal of Joe Biden’s mural @ipsc48

Changing careers late in life @sarahmaddening

Should Ireland lift it's nuclear energy ban? @DenisDuff7 @Koberah

Fianna Fáil launch plan to tackle crime @JamesBrowneTD

#NTBK

[Tom O’Hanlon @TomOHanlon17]

🚨Saturday Poll 🚨

Should Ireland 🇮🇪 seriously consider developing a Nuclear Power plant? 🏭

(Please retweet for a wide sample of opinions)

[Mark Nelson @energybants]

BREAKING: this will be a pro-nuclear EU Commission!

Instead of giving the energy portfolio to an antinuclear Green from Spain, it's going to a pro-nuclear Czech.

Just announced.

This comes days after EU chief von der Leyen, a German, said that the EU needs "more nuclear."

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@BrianLeddin Bicycle sheds were supposed to be one of the ways to re-purpose used wind turbine blades

A missed opportunity?
https://t.co/2O91PfUO1i

[18for0 @18for0]

A recent article on nuclear power by the @farmersjournal had this to say

"Without adequate preparation, the state could find itself unable to choose the emerging SMR technology at a time when there could be long queues of customers and no delivery slots"
https://t.co/kH65olw98u

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@killianwoods So, still time to remove the Bill's inane anti nuclear ban?

After all, it's only 3 days since the Irish Academy of Engineering said we should prepare to use nuclear in case the renewable + hydrogen aspiration isn't as successful as it needs to be
https://t.co/zK5OX7NmbH

[Mark Nelson @energybants]

BREAKING: ESTONIAN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR

After years of debate, Estonia has officially decided to develop nuclear power with a 41 to 25 vote, with 2 undecided.

The small Baltic nation is one of the purest use cases for a new generation of smaller reactors now being developed.

Nearby Lithuania was once the world's leader in percentage of power from nuclear, at 95%, until it shut down its reactors to ease joining the EU. Oops!

Congratulations to those who have fought for this for years, namely @kallemets and the whole @fermienergia team. It's been a privilege to follow along with you.

[Mark Nelson @energybants]

VOGTLE, GEORGIA: US SECRETARY OF ENERGY CALLS FOR "HUNDREDS" MORE LARGE NUCLEAR REACTORS

"We need two hundred of these by 2050. Two down, one hundred and ninety-eight to go."

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, speaking now in front of the flawlessly-operating Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear reactors.

It's extraordinary that this is what Democrats now sound like on nuclear.

It's truly a bipartisan consensus that America needs to build way more nuclear power.

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@IrishRail Update - sorry, you were right about the 1034, which has now left Blackrock.

But what happened to the 10:04 is still a mystery...

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@IrishRail My son was at Greystones station from before 10am waiting for the 10:04, which never arrived.

The 10:34 appears to have left Greystones a few minutes ago, at 11:10.

Something odd here...

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@greenparty_ie The task is to Go Clean, not just Green

Trying to Go Green with Renewables Only is reckless and could hobble the economy

Time to move from the ways of the past and stop opposing change. Start enabling our economy and people for decades and include all clean energies.

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@du_dot_ie @planetofdub @EamonRyan Yes, the more interconnection the better. They help to lower costs and give another import option, but are not as reliable at times of peak demand as we'd like

They also help integrate larger power plants, including nuclear, into our relatively small grid. A win-win

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@planetofdub @EamonRyan That's a popular view. France are not likely to send their cheapest and cleanest energy to us instead of using it themselves

It's not as much about Nuclear or Renewables as it is about finding the best way to get us off gas and coal - and that's best done using all the options

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@du_dot_ie @EamonRyan Nuclear energy would almost certainly result in lower bills, without State or any other subsidy. The power plant could also pay for the cost of regulation and licensing, if the State wanted it to.

[18for0 @18for0]

How to say nuclear without saying it?

"The gap between the current strong demand for electricity and potential strong supply must be successfully bridged"

"Connection policy should focus on enterprise development while working on a pathway to net zero"

https://t.co/JiCE0drYAJ

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

Interesting trend

In 2023, average electricity demand in Ireland (the black line) increased as the temperature fell - as expected

Wind energy output (the blue bars) tended to increase as the temperature dropped, but then decreased when it got really cold here

[Richard Ollington @RichardOllingtn]

In Ireland, on days of <5°C, wind output averaged 1.3GW, 20% lower than the output on milder 5-10°C days.

Moreover, on these cold days electricity demand was 6% higher.

[Denis Duff @DenisDuff7]

@BeagleyBeag @EamonRyan Tiny amounts of radiation diluted into the Pacific Ocean is trivial compared to burning coal and gas that make Ireland's electricity 1 of the dirtiest in Europe

Net Zero energy needs ultra low emissions nuclear

Sellafield isn't relevant to Irish nuclear energy