What has nuclear energy done for you lately?
March 30, 2016
Out of sight, out of mind. Unless you work for an electric utility, you probably don’t think a lot about where your electricity comes from. But, you should. Read More
Out with the Old, In with the New (Fuel)
March 23, 2016
The days are starting to get longer, March Madness is in full swing and pastel Easter candy has hit the shelves. Spring has sprung. As many of us start to leave our windows open while we swap our winter coats for rain jackets, thousands across the ... Read More
Lighting the Dark with Tritium
March 16, 2016
Exit signs. Watch dials. Gun sights. Each of these items may emit glowing light – light that neither come from a battery nor requires electricity. This light source is emitted from tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen. Read More
Inside “NCIS: Los Angeles”: Nuclear myths and truths
January 13, 2016
If you watched the Jan. 4 episode of “NCIS: Los Angeles,” you got an inside look at a decommissioned nuclear energy facility. Well, sort of. The team investigates the radiation poisoning of a sergeant moonlighting as a security officer at a fictional ... Read More
Cherenkov Effect is Science, Not Science Fiction
September 17, 2015
In the movies, a nuclear reactor is always shown shrouded in an electric blue haze. It is easy to assume this is simply a special effect, but the blue glow is an actual real world phenomenon known as the Cherenkov effect or Cherenkov radiation. ... Read More
Evolution of the Harris Nuclear Plant
September 02, 2015
Duke Energy has safely operated nuclear power plants in the Carolinas for more than 40 years. The company, which includes predecessor Progress Energy and Carolina Power & Light (CP&L), sited and built the first commercial nuclear reactor in the ... Read More
Fall: Prime Time for Outages
August 25, 2015
For most people, the transition from summer to fall means back to school, the kickoff of football season and the leaves changing colors. Fall has a different meaning for those in the nuclear industry: outage season. Read More
Happy Birthday: Catawba Nuclear Station Turns 30
August 07, 2015
In 1972, Duke Energy announced plans to build Catawba Nuclear Station on the peninsula of Lake Wylie in South Carolina, just three miles north of where the company started. Duke’s first hydroelectric station, Catawba Station, was built in 1904 at the... Read More
The Mysterious “Hot Hole”
May 21, 2015
If you read our last post, you may have realized just how important water is to electricity production at nuclear power plants. Because of this water need, nuclear plants are typically located near lakes, rivers or the ocean. Most power plants use one... Read More