In energy news this week:  Amory Lovins of Rocky Mountain Institute gives a fascinating (and detailed) synopsis of why nuclear power is not an option for the future.  Read the summary here. 

According to Lovins: "When it comes to nuclear power specifically, every dollar invested in new US nuclear electricity will save approximately 2-11 times less carbon, and will do so roughly 20-40 times slower, than investing in the same dollar in energy efficiency and "micropower" (cogeneration plus renewables minus big hydro dams). Buying new nuclear capacity instead of efficiency causes more carbon to be released than spending the same money on new coal plants!"

In other news, cows in Wisconsin are proving quite valuable in producing electricity.  Who says nothing good ever comes out of Wisconsin... or cows for that matter.  It seems to me New Zealand should experiment with anaerobic digesters and its several million cattle.