CCS success: Notes from day two of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Conference Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/19/2009 09:00:00 AM

This is the second in a series of posts from ACCCE’s National Communications Director, Steve Gates, who is attending the Regional Carbon Sequestration Conference underway in Pittsburgh, Penn.

For those who might question the substance behind CCS, I have one thing to say: You should have come to Pittsburgh.

On day two of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships Annual Review Meeting, more than a dozen researchers and government officials presented scores of charts, maps, photos and numbers detailing the latest stages of underground sequestration projects. The overriding message? CCS is working.

Across the country, scientists are injecting hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the ground to test the long-term storage of the greenhouse gas.

Among the many factors researchers are weighing: How much pressure can the ground tolerate? How would earthquakes affect underground storage? How much ground would be needed to store CO₂ generated by a coal plant year after year?

Findings presented Tuesday on three projects show the promise of underground carbon sequestration:

1. Based on results of CO₂ injection into coal seams in the Williston Basin, researchers have determined that lignite coal seams are an attractive option for storage. In fact, a senior adviser at the Energy and Environment Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota noted that researchers have concluded that there exists 100 years worth of CO₂ storage for a 500 megawatt power plant in the region.

2. James Sorenson, a senior research manager at EERC reported continued success from the Plains CO₂ Reduction Partnership’s “Huff and Puff” project, which has been pumping CO₂ into an oil reservoir about 8,000 feet deep in Northwest North Dakota. Oil fields in the region, Sorenson believes, are “the lowest-hanging fruit in regard to CO₂ injection opportunities.”

3. University of Texas research scientist Susan Hovorka told the Factuality team that the Gulf Coast is home to the largest volume of underground sequestration of CO₂ in the U.S., noting that one million tons of CO₂ has been safely pumped into old oil wells in Mississippi in the last 15 months.

We’ve seen so much progress on CCS in the last day—and there's still plenty more to come from the conference. Stay tuned.

The facts: The power industry’s investment in clean coal technologies Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/18/2009 09:00:00 AM

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked about clean coal technologies is this: “How much does the coal industry spend on deploying the technologies it advocates?”

Answer: According to a report from Energy Ventures Analysis, Inc., the U.S. power industry has invested roughly $90 billion to deploy clean coal technologies to reduce emissions since 1990.

This huge expenditure has enabled today’s coal-based generating fleet to produce electricity that is 77 percent cleaner in terms of emissions currently regulated under existing Clean Air Act programs per unit of energy produced.

And our success with these technologies has set the stage for the next generation of clean coal projects.

In fact, the industry’s private investments, coupled with the government’s crucial contributions, have allowed for a myriad of CCS demonstration projects around the country—paving the way for commercial-scale CO₂ removal and permanent storage.

Want to learn more about our commitment to a clean energy future? Read the study for yourself, and check out our clean coal technology map to learn about projects happening near you.

Terrestrial sequestration: Notes from the Regional Carbon Sequestration Conference Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/17/2009 01:00:00 PM

This is the first in a series of posts from ACCCE’s National Communications Director, Steve Gates, who is attending the Regional Carbon Sequestration Conference underway in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Whether you’ve heard it here or elsewhere, carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS, has become a real part of the climate change conversation.

And while we support technology initiatives to safely capture and store carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-based power plants, such as American Electric Power’s Mountaineer plant in West Virginia, we realize that sequestering CO₂ into geological formations isn’t the only way to permanently store these emissions.

In fact, yesterday during the first day of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership’s Annual Review in Pittsburgh, we heard from researchers who offered updates on carbon sequestration projects of a different kind: using the power of Mother Nature —wetlands, forests and grasslands—to absorb huge volumes of CO₂.

Edward N. Steadman represented the Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership.

Among the most interesting projects is the Plains CO₂ Reduction Partnership (PCOR), which has explored revised land management practices to preserve wetlands across the upper Midwest. PCOR has partnered with Ducks Unlimited, a conservation group that seeks to protect waterfowl. The science behind the project, according to PCOR Project Manager Edward Steadman is that revitalized wetlands naturally sequester CO₂ while providing a renewed habitat for animals.

Another group also exploring the potential for wetlands is the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP). In Maryland, federal agencies are spearheading an effort to restore up to 20,000 acres of tidal marsh in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Researchers associated with MRCSP are weighing how that restoration might help in sequestrating carbon, said David A. Ball, a program manager at Battelle.

In the West, forests are more abundant than wetlands. So the West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, or WESTCARB, is researching how growing forests might reduce our carbon footprint. John Kadyszewski, speaking on behalf WESTCARB, opened eyes when he put up a chart indicating that an acre of a 100-year pine-fir forest had the potential to remove 400 tons of CO₂ per acre.

Creating the technology to measure the results of terrestrial carbon sequestration has been another challenge, according to numerous presenters. But it’s a challenge they are working to overcome.

