Coal: The Saga Continues
Here’s a popular video that depicts a piece of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. In particular, it’s the story of how Canada razed two coal-fired power plants and built massive (200 MW) solar fields on that real estate (and plenty more, as the power density of solar is a fraction of that of coal).
There is no doubt that the developed world is ridding itself of coal at the maximum pace feasible, if only because of pure market economics; as discussed in Bullish on Renewable Energy, the declining costs of renewables and cheap natural gas have conspired to make coal non-competitive. God knows what would happen if we actually put a price on the pollution that these plants belch forth: greenhouse gases, heavy metals, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, and radioactive isotopes.
The real issue, however, is that the developing world is a million miles from making this transition. Market conditions in Asia (4.54 billion inhabitants, accounting for 60% of the world population), favor coal, and thus our civilization faces an ongoing problem of great proportion.
As I told the representative of Germany’s (equivalent of our) State Department, who interviewed me a few years ago re: what Germany should be doing in renewable energy, “What your country is doing is fabulous. Having said that, and don’t take this the wrong way, it won’t matter what Germany does if we can’t look at this as a global problem that must be solved. A solution that doesn’t work for India and China really isn’t a solution at all.”
Now, in a few minutes someone’s going to comment that all this is wrong, and that the Mueller investigation is a witch hunt. All I can advise is this: think for yourself.
Craig,
The Nanticoke Generating Station was a 50 year old 3,964 MW coal fired power station, built even when new to a fairly old design. Decommissioning and demolition was only made possible by reactivating the Bruce Nuclear facility and adding two more reactors online. (currently Bruce River is the largest nuclear facility in the world).
Strange as it may seem, very few airlines still fly 50 year old Boeing 707’s as commercial airliners, just as not many people watch My Three Sons on the family Admiral TV made in Galesburg, Illinois by the Midwest Manufacturing Corporation.
Likewise the technology deployed in the next generation of coal fired power plants will be very different from the old designs of 50 years ago !
The technology now exists to build super efficient, environmentally friendly coal fired facilities. Advanced technology can even produce a range of by products able to reduce emission problems in other industries. These reduction will further enhance the environmental credentials of coal.
The “War on Coal” is based on prejudice and deliberate ignorance. Like most environmental issues, myths, obsolete information, political opportunism and ideology obscures rational debate.
Since your interview with an official of Germany’s failed Energiewende (Energy transition), much has changed. German coal prices have quadrupled, forcing not only German consumers and taxpayers to pay more, but due to EU regulations, small and medium sized countries are also expected to pick up part of the tab, largely through taxes.
What a difference a few years makes ! Germany’s Angela Merkel has been forced to convince the German Green Party to drop their flagship environmental policies, including a phase-out of fossil fuels, in exchange for a few Green politicians to stick their snouts in the trappings of government coalition. The Greensalso dropped their cherished manifesto to establish fixed dates for the abolition of coal-fired power stations !
Germany must go cap-in-hand to beg Russia’s Vladimir Putin to supply more Gas, build a massive pipeline, and also capitulate to the US President’s trade policies in order to secure US LPG.
Despite these imports, Germany, (only 10 years ago an energy exporter) is burning more coal, including the dirtiest brown coal, in old, previously mothballed plants to meet it’s needs.
Meanwhile in Europe, a massive scandal is brewing as report after report is beginning to confirm the massive scale of deceit involving false reporting and lies relating to installed Wind Turbine performance involving billions of taxpayer funding.
Craig, it looks like the army of “anti-Coal” crusaders is losing faith, with desertion the order of the day !
In reality, without political interference, Coal’s only real competitor is Natural Gas (obtained by fracking).
Incredible as it may sound today, the technology already exists to build economical, environmentally friendly Coal fired facilitates with equally or greater environmental benefits than Solar or Wind or even Gas!
Those who refuse to even entertain the idea of such technology, are no fiends of either the environment or civilization. Their blind prejudice will doom them to irrelevance.
(I wasn’t aware Mueller was inquiring in to Coal, but nothing surprised me as the inquiry seems to have become never ending and omnipresent !).
Oh, and hey, how come you are so horrified by American companies building pipelines, but it’s okay for the Russians to build pipelines in Europe and China ?