In his book “Blackout”, Richard Heinberg concludes……..”There isn’t nearly as much coal left as most people think. “Clean coal” will run down limited reserves even faster. If humanity doesn’t begin massive, sustained investment in renewable power sources immediately, civilization could be at risk before the end of the century. And that’s without considering the impacts of climate change.”
Solar, wind and other renewables generating at least 25% of our electrical energy backed up mostly by natural gas fired turbines and maybe a few more nukes is the most likely scenario over the next 25 years. As coal plants retire, a mix of new renewables and gas fired plants will take their place.
Is clean coal a fiction or half-truth that forms part of an ideology, i.e. a myth? As with most things, it depends on your point of view and your own ideology. If building a clean coal power plant is simply a matter of a fat check book, willpower and a room full of engineers, an [...]
The last weekend before the recent presidential election, a San Francisco Chronicle interview found Mr. Obama stating, “Build the coal plants if they want, but it will bankrupt them if they do.” Not surprisingly, the conservative herd quickly wolfed down this final slab of red meat and lept to the conclusion that the [...]
