Tag Archives: coal
Researchers at Ohio Stste University have successfully comducted a research-scale test of a new form of "clean coal" energy production which does not involve burning the coal. The technology uses tiny beads of iron oxide to carry oxygen to coal which has been ground into a powder. The coal particles are about 100 micrometers across while the iron beads are much larger, about 1.5 to 2 millimeters across. The coal and iron oxide are heated to high temperatures. Carbon from the coal binds with the oxygen from the iron oxide, releasing carbon dioxide, which rises into a chamber where it … Continue Reading
A team of University of Oregon physicists has published a paper recommending the treatment of flue gases from coal-fired power plants by cooling it sufficiently for pollutants to be deposited as "ices". The researchers believe that this cryogenic system would capture at least 98% of sulfur dioxide, virtually 100% of mercury and 90% of carbon dioxide.The CO2 would be captured as a solid (dry ice) which would be warmed and compressed for piping to a storage facility. They estimate that the process would add about 25% to the cost of coal-fired electricity but would reduce the overall costs to society … Continue Reading
Using oil and gas as an energy source is a remnant of old Industial Age technology and not normally part of our discussion of the developing Global Age. However, the increased price of fossil fuels, resulting from the world’s diminishing oil supply, has led to some extraordinary techniques being used to extract oil and gas from ‘unconventional’ sources. These techniques seem to have been shrouded in confusing jargon and emotional claims. In this post, I have attempted to set out my understanding of techniques such as fracking and coal seam gas extraction in plain language. Researching these techniques has led … Continue Reading
If the cost of solar photovoltaic electricity continues to fall, there must come a time when solar power is cheaper than electricity from coal. But when will that time come? This graph shows us that, for new coal-fired power, the time is now. In the short term, PV prices seem to drop sharply and then stabilize for a period and even rise slightly. However, Ramez Naam (Scientific American, 16 March 2011) has shown that there has been an underlying steady decline in PV costs at a rate of 7% per annum for more than 30 years. The main factor in … Continue Reading
For decades, the United States produced more of its electricity from coal than all other fuels combined. As recentlly as 2003, 51% of US electricity came from burning coal. But the use of coal is starting to decline rapidly. In 2011, coal will account for 41% of US power generation, down 2% from the previous year. It is expected to decline by about 4% in 2012 and about 5% in 2013, But the big drop is expected in 2014, when almost 9 gigawatts of coal-fired power plants are due for retirement. Experts think that by 2016, as much as 20% … Continue Reading
The Post-Carbon Institute has published a report which claims to shatter the "myth" that natural gas can be a bridge fuel between oil and coal and a renewable energy future for the United States. Without gas from shale, the US Energy Information Administration estimates that gas production will fall by 20% by 2035. However, replacing coal would require a 64% increase in gas production and replacing oil another 100%. Extraction of shale gas requires high energy and water inputs – and the wells rapidly become depleted.. It involves controversial hydraulic fracturing and the need to dispose of toxic drilling fluids … Continue Reading
A Stanford geophysicist, Mark Zoback, has warned that "underground storage of carbon dioxide may trigger earthquakes which could allow the gas to seep back into the atmosphere, rendering the emissions mitigation approach ineffective." The problem is that burning coal produces so much carbon dioxide that the volume is too great to be stored safely underground. For carbon sequestration to make a significant contribution, massive volumes of the gas would need to be injected into the ground at thousands of sites around the world. According to Professor Zoback, injecting such massive amounts of carbon dioxide would inevitably trigger faults and cause … Continue Reading
According to a report published in Nature, although coal is plentiful, cheap coal may run out within a few decades. The article points out that the current large investments in carbon capture and storage are based on the assumption that coal will remain cheap for many decades but this may not be the case. It is impossible to get an accurate, up-to-date picture of the world’s economically recoverable coal reserves. The United States, for example, has not updated its reserve estimates since 1974. However, there are reasons to think that the price of coal is likely to rise. Some coal … Continue Reading
Take a look at our new video about the amazing amount of coal and water that it takes to run a coal-fired power station – and the huge volume of carbon dioxide emitted, as well as all of the other pollutants.
Greenpeace International and the European Renewable Energy Council have produced a report titled: "Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable World Energy Outlook" which provides a detailed blueprint for cutting carbon emissions while achieving economic growth by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and energy efficiency. Acopy of the full 212-page report is here; a 16-page summary is here. Under the Energy [R]evolution scenario, global CO2 emissions would peak in 2015 and drop afterwards. Compared with 1990 CO2 emissions would be more than 80% lower by 2050. The report says that by 2050 around 95% of electricity could be produced by renewable energy. … Continue Reading
Videos
Renewables News- New Aussie Technology to Clean Polluted WaterScientists from Deakin University, together with French colleagues, say that they have manufactured a lightweight and reusable material that can absorb up to 33 times its weight in a wide range of spilt oils, chemical solvents and dyes, while repelling … Continue Reading → […]
- Aussie Researchers Make Efficient Solar Cells from Low-grade SiliconResearchers at the University of New South Wales have found a way to make very high efficiency solar cells out of cheap, low-grade silicon. It has been known for several decades that hydrogen atoms can be introduced into the atomic … Continue Reading → […]
- First Aussie “Hot Rocks” Power Plant Begins ProducingThe first power plant in Australia to produce electricity using an enhanced geothermal ("hot rocks") system has begun producing electricity in the far north-east of South Australia. The one-megawatt Habanero pilot plant near outback Innamincka is operated by Geodynamics. Geodynamics … Continue Reading → […]
- New Aussie Technology to Clean Polluted Water
