[en] In this article a review of the main factors that will influence nuclear development in coming decades and possible scenario are given

[en] Short communication

[en] A report, published recently by the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry, revises earlier official views about how the industrial colossus plans to meet its energy needs to the end of century and beyond. A small chapter is devoted to the role of nuclear power in Japans energy supply. (qui)

[en] Since maximum power demand forecasting paves the way to electric power system planning, the improvement of its precision exerts a great influence upon the reliability and the economic relation of power supply. This paper discusses the technique of load forecasting to meet future demand of electricity with the use of the method of least squares basing on the fact that the load growth curve has been exponential in form over a limited number of years. Specific case of the load growth for the present Korea power system has been examined and it is apparent that this technique is capable of being used satisfactorily for forecasting short-term maximum power demand. (Author)

[en] Case study using Aoki method for forecasting the following magnitudes as a function of time: 1) annual energy generation; 2) annual peak demand; 3) seasonal variation of peak demand and 4) seasonal load duration curves. (HP)

No abstract available

[en] Combining recent advances in causal flows with time series analysis, relationships among 11 U.S. spot market electricity prices are examined. Results suggest that the relationships among the markets vary by time frame. In contemporaneous time, the western markets are separated from the eastern markets and the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas. At longer time frames these separations disappear, even though electricity transmission between the regions is limited. It appears the relationships among markets are not only a function of physical assets (such as transmissions lines among markets), but by similar and dissimilar institutional arrangements among the markets. (Author)

[en] A study-week, promoted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) and held in the Vatican City on 10-15 November 1980, examined thoroughly the theme: ''Mankind and Energy: Needs - Resources - Hopes''. The study-week was sponsored by the PAS, organized by the French physicist Prof. Andre Blanc-Lapierre, and was presided over by the well-known biophysicist Prof. Carlos Chagas, who is also President of the same Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The volume ''Humanite et Energie: Besoins - Ressources - Espoirs'', with all the proceedings of the study-week, may be obtained on request from the Cancelleria della Pontificia Accademia delle Scienze, Casina Pio IV, Citta del Vaticano. (author)

[en] The direct electricity used by data centers has become an important issue in recent years as demands for new Internet services (such as search, music downloads, video-on-demand, social networking, and telephony) have become more widespread. This study estimates historical electricity used by data centers worldwide and regionally on the basis of more detailed data than were available for previous assessments, including electricity used by servers, data center communications, and storage equipment. Aggregate electricity use for data centers doubled worldwide from 2000 to 2005. Three quarters of this growth was the result of growth in the number of the least expensive (volume) servers. Data center communications and storage equipment each contributed about 10% of the growth. Total electricity use grew at an average annual rate of 16.7% per year, with the Asia Pacific region (without Japan) being the only major world region with growth significantly exceeding that average. Direct electricity used by information technology equipment in data centers represented about 0.5% of total world electricity consumption in 2005. When electricity for cooling and power distribution is included, that figure is about 1%. Worldwide data center power demand in 2005 was equivalent (in capacity terms) to about seventeen 1000 MW power plants.

[en] The review deals with the basic task of nuclear power, i.e., the necessity of replacing declining reserves of conventional fossil fuels. Problems of development of the nuclear power industry are discussed. The main trends are summed up of world power industry in the 20th century and economic problems are pointed out limiting the effectiveness of nuclear power and resulting from the high capital costs and small reserves of really low-cost nuclear raw materials. The ecologically adverse consequences of nuclear power development are discusssed, such as the discharge of radioactive wastes from plants in normal operation, the hazards of radioactive contamination in case of accident, the devastation of nature in case of future extraction of poor uranium ores, the transport of high-level radioactive materials, radioactive emissions from the reprocessing of irradiated fuels, the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes with a very long half-life. Also outlined are the progressive trends which should limit the adverse ecological impact of nuclear power. Briefly reviewed are the specific problems of nuclear power in Czechoslovakia. (A.K.)