These efforts are highly encouraging, and we look forward to passing on more developments on carbon sequestration this week. Much more from Pittsburgh to come.

Researchers finding new ways to feed algae Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/16/2009 01:00:00 PM

As we’ve covered in recent months on Behind the Plug, algae are being tested for its ability to suck carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from coal-generated power plants. As it turns out, algae see CO₂ as nutrients.

These days, researchers are exploring specifically how to use algae as an alternative technology in carbon capture and storage, experimenting with the organisms to remove CO₂ from smokestacks — eliminating the need to trap and permanently bury the CO₂.

The most promising research might be coming out of China, where scientists are testing microalgae at their coal-powered plants. First, the coal is gasified in a simulated underground environment. The carbon dioxide is then extracted with the help of solar and wind power and "fed" to algae, which at that time can used to make biofuel, fertilizer or animal feed—a winning blend of natural and renewable energy sources.

While algae technology is still in the development phase, it certainly shows promise. (Check out previous blog posts on “super algae,” a proposed demonstration plant that would turn algae into ethanol, and coal and algae being considered the “perfect” clean energy pair.) And given that almost half of our electricity comes from coal, we’re confident that this next generation of technologies will make coal a reliable source of energy in the years ahead.

Siemens to partner with Tenaska on $3.5 billion Ill. project Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/10/2009 01:00:00 PM

Siemens Energy Inc. has been chosen to provide the coal gasification technology at Tenaska’s 730-megawatt Taylorville Energy Center in Christian County, Ill., a news release reports.

Taylorville will be one of the nation’s first commercial-scale plants to use both carbon capture and storage and integrated gasification combined cycle technology.

If successful, the $3.5 billion facility could capture and store at least 50 percent of carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise enter the atmosphere.

Siemens’ gasifier technology would convert coal into substitute natural gas, which could be used for generating electricity or sent along into the interstate pipeline system.

We’re especially excited to hear about Taylorville’s progress because we had a chance to learn about the project in June, when we visited Tenaska’s headquarters in Omaha, Neb., for the 2009 America’s PowerSM Factuality Tour.

Our team learned that Taylorville will use state-of-the-art technologies to eliminate most of the sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and mercury emissions while considerably reducing emissions of nitrogen oxide.

The project is important to the local community because, as we reported on the Factuality Tour, the plant will run on Illinois coal, presenting the state with an opportunity to reinvigorate its coal industry while stimulating the economy of central and southern Illinois.

To find out more about Taylorville, watch the video above and be sure to check out the rest of the content on our Factuality Web site.

Climate bill needs to protect jobs – and create new ones Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/02/2009 03:57:52 PM

There is no doubt that the climate bill has the potential to create jobs in the new clean energy sector – including in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

According to a study by BBC Research and Consulting, the deployment of power plants equipped with CCS could generate $1 trillion of economic output and create between 5 million and 7 million man-years of employment.

However, with unemployment at almost 10 percent, the bill also needs to protect existing jobs – particularly manufacturing jobs in energy-intensive industries. We want to avoid “trading” current jobs in the industry for newly created jobs.

Everybody recognizes that a bill that will result in meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will – to some extent – increase energy costs. But energy costs are identified as a significant factor in determining the “cost of doing business” in a state – second only to labor costs.

While we recognize that a cap-and-trade rule is an option for a federal program (which we support), adding cost containment to the bill is essential to ensure we don’t see unnecessary increases in costs and, therefore, protects existing jobs.

Note: The BBC study was prepared for the Industrial Union Council, the AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the United Mine Workers of America and the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

Why climate legislation must provide support for CCT Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/30/2009 12:00:00 PM

We talk a lot on this blog about our belief that technology will be the ultimate answer to climate change, but I heard a fact today at the Clean Carbon Policy Summit in Austin that illustrates just how important technology is to worldwide reduction of carbon dioxide emissions: In the past several years, China has built enough coal-based generation to equal that of the entire US fleet – and in the next 20 years they will do it again.

What good will U.S. regulations do if they don’t provide adequate funding and support for clean coal technologies? Not much, if that stat holds true.

Luckily, it seems that a lot of very smart and important people also believe in the power of technology. In fact, the consensus among conference attendees and presenters was that we will need a suite of technologies, deployed across all energy platforms in order to meet both our growing demand for affordable, reliable power and carbon dioxide emissions limits – whatever those may be.

And though carbon capture and storage – especially CCS deployed over the existing power plant fleet – was widely discussed as the best bang for the buck in terms of the long-term cost of carbon containment, we need strong leadership and increased funding to reach that point.

AEP’s Paul Loeffelman, speaking on a panel about national carbon policy and the challenges facing the power generation industry, took that message one step further by extolling the need for policy support and the creation of public/private partnerships in order to see technologies fast tracked to full-scale commercial deployment without dramatically increasing electricity rates.

