Archive for April, 2011

Bringing Advanced Coal Technologies to Arkansan Students, Educators and Workers

The first two days of our Clean Coal Mobile Classroom tour of Arkansas included visits to two college campuses. Our first stop on Wednesday took us to the campus of Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.

Southern Arkansas University Chemistry Professor Tim Schroeder visits the mobile classroom to talk about CCS technologies.

Professors and teachers, college students, and even high school students came by to learn about the history and latest developments in advanced coal technology. Southern Arkansas University Chemistry Professor Tim Schroeder stopped by to talk about carbon capture and storage projects, and AP science students from Emerson High School came over to learn more about IGCC technologies.

AP science students from Emerson High School visit the Clean Coal Technology Mobile Classroom.

I had a chance to talk with Dr. David Rankin, President of Southern Arkansas University, about the importance of educating Arkansans about coal and the new Natural Resource Research Center the university just built:

Yesterday, we visited the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope (UACCH), where more than sixty future employees of the SWEPCO’s Turk power plant came through the classroom throughout the course of the day. We also welcomed Venita McCellon-Allen and Mike Young, President/COO and Regional Communications Director, respectively, of SWEPCO.

SWEPCO's Venita McCellon-Allen and Mike Young outside the mobile classroom's stop in Hope.

SWEPCO runs a scholarship program at UACCH, and many recent graduates of the program came by to check out the clean coal technology infographics on our iPads.

Recent graduates of SWEPCO's scholarship program at UACCH checking out infographics on our iPads.

Check back with us next week as the mobile classroom continues its tour through the Natural State.

29 April 2011, 11:37 am | Posted in America's Power Tour, Clean Coal Technology and Research, Jobs | No comments »

Clean Coal Technology Mobile Classroom Kicks Off Arkansas Tour

Our Clean Coal Technology Mobile Classroom is back on the road, this time in Arkansas to show students, business owners and residents of the Natural State the history and future of advanced coal technologies. From the improvements that these technologies have made in decreasing the coal-based electricity industry’s environmental footprint to carbon capture and storage projects being developed, the mobile classroom will be visiting university campuses, trade organizations and town centers to showcase the latest innovations in coal-fueled power plants.

I spoke with Mark and Dennis, who will be accompanying the Clean Coal Technology Mobile Classroom throughout its tour of Arkansas, about their plants to educate folks about the benefits of coal and coal-based electricity:

SWEPCO is currently finishing construction of the John W. Turk, Jr. power plant in Southwest Arkansas, putting people and advanced technology to work to meet future energy needs of the state. The 600-megawatt plant will be one of the cleanest and most efficient coal-fueled plants in the United States.

I spoke with Kacee Kirschvink of SWEPCO, who talked about the jobs, economic growth and environmental benefits the Turk plant would provide to the region:

For more information on the Turk plant, visit our friends at the Arkansas Coalition for Affordable Reliable Electricity. To follow the mobile classroom’s activities in Arkansas, be sure to get the latest updates from this blog, our Facebook page and Twitter account.

28 April 2011, 1:51 pm | Posted in America's Power Tour, Clean Coal Technology and Research, In the States | No comments »

New Government Report Predicts Coal Will Remain Dominant Electricity Fuel Long Into the Future

Alexandria, Va. –   Coal is likely to remain the dominant source of American electricity for decades to come, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration.  EIA’s American Energy Outlook 2011 predicts that, absent overly stringent new federal regulations, electricity generation from coal will increase by 25 percent from 2009 to 2035 and that coal will generate 43 percent of America’s electricity in 2035.

“This report underscores the important role that coal will play long into the future,” said Steve Miller, president and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.  “Coal will continue to be America’s fuel for decades to come because it will remain affordable, reliable and will be used in an increasingly clean manner.”

Earlier this year, ACCCE released a report showing that among energy used by American households, electricity has experienced relatively low price increases since 2001.  Coal currently provides nearly one-half of America’s electricity supply, and has contributed to the relative stability of consumer electricity prices.

An executive summary of the EIA report can be found here: http://www.eia.doe.gov/forecasts/aeo/chapter_executive_summary.cfm

27 April 2011, 5:01 pm | Posted in ACCCE News, Energy Independence, National Affairs, Reliability | 1 comment »

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