Posts filed under The Coal Wire

Democrats, Republicans Alike Concerned About EPA Regs

With the election season in full swing, it might seem that Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on anything.

But one thing Democrats and Republicans have united on is their concern about new and proposed EPA regulations like Utility MACT, which was finalized late last month. Back in November, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) warned that the EPA was rushing to promulgate regulations on power plants that could impact Nebraskans:

It’s not that the utilities, and hundreds of others nationwide, don’t want to comply with federal rules. They do. But they face major challenges in meeting deadlines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…I’m fighting against EPA bureaucrats requiring that the upgrade be done so fast they’ll have little choice but to raise electricity rates through the roof for many Nebraskans.

Once the Utility MACT rule was finalized by the EPA, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), was frustrated that the rule could cause coal-fueled power plants in his state to shutter, potentially leading to higher electricity prices for his constituents:

It will drive up electricity rates for all consumers, and increase the cost of any products that depend on electricity – which is just about everything. More than sixty percent of Wisconsin’s electric power comes from coal-fired plants … The Utility MACT rule promulgated by the EPA today will put many coal-fired plants out of business.

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) pushed for Congress to act in a bipartisan fashion to prevent these EPA regulations from negatively impacting the economies of his and other states:

Every American should be concerned about their effect on energy prices, the reliability of our power supply, our coal mining industry and most importantly our families … I hope that Congress will address these regulations … to prevent the potential loss of a million jobs, increased utility rates, and more damage to our economy.

Whether working on Capitol Hill or campaigning back in their home districts and states, Democrats and Republicans alike have one message: it’s time to slow down these proposed EPA regulations on power plants.

05 January 2012, 2:21 pm | Posted in National Affairs, Policy and Legislation, The Coal Wire | No comments »

The Coal Wire: New Innovations in Clean Energy Technology and Affordability

Engineers in the United States and around the world are pushing the envelope with huge innovations in clean coal technology. In addition to creating jobs, engineers are now achieving new benchmarks in research and development with the announcement from Southern Company that the world’s largest power plant CCS project is now fully operational:

Southern Company announced today that its 25-megawatt carbon capture and storage facility is operating and capturing carbon dioxide. Located at Plant Barry near Mobile, Ala., the CCS facility is the world’s largest for a coal-fired generating power plant. It will capture approximately 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually – or the equivalent of emissions from 25 MW – for permanent underground storage in a deep saline geologic formation.

Mitsubishi also announced that their contribution to this project will be the first time such technology been deployed in a coal power plant – and that their technology will be commercialized.  In addition to innovations that will help ensure America’s energy security while also reducing the environmental impact of power generation, clean coal technology is being developed to maintain coal as America’s most affordable source of energy. With this in mind, Alstom has predicted that the cost of carbon capture and storage will be competitive with renewable energy in less than four years:

Alstom SA, the world’s third-largest power-equipment maker, said the cost for carbon capture and storage will be competitive with renewable energy as a way of curbing climate-harming emissions by 2015… Governments around the world are seeking to cut emissions while securing energy supplies. Carbon capture technology is one way of preventing emissions blamed for climate change from being released into the atmosphere. More than half the world’s power will still be produced from fossil fuels in 2035, and CCS may account for as much as 20 percent of emissions reductions by 2050, Alstom said, citing International Energy Agency data.

Countries around the world recognize the value and security of using clean coal to generate power, and know the value of carbon capture and storage – which has created an innovation race. The United States is leading the pack, with both the Southern Plant mentioned above and the American Electric Power Mountaineer Plant in West Virginia, the first and second largest projects to date, respectively. But a team in Europe is working to create an inexpensive, innovative system as well:

Various experimental technologies have been developed for removing most or all of the CO2 from smokestack effluents, although no one system appears to have been universally accepted as of yet. One technology that shows some promise, and that could perhaps be used in conjunction with other systems, is called Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC). Norwegian research group SINTEF is now building a special new type of CLC system, for use in the DemoCLOCK pilot project, to be installed at Spain’s Elcogas Puertollano power plant.

You can learn more about the benefits and of clean coal, and join over 200,000 others who are dedicated to creating jobs and innovation by joining America’s Power Army and helping to spread the word: Clean coal technology will power America’s future.

15 June 2011, 11:01 am | Posted in Clean Coal Technology and Research, Jobs, The Coal Wire | No comments »

The Coal Wire: Domestic and Global Developments in Carbon Capture and Storage

In its ongoing efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the coal-based electricity industry continues to work with government and academic partners to develop and deploy carbon capture technology and safe storage solutions.

Companies in Texas are working together now to develop CCS in the Lone Star State to be used in enhanced oil recovery:

Air Products has signed two agreements with Valero Energy Corporation and Denbury Onshore, LLC. The new alliances are expected to precipitate the firm’s carbon capture and sequestration project in Port Arthur, Texas. Thanks to these latest agreements, Air Products’ CO2 will be delivered via a pipeline owned by Denbury Green Pipeline. The pipeline stretches between Texas to Denbury Onshore and is expected to begin in late 2012. The sequestered carbon dioxide is to be put to use by Denbury Onshore in enhanced oil recovery.

President Obama’s administration has not only been supportive of investing in clean coal projects domestically, they are continually committed to working with other countries in developing and deploying technologies to keep coal as an important part of our energy portfolio. This is why the Obama administration recently agreed to move forward with its cooperative efforts with Poland on clean energy efforts including clean coal:

President Obama and Prime Minister Tusk welcomed new momentum in the two countries’ cooperation on energy and climate security, especially in view of Poland’s forthcoming European Union presidency.  They welcomed intensified cooperation between our governments and private sectors in the development of unconventional sources of energy, including shale gas, renewable energy sources like wind and biomass, clean coal technologies, and civil nuclear power capability in Poland.

As President Obama hosts German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a state visit tomorrow, it’s important to note the advancements that Merkel’s country is making in CCS technologies. German researchers just completed a successful carbon storage project in Ketzin, a town near Berlin:

Vattenfall has started the injection of carbon dioxide into the Ketzin reservoir. For a period of about one month, around 2,000 tonnes of CO2 will be transported and stored 200 kilometres from the coal-fired CO2 capture pilot plant at Schwarze Pumpe to Ketzin. The first successful injection from Schwarze Pumpe in the test storage site in Ketzin happened on May 4th. The R&D site in Ketzin is run by the German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ. Until then, only food-grade CO2 has been injected in Ketzin and this is the first time CO2 derived from the flue gases of a CCS plant has been injected.

The importance of keeping coal as part of our energy mix isn’t only a priority of the United States. Leaders in Australia recognize that advanced coal technologies can play a role in keeping coal as an important global source of energy while reducing its environmental impact:

The Otway CCS Project showed that the technology is viable. Almost 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide was pumped into underground reservoirs made up of sandstone rock located beneath a dairy farm … Australian operations head Russell Caplan says there will be a place for large scale renewables, but CCS is the best transitional approach … “You have massively growing energy demand. You’ve got billions of people coming on to the earth who require energy. Without doubt coal is going to continue to be a major source of that energy so we need to utilise in a more environmentally friendly way.”

To see where there might be an advanced coal technology project near you, click here.

06 June 2011, 1:37 pm | Posted in Clean Coal Technology and Research, Reliability, The Coal Wire | No comments »

| Page 1 out of 19 | // Older Posts >