He also discussed the legislation pending in Washington – very timely considering the current Senate hearings on the Kerry-Boxer bill. A divisive subject for sure, especially given the anti-climate bill stance of the Texas executive branch, but many attendees supported some type of Federal bill, especially one that keeps costs down and provides increased funding for advanced clean coal technologies.

That’s good news to us at ACCCE, as we are working to ensure that any legislation is committed to developing clean coal technologies, contains a reasonable timeframe for emissions reductions and keeps costs affordable.

See more from the Clean Carbon Summit at www.cleancarbonsummit.com.

Everyone seems to like CCS Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/21/2009 01:00:00 PM

Today at a climate conference in Washington, lawmakers and key interests in energy and environmental issues said that any viable climate change bill must support technologies that curb carbon dioxide emissions.

At a morning session titled “The Farm Factor and the Role for Coal,” ACCCE Senior Vice President Paul Bailey said that advanced clean coal technologies for carbon capture and storage (CCS) – although in relative infancy – are a real solution to improving the environment while providing the energy stability that Americans want.

Joining Bailey on the panel was Glenn English, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association; Dan Lashof, director of the climate center for the National Resources Defense Council; and Rick Krause, senior director of congressional relations at the American Farm Bureau. It was moderated by Rebecca Adams, a senior writer at CQ Weekly.

Several disagreements flared over the cost and effectiveness and the consumer benefits of proposed climate legislation over the 75-minute discussion. But consensus emerged on the topic of CCS.

“It looks like everyone is for carbon capture and storage,” Bailey said afterward.

Lashof, representing environmental interests, said in the panel that “you can make it work,” referring to CCS. He said that the “oil industry has spent 100 years” using CO₂ to extract fossil fuels from out of the ground. “They have learned a lot,” he said.

Bailey said he remembered when proposed scrubbers to eliminate SO₂ emissions were criticized.

“They said it wouldn’t work, it was too expensive,” he said. “They said it was difficult if not impossible to do.”

But he argued that the technology turned out to be less complicated to produce – and the results were dramatic. He noted afterward that the House and Senate versions of the climate change legislation includes between $150 billion and $200 billion for CCS initiatives.

We think that’s a step in the right direction. Let us know what you think.

Proposed gasification plant in Alaska could quadruple U.S. coal reserves Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/21/2009 09:00:00 AM

Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is advising Cook Inlet Region Inc., an Alaska native-owned corporation, about building a 100-megawatt underground coal gasification plant on a shore near Anchorage, Ala., reports The San Francisco Business Times.

Alaska has about one-sixth of the world’s coal resources, The Times says. UGC technology would allow the state to fully use otherwise unrecoverable coal deposits, effectively tripling or quadrupling the U.S.’s coal reserves, according to Lawrence Livermore. This would be a big boost toward increasing our energy independence.

For those who aren’t familiar, underground coal gasification converts coal that is still in the ground into a combustible gas, which can then be used for industrial heating, power generation or the manufacture of hydrogen, synthetic natural gas or diesel fuel.

The technology eliminates the need for coal to be mined, making it an environmentally safer and economically viable technology. Australia successfully demonstrated UGC on a commercial scale in 2008, and there are UGC projects underway in China, India and South Africa.

Cook Inlet Region Inc.’s $280 million UGC project is just one more example of our industry’s commitment to finding innovative ways to produce energy from coal. It would also help diversify Alaska’s current energy mix and provide a climate-conscious way to ensure greater energy security for the country.

Factuality Tour 2009: On the road again Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/15/2009 01:07:08 PM

National Communications Director Steve Gates just visited the 2009 Gasification Technologies Conference as part of the America's Power^SM Factuality Tour. We'll be posting his interviews and videos from the event over the next several days.

The America's Power^SM Factuality Tour is back on the road, and this time we’re off to Colorado Springs for the 2009 Gasification Technologies Conference.

So what goes on at a conference like this? Well, it’s the gasification industry’s biggest event, full of expert presentations on the latest industry trends, developments and cutting-edge technologies. In fact, this year’s conference attracted nearly 750 attendees representing more than 400 companies and organizations from North America, Europe and Asia.

The strong attendance level can be attributed to several factors, including uncertainties surrounding future oil and natural gas prices as well as calls for more stringent control of fossil fuels’ environmental footprint – all of which play to the strengths of gasification technologies.

To learn more about gasification – and find out a little more about the event – I tracked down the conference’s director, Jim Childress of the Gasification Technology Council, and Neville Holt of the Electric Power Research Institute, who has been involved with the conference since its early days. These guys gave us a great overview of the conference and the field of gasification – and they both had a lot to say about how gasification can play an important role in producing low-emission electricity from coal in the very near future. Make sure you check out our video interviews with Jim and Neville to hear everything they had to say.

