Slog
News & ArtsThursday, February 26, 2009
Enviro How Clean Is Clean Coal?
Posted by Charles Mudede on Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 12:09 PM
The Coen brothers strike back.
2
This whole debate is misguided, on both sides of the question.
It was unfortunate and yes, misleading for the coal industry to promote the term "clean coal." A terrible move.
But, there are valuable technologies that exist to make the extraction and production of coal a much cleaner process.
Is it perfect? Not by a long shot. But, the implementation of that technology could have dramatic affect toward cleaning up the energy industry; not just here, but worldwide.
For those of you who oppose such incremental steps, I wonder...do you also oppose the Toyota Prius? Afterall, it's still a gas-burning car. It's not perfect, but implementing the transitional technology is a step in the right direction, and begets better solutions and technologies down the road.
Shame on both sides, to be certain.
It was unfortunate and yes, misleading for the coal industry to promote the term "clean coal." A terrible move.
But, there are valuable technologies that exist to make the extraction and production of coal a much cleaner process.
Is it perfect? Not by a long shot. But, the implementation of that technology could have dramatic affect toward cleaning up the energy industry; not just here, but worldwide.
For those of you who oppose such incremental steps, I wonder...do you also oppose the Toyota Prius? Afterall, it's still a gas-burning car. It's not perfect, but implementing the transitional technology is a step in the right direction, and begets better solutions and technologies down the road.
Shame on both sides, to be certain.
3
What happened to the cool people of slog like Monique, Mr Poe, Fnarf?
I checked back in and there are nothing but ass hole comments now?
I checked back in and there are nothing but ass hole comments now?
5
Yeah, I think there should be a distinction between using clean coal to repackage traditional coal power vs using technology to make coal power plants "cleaner."
6
Isn't it just as misleading to talk about a "cure" for cancer or AIDS when most of the money we spend is on mitigation? Making it more survivable, adding a little quality of life or a few years of life? Saying "cure" is just as deceptive as saying "clean" isn't it?
Especially when it is about as easy to get everyone to quit using coal completely as it is to get everyone to never do anything that might risk giving them HIV or cancer.
The fact is a little PR bullshit helps get people on board and willing to spend money, and the outcome is a better world. Quit your bitching.
Especially when it is about as easy to get everyone to quit using coal completely as it is to get everyone to never do anything that might risk giving them HIV or cancer.
The fact is a little PR bullshit helps get people on board and willing to spend money, and the outcome is a better world. Quit your bitching.
8
Does anyone remember the Bureau Of Mines? They were making real progress toward making coal cleaner, and if the Feds hadn't axed that agency in the 90's, the phrase 'clean coal' probably wouldn't sound as idiotic as it does now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_M…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_M…
9
It may be a necessary evil for now, and there may have been technological improvements in emissions, but mentioning "clean coal" in the same breath as ACTUAL RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES is a lie. Coal is still a fossil fuel. It still has to be extracted from the ground, which is environmentally and occupationally hazardous (I come from eastern Kentucky and have witnessed the environmental devastation that comes from mining, whether strip mining or traditional extraction). There's a limited world supply of coal and we can't just tear apart all of our landscapes to get at it.
10
Coal that is cheap, is not clean.
Coal that is clean, is not cheap.
If coal companies want to spend their dollars making coal clean, that's their business. But if tax breaks or subsidies go anywhere, it should be for technology that won't dump CO2 into the air. By the time you make a coal plant truly clean...it will cost the same as wind or solar and will still rely on an incredibly dangerous industry to supply it.
Coal that is clean, is not cheap.
If coal companies want to spend their dollars making coal clean, that's their business. But if tax breaks or subsidies go anywhere, it should be for technology that won't dump CO2 into the air. By the time you make a coal plant truly clean...it will cost the same as wind or solar and will still rely on an incredibly dangerous industry to supply it.
11
@10 is right.
However, the thing you fail to realize is that both America and China will be doubling their use of coal no matter what - and it would be far better if we try to come up with some technology to deal with that.
(caveat - I owned Peabody shares when it IPO'd so sue me)
However, the thing you fail to realize is that both America and China will be doubling their use of coal no matter what - and it would be far better if we try to come up with some technology to deal with that.
(caveat - I owned Peabody shares when it IPO'd so sue me)
12
A friend of mine who is not a part of any company that would benefit, but who knows about modern nuclear power convinced me that we should begin building nuclear plants to operate until fully renewable, CO2 neutral alternatives come online. James Lovelock (the man who came up with the Gaia Hypothosis) proposed the same thing. I think it should seriously be considered by anyone concerned about global warming. I wouldn't have said that even a year ago, but I'm willing to accept that modern plants are safe and produce small enough amounts of waste that they are a viable alternative.
13
Fun fact: burning coal releases substantial quantities of radioactive elements, in fact, coal ash is a potential source of fuel for nuclear plants!
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