Archive for November, 2007

Assignment…Google “Baseload Power”

Google. What haven’t they done to make our life easier? Now they want to make renewables cheaper than coal, and I for one hope they can figure out how to make that happen. If they do, we all win.

Their working hypothesis is that within 10 years (and $100,000,000 later) renewable energy can be cheaper than using coal to generate electricity. Here’s my question…how many years after that (and how many more zeros on the balance sheet) will it take to make it as reliable as coal?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_load_power_plant

Here’s the thing…cheap electricity is only a bargain if it works all the time whenever it is needed. For everything renewables can do, there is no way to make the wind blow on command or the sun to break through the clouds on dreary day (not to mention nighttime).

A news story in the Reno Gazette last Wednesday stated “But if renewable projects are more favorable, a lack of transmission lines needed to route energy produced at wind, solar and geothermal plants into the power grid remains a challenge.”

“Those renewable sources are where they are and can’t be moved around,” said Tom Darin, an attorney for Western Resource Advocates.

As I’ve stated, ideas like the one Google proposes is a situation where everyone wins, let’s just keep in mind that providing affordable and clean energy requires more than just one silver bullet to provide the answer, it is an endeavor so vast that it requires silver buckshot.

28 November 2007, 5:07 pm | Posted in Clean Coal Technology and Research | No comments »
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Let’s be Clear About What the Midwest Governors Did and (More Importantly) Did Not Do

There is little doubt that environmental special interest groups are already trying to spin today’s agreement by members of the Midwest Governors’ Association as the next step toward eradication of coal in America.

In a word … baloney!

First off, the governors signing on to that accord recognized the key role that coal plays in meeting the region’s electricity needs and also the economic benefits resulting from coal production in the region. That’s why the governors expressed their strong concerns that efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions must not harm consumers and drive away well-paying jobs from the region.

Second, with technology advancing to allow for the capture of CO2 in the utility sector, the MGA agreement calls for establishing a regional transportation and storage infrastructure for captured CO2. Recognizing that talk is cheap, the governors went a step further to endorse increased spending for carbon capture and storage technologies to ensure that reducing greenhouse gas emissions does not result in reducing the region’s reliance on domestic energy resources like coal.

Also, it appears that the governors clearly recognize that state regulatory programs to cap CO2 emissions are not the preferred policy alternative. The MGA proposal allows 30 months for developing a regional policy; and the policy deliberations this week noted that, within this timeline, a federal policy could likely emerge making the MGA pact obsolete.

So let’s take a breath and see the MGA policy for what it is: a plan to respond to climate change concerns while, at the same time, recognizing the need to ensure energy security, reliability of the electricity grid, and access to affordable electricity.

For those reasons, coal—and advanced clean coal technologies—will be the centerpiece of programs emanating out of the MGA agreement … not the target.

16 November 2007, 5:03 pm | Posted in In the States | No comments »
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We Can’t Stop the Future

Sometimes I’m just not sure where people are coming from. Take for instance some environmental special interest groups who are calling for
an end to financing for new coal-generated electric power plants. Their targets are Citi (formerly Citigroup) and Bank of America. They want

people to picket and petition these banks during two “days of action,” Friday, Nov. 16, and Saturday, Nov. 17. I for one will not be joining them.

Oh I’m sure you can guess what it is they’re having to say, but just in case you want to research more… the petitions and other materials
are available here.

Let’s be honest, their position is short-sighted because as the nation uses more and more energy, no other source is as readily available and
inexpensive enough to use. Are these groups for protecting the environment or just against using coal?

Here’s the funny part, their position would defeat one of their goals — to provide clean energy. By withholding funding for new, cleaner power plants, they would keep older, less efficient plants online longer. Is that really the intent of this protest? Have they really thought this one through or are there people who are ready, willing and able to protest anything at the drop of a hat?

We can’t stop the future. We need new coal plants, and we need the financing to make them as clean as they can be. Without it, we are moving backwards and lose momentum to get to the next generation of clean coal technologies to provide clean, affordable electricity. And shouldn’t that really be the goal we’re all moving toward?

15 November 2007, 4:42 pm | Posted in National Affairs | No comments »
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