Winter’s here, and coal is ready to provide warmth Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/14/2009 09:00:00 AM

We are not even halfway through October and already winter has made its presence felt in some parts of the country. Over the weekend, snow and freezing temperatures crept over the Mountain West and the Midwest, postponing a baseball playoff game in Denver and blanketing roads at Yellowstone National Park. On Sunday, the high temperature in Des Moines, Iowa, was 41 degrees -- breaking the 1909 record of 46 degrees.

It’s getting downright cold out there, but the dependability of coal will help millions of Americans stay warm no matter how long that winter feeling lasts.

According to our friend Venita McCellon-Allen, a utilities executive, “We have to be able to meet our customer’s needs in the middle of the night or on the hottest summer day. Coal will help us do that regardless of what Mother Nature is doing.”

In fact, the Energy Information Administration has estimated that winter heating expenses for electricity will be $20 less over the season, according to its annual winter assessment.

To find out just how much you depend on coal-generated electricity at home, check out the Power House – an interactive feature on AmericasPower.org that will allow you to see how much energy it takes to power a modern home.

And as I wrote in a recent guest column for the Des Moines Register, we’re going to need every form of electricity generation that we can think of to meet our growing demand – and that includes coal.

Breaking News: IEA: need for 3,400 CCS plants by 2050 Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/12/2009 02:09:04 PM

The New York Times reports that the International Energy Agency is calling for fast action on carbon storage in developing countries. According to a report to be released by the IEA, there is a need for 100 large-scale, fully deployed CCS plants around the world in the next decade and 3,400 by 2050.

Thomas Kerr, a senior IEA analyst, said the modeling used for the report is "not based on technology or political will ... just based on CO2." The Times also reports “that the agency found CCS will be one of the lowest-cost options in the coming decades, delivering about one-fifth of global emission reductions by midcentury.”

Click here to read the entire article.

We’ve been celebrating Energy Awareness Month since 1981 Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/12/2009 01:00:00 PM

President Obama this month announced October as National Energy Awareness Month – but did you know that the federal government has dedicated time each year to energy awareness since 1981?

Almost three decades ago, the U.S. Department of Energy set aside a week to remind Americans about the importance of saving electricity, which later turned into a month-long event. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush made October its observation period.

Since then, the DOE has launched annual campaigns to promote the efficient use of our nation’s energy.

The department has been particularly active in getting other federal agencies to be more conscious of their electricity usage. Not only does the effort help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it saves taxpayer dollars – the government spends more than $9 billion to power its operations and facilities throughout the country.

This year’s Energy Awareness Month has the same focus and values, but with an emphasis on a clean energy economy, energy security and developing clean energy technology.

And with climate change legislation moving through the Senate, these issues have never been more important.

So take some time to reflect on how you can help promote the efficient use of our nation’s energy – and if you want to share, leave us a comment.

Battery-powered transportation extends to the locomotive industry Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/08/2009 01:00:00 PM

Last week, railroad company Norfolk Southern announced it would be unveiling a new kind of locomotive – one that runs completely on battery power.

The new train, equipped with 1,500 horsepower, will operate in Norfolk Southern’s Pennsylvania rail yard, where low-horsepower locomotives are typically used. The company has plans to develop hybrid diesel-and-electric trains for longer trips, which they hope to start testing by the end of next year.

Political leaders and research groups in other parts of the world are taking a serious look at hybrid train technology. Countries are converting their rail fleets to hybrid models – or environmental groups are pressing leaders to make the switch away from diesel trains.

In England, as part of long-term plans to modernize the railway system, the government will roll out hybrid trains over the next several years. In Ontario, Canada, government leaders have approved the use of diesel locomotives over the objections of an environmental coalition that wants rail lines there to be electrified. Officials in Thailand are drawing up a “strategic roadmap” for the industrial industry that includes developing hybrid trains parts.

It stands to reason that new hybrid trains will need electricity from somewhere. In the U.S., where we get nearly half of our electricity from coal, it’s possible that someday our trains will be running on the same kind of coal they ship.

This makes clean coal technologies like carbon capture and storage all the more essential. Imagine the possibilities: reduced greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, cars and trains, all while moving away from imported oil.

Kudos to Norfolk Southern. Read more about the train on its Web site and let us know what you think of this achievement in the comments.

NOTE: Norfolk Southern is a member of ACCCE.

“The CO2 Story” breaks down the CCS process Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/05/2009 09:00:00 AM

As much as we love our YouTube videos on our Balanced Energy channel, we have to acknowledge the other great stuff out there as well.

Basin Electric Power’s mini-documentary “The CO2 Story” is particularly watch-worthy. It follows the company’s clean coal technology project at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant in North Dakota, which captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from the plant and pumps it to Canada where it’s used for enhanced oil recovery.

The video does an excellent job of showing the science behind the technology – the project’s engineers and employees from the plant explain the process of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) in a way that’s easy to understand.

With the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen around the corner and climate legislation making its way through the Senate, it’s the right time to study up on advanced clean coal technologies and the projects going on across the country. This video is a great place to start.

Tell us what you think about “The CO2 Story” in the comments below—and let us know what documentaries, videos or webisodes you think we should check out.

And be sure to visit our Balanced Energy YouTube channel. We have nearly 100 videos on our channel, including everything from interviews with carbon capture experts to the stories of folks who rely on low-cost energy from coal.

Note: Basin Electric Power Cooperative is a member of ACCCE.

Getting CCS “right” at Columbia University Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/02/2009 09:00:00 AM

After interviewing students and professors this year’s Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS), we realized that some of the most passionate supporters of clean coal technology (CCT) hailed from Columbia University’s Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering (EEE) in the Henry Crumb School of Mines.

“I’m interested in helping to solve problems on a large scale, and I think that CCS would enable us to do that,” EEE student Miriam told us in an interview.

Tim, another EEE student who is working on a PhD on the storage of sulfur and sulfates, said “we have to keep all our options open, and carbon sequestration is one of them.”

Their enthusiasm encouraged us to learn more about their program. It turns out that CCT is one of the main pillars of EEE’s research and specifically focuses on how clean coal technology can be incorporated into the energy and industrial infrastructure for the 21st century.

According to EEE’s Web site, the program plans to achieve this by “treating the inefficiencies and by-products” of fossil fuels through technologies such as carbon sequestration, zero-emission coal, catalysis and recycling.

Department chair Dr. Klaus Lackner, who also spoke with us at RECS , is also working on cutting-edge clean coal projects. Dr. Lackner and his colleagues at Columbia have partnered with Global Research Technologies to develop a new method of capturing carbon from the air in a process called “air extraction.” It will be the company’s first step toward a commercially viable clean coal technology.

Dr. Lackner and the team of experts at Columbia University are another example of the people who are dedicated to pushing essential clean coal technologies forward. Show your support and appreciation for their work by becoming a fan of Columbia University’s Earth Institute on Facebook.

We can lead the world in clean coal technologies Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/21/2009 09:00:00 AM

When U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu visited China this summer, he had one goal in mind: to open China’s market to American clean technology products while pushing China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Chu also laid out plans for how the U.S. would export and transfer the technology to China.

Clearly, Chu recognizes that the U.S. is a leader in technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

It’s easy to understand why – there are more than 200 clean coal programs and projects across the U.S. and nearly $6 billion in research underway in 41 states. Some American engineers, scientists and geologists have been working on clean coal technology for more than a decade.

With the new administration’s support of CCT, U.S. energy companies are making headway – just last week, the Southern Company (an ACCCE member) announced that China would be the first to implement Transport Integrated Gasification, the company’s technology for producing low-emission coal-based electricity.

Other U.S. energy companies are choosing to team up with their Chinese counterparts. Houston-based Future Fuels and Beijing-based Thermal Power Research Institute will focus on constructing coal-based electricity plants in both the U.S. and China.

As we’ve been saying, if we don’t develop the technology here, it won’t make its way to China, India and other places in the developing world that will continue to use massive amounts of coal no matter what we do in the U.S.

They need CCT just as much we do – but we have the technology know-how. It’s time for the U.S. to step up to the plate and lead the way in mitigating climate change.

Clean Coal Technology: it’s all around us Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/18/2009 12:59:00 PM

For a while this week, it seemed as though all of Washington was absorbed with clean coal technology. On Monday and Tuesday, not one, but two, conferences focused on carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

We had to choose which one to attend, and we went with the one organized by the American Conference Institute. (Trade publisher Platts did the second one.)

I have to tell you we came away from ACI’s CCS summit encouraged about where the technology is heading.

Hearing about different CCS projects reminded us of the clean coal technology map wekeep on the AmericasPower.org site to help us track new clean coal projects around the country.

According to our data, there is over $6 billion in clean coal research underway right now in 41 states – even ones not normally associated with coal production.

The projects run the gamut from integrated gasification combined cycle research to advanced fossil energy research. (You can learn a lot about just how complex it is and how many different organizations are working on it just by clicking from one dot to another.)

Check out the map to find a clean coal research project near you – and if we missed any, be sure to let us know in the comment box below.

Follow Friday: our favorite Twitter friends Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/18/2009 09:00:00 AM

As you may have noticed, ACCCE is very active on the Web – we’ve got a great Facebook page, a Twitter profile that we update daily and group and company pages on LinkedIn. With all of this online activity, we’ve met some interesting people along the way.

Twitter is easily one of our favorite ways to stay in touch online. We have managed to have thought-provoking conversations in 140 characters.

So in the spirit of Follow Friday, here are a few Twitter users who are part of the online clean coal technology discussion:

@Msynthfuels: You can count on the folks at Millennium SynthFuels to update you with the latest links and articles from the clean coal technology industry. They also inspire with quotes from Henry David Thoreau.

@cop15: This is the official Twitter of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 – and a great place to gain an international perspective on clean coal technology.

@Showaltermicro: Charles Showalter from West Virginia is passionate about clean coal technology and has many different ideas about capturing carbon dioxide. Pick his brain about CCS – we know he’ll be more than happy to share his thoughts with you.

@expertsenergy: Stay on top of the climate change legislation as it moves through the Senate with updates from the National Journal’s panel of environment and energy experts.

@CoalCanDoThat: Tweets from the Coal Can Do That team.

@fossilenergygov: The U.S. Department of Energy’s Fossil Energy team does a great job of keeping their Twitter followers up-to-speed with clean coal technology grants, projects and even jobs.

Don’t be shy – send them an @reply, follow their Tweets or give them a #followfriday shout. And if you haven’t followed us on Twitter, it’s not too late.

The CCS Summit reminded us of Venita Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/17/2009 01:00:00 PM

We just returned from ACI’S Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Summit here in Washington, D.C. and learned some interesting new facts about the technology behind CCS. We also met and interviewed a few movers and shakers in the industry.

Speaking to all those energy folks reminded us of our friend Venita, an executive vice president at AEP West. Her career has been dedicated to providing affordable electricity for Americans. On top of that, she’s passionate about clean coal technology.

“We have to plan for the long term. That’s what we believe we’re doing with the advancement of clean coal technology – building a way to the future,” she says.

Although she couldn’t attend the summit, we’re confident that her carbon capture and sequestration knowledge is up-to-snuff.

Watch her videos and see for yourself – Venita has been encouraging members of her community to support AEP’s John W. Turk power plant by educating them about the economic and environmental benefits of clean coal.

You can be a clean coal and CCS expert, too – but asking questions is the first step. Check out our live coverage from the CCS summit and tell us what you think in the comment box below.

CCS shines at the Rutgers Energy Institute Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/17/2009 09:00:00 AM

We didn’t know much about Rutgers University’s energy research until we met Ben, a Rutgers graduate student, at the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration in New Mexico.

Ben, who is studying atmospheric science, believes that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is “an important ingredient in solving the problem of global warming.” Hearing how passionate he felt about clean coal technology got us interested in learning more about Rutgers’ climate and energy programs.

We were excited to discover the Rutgers Energy Institute (REI), a center that integrates the university’s expertise in science and engineering and puts it toward alternative energy research – including CCS and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Just this month, REI received almost $8 million in federal grants from the National Science Foundation.

According to the REI Web site, the CCS research focuses on:

•Developing technology to capture CO2 from coal-generated power plants and other point sources such as oil refineries and cement factories

•Exploring the potential for large-scale and long-term storage of CO2 in both onshore and offshore geologic formations

It’s no wonder Ben is so motivated about pushing CCS forward – he’s got the right resources behind him to help pave the way for a clean coal technology future.

Join the Rutgers University fan page on Facebook or follow Rutgers’ environmental school on Twitter.

What they’re saying: clean coal technology and the economy Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/09/2009 09:00:00 AM

With the climate change bill moving through the Senate and the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen around the corner, many public officials have voiced their opinions about the importance of coal and clean coal technology. Here’s a sampling of what they’ve been saying lately:

On clean coal technology:

Bjørn Lomborg, professor at the Copenhagen Business School and director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, Wall Street Journal (8/28): In an op-ed, Lomborg “urges action to address global warming, and argues that the most effective way to address the problem is through technology. Economic sanctions such as a carbon tax or cap-and-trade program will only hinder technological development.”

On the Department of Energy’s announcement of $27 million in funding for clean coal technology:

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Washington Examiner (8/28): “The University of Texas at Austin is one of seven organizations receiving funding to develop sequestration technology training projects.” The $8.4 million awarded to the university “will be used to train site developers, geologists, engineers, and technicians in order to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technologies for CO2 sequestration.” Said Chu, “These projects will train workers for a clean energy economy and help position the United States as a leader in carbon capture and storages technologies for years to come.”

On the benefits of coal:

Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), The Shelby County Reporter (8/26): “Its [coal’s] advantages are that it’s abundant and relatively low-cost. Coal production is a huge source of revenue, as the total annual value of coal produced in the state exceeds $1 billion.”

Restating facts about our energy future Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/01/2009 01:00:00 PM

In the past few months, ACCCE has launched several initiatives to help inform Americans about environmental issues and America’s energy future—a critical topic as the U.S. Senate takes up climate change legislation.

We visited clean coal technology projects during our Factuality Tour. We profiled three Americans who shared how their lives were made better by low-cost electricity from coal. And we traveled across the U.S. to share our message of affordable energy. With all the work that we’ve been doing, we’re bound to hear some criticism. That’s part of a rigorous debate. But we have to step in when someone writes something about our organization that misstates our position.

In a recent article, Daily Finance, a business and financial news Web site, included ACCCE in a rundown of think tanks and lobbying organizations that do not want climate change legislation to pass in the Senate. That is false.

Just the opposite is true. ACCCE has been very clear from the beginning that we are for federal carbon management legislation and we recognize that a cap-and-trade program could be part of that solution.

When outside groups – including publications like Daily Finance – imply that we are trying to “kill” clean energy legislation, it can’t go uncorrected. All of our efforts are part of a bigger goal to ensure that whatever bill Congress passes protects consumers from higher energy costs while meeting emission reduction goals.

In addition, the article mentioned that our Factuality Tour was a “stunt” to discourage people from supporting the climate change bill. Again, this is incorrect – the Factuality Tour explores clean coal technology (CCT) projects throughout the U.S., augmenting the provisions in the current version of the climate legislation for CCT funding.

ACCCE prides itself on being an organization that stands by its commitments and that is why we are disappointed when publications misrepresent our mission and public policy positions.

Let’s agree that climate legislation is a very important issue. It is the nexus of energy, environment and economic policy … and therefore will have a dramatic impact on the life of every American. It deserves better than the politics-as-usual slant some publications continue to inject into the debate.

Helping The Environment And The Economy At The Same Time Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/21/2009 04:00:00 PM

According to a recent study, the majority of West Virginians believe their state’s economic growth should be given priority, even at the expense of protecting their environment.

But West Virginia can have their cake and eat it, too – clean coal technology will make it possible for Americans to boost the economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The importance of advanced technology for carbon capture and storage is that it is a path for us to remove the choice from that poll, which we believe to be a false choice.

We do not have to sacrifice the environment. And we do not have to sacrifice economic recovery.

A study conducted by BBC Research and Consulting says that the commercial-scale deployment of clean coal technology will generate up to $1 trillion of economic output and create more than 7 million man-years of employment.

The takeaway is that we can help both the economy and the environment at the same time.

Listening to the energy concerns of real America Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/14/2009 12:47:52 PM

This week, Team Virginia focused on listening to the energy concerns of real America – people, as the team says, “who are struggling to pay their electric bill every month.”

The team was able to find those voices in two small towns south of Richmond: Franklin and Emporia. Walking down Main Street, the team members spoke to small business owners, customers, construction workers and even people eating breakfast.

Most of the townspeople agreed that the cost of energy needs to stay affordable.

Many people across the country express the same sentiment.

In our latest ad campaign, we spoke to three everyday Americans who are concerned with the climate change debate and want to make sure that – just like the residents of Franklin and Emporia – legislation keeps energy affordable.

Great work, Team Virginia! You hit the nail right on the head.

Take a look at the video, and make sure to explore our new campaign.

How much CO2 can we store? Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/13/2009 03:34:51 PM

When we start talking about carbon capture technologies, one question I’m often asked is:

Where will we put the CO2? And how much of it can we store?

In its 2007 Carbon Sequestration Atlas, the National Energy Technology Laboratory reported that North America has enough storage capacity at our current rate of production for more than 900 years worth of carbon dioxide.

This storage capacity is located deep underground across the continent in varying types of geological formations – including unmineable coal seams and oil and gas reservoirs.

To break it down, the U.S. and Canada are the source of 3.8 billion tons of CO2 each year, but we have storage space for 3.5 trillion tons. Divide that out and we have, in effect, a 921-year reservoir of carbon dioxide storage.

Scientists, geologists and researchers are continually working to make carbon sequestration safer and more secure. During this year’s Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS), we got the chance to see carbon storage in action and meet the experts behind the technology.

Furthermore, the science and technology community is looking at other mechanisms for CO2 storage, including feeding it to algae, which is being studied for use as a substitute for the gas we feed our cars.

Our vast CO2 storage capabilities will not only help facilitate the commercial growth of carbon sequestration projects in the U.S.—but can help us use our most abundant, low-cost energy source for centuries to come.

Creating energy independence with captured CO2 Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/12/2009 02:48:35 PM

We often talk about carbon capture and sequestration on Behind the Plug, but what happens after carbon dioxide gas is “captured?” Sure, we can store it in the sea, store it underground or feed it to algae, but there’s another thing we can do – we can use carbon dioxide to recover depleted oil fields.

This process is called enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a general term that describes methods to increase the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from an oil field. It can be done in many ways, but the most commonly used approach is to inject captured carbon dioxide into depleted oil fields to help jumpstart recovery.

Because EOR increases oil production here within our borders, it improves local economies and reduces our nation’s dependence on imported oil. Fortunately, the government is helping to fund and develop EOR projects all across the country.

America’s Power Weekend Roundup Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/10/2009 12:50:49 PM

If it seems like the America’s Power Army was everywhere this weekend, that’s because they were!

-Team Pennsylvania visited Greene County, a mining community south of Pittsburgh, and got a firsthand account of life in the coal industry from hardworking Pennsylvanians who are proud to dedicate their lives to powering America.

-Despite stormy weather and tornado threats, Team Michigan traveled from Lansing to Marshall to the Jackson County Fair, stopping to chat with folks along the way about how affordable energy is needed to rebuild our economy.

-Team Ohio got a chance to attend a few Buckeye State events: the Wood County Fair, the Northwest Ohio Rib-off and a Toledo Mud Hens baseball game . The team even participated in a parade in Doylestown and got the whole town pumped about affordable energy.

- It was all work and no play for Team Virginia this weekend, even though they were on the sunny shores of Virginia Beach. They immediately sprung into action and spoke to everyone from beachgoers to energy engineers about the importance of clean coal technology.

-Team Indiana stopped by a custom car and truck show in Indianapolis, the Irvington Farmers Market and an Indians game downtown. The team surprised many Hoosiers with a fact about their state: over 90 percent of their electricity is generated from coal.

Want to know what else the teams have been up to? Follow their journey on our Twitter.

Clean Coal is ‘Promising,’ Magazine Says Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/06/2009 06:49:00 AM

How clean is clean coal technology? It’s a question that we’ve heard time and time again.

Manufacturing Business Technology cuts through the PR clutter, focuses on the science and discovers that clean coal is “promising.”

Read Roberto Michel’s piece here.

VIDEO UPDATE: Stanford University professor on CO2 storage strategies Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/03/2009 05:45:21 PM

A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to Dr. Sally Benson, director of the Global Climate Energy Project at Stanford University.

She is an expert on how carbon dioxide flows through rocks, a key to understanding the ways to make CCS effective and safe. At Stanford, she teaches courses on CCS and greenhouse gas mitigation technologies

The video below features highlights from Dr. Benson’s lecture at the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) in New Mexico:

VIDEO UPDATE: Injecting CO2 into the ground in New Mexico Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/03/2009 05:41:19 PM

We told you last week about New Mexico’s Pump Canyon, where researchers are injecting liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) into the ground for permanent storage. The monitoring effort at Pump Canyon includes using “tracers” to monitor the site and ensure the CO2 is staying where it belongs.

The team we sent to New Mexico returned with photos (posted here on Flickr) and the video below, in which officials from the U.S. Department of Energy and Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration explain the monitoring effort at Pump Canyon.

RECS: Filling an Academic Need in Carbon Storage Research Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/31/2009 06:39:52 PM

 Well, that wraps up another year at the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS).

It was a great chance for us to meet the men and women behind the latest clean coal technology (CCT).

As we discovered, some of America's smartest people are working around the clock on the next generation of CCT, which includes the capture and safe storage of carbon dioxide. (VIDEO: See for yourself.)

RECS Director Pamela Tomski told us that RECS fills a void, as there are no university programs dedicated to CCS. Instead, academic research typically is fragmented into different disciplines.

To counter that, RECS offers a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the science, technology and policy behind of CCS.

In the video below, Tomski talks about the success of this year’s RECS program:

RECS: Researchers are injecting CO2 into the ground in New Mexico Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/30/2009 02:13:01 PM

After getting the fundamentals of geological carbon storage through classroom and group exercises, it was finally time for the RECS group to go out into the field and see CCS in action.

Along with RECS, our team went into the field with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Southwest Regional Partnership (SWP) on Carbon Sequestration.

At New Mexico’s Pump Canyon, our team toured SWP’s test project site, where researchers are injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) into the ground.

RECS: Students agree on the need for CCS Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/29/2009 10:13:47 AM

There are many ways to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and each has its pros and cons — a successful solution will involve a balanced mix that includes all options available to us.

At the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) program, Ph.D. and graduate students played the Stabilization Wedge Game developed by Princeton University’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative. The object is to keep CO2 emissions flat using wedges representing different strategies.

Teams included students from academic institutions such as Columbia University, Ohio State University, Indiana University, Penn State University, Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University.

A major part of the game includes weighing the financial costs of each CO2 reduction strategy. That is, we all want to reduce CO2 emissions, but we need to take into account the need for affordable and reliable electricity and ensure that we protect our economy.

The best Stabilization Wedge Game players put together a realistic option for CO2 reduction that wins over the following stakeholder groups: taxpayers/consumers; energy companies; environmental groups; manufacturers; industrialized nations; and developing nations.

Invariably, this means including CCS as a wedge strategy. Students at RECS agreed that since we rely on coal for 50 percent of our electricity, the solution must include a plan to increase our investments in CCS projects.

That’s what we’ve been saying all along, but it was nice to see a team of academic scholars reach the same conclusion.

RECS: We Believe in Clean Coal Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/28/2009 03:05:42 PM

Sometimes in this job, it’s easy to feel like people just don’t get it. And as I get older, I often feel like my parents when I see young adults who are very firm in their conviction and purpose but just fail to see the bigger picture.

That’s why it was so exciting to see the video posted above, in which the next generation of environmental scientists, geologists, engineers and researchers talk about CCS, the shorthand for carbon capture and sequestration.

These are America’s top minds at places like Columbia University and Rutgers University. And in the face of the energy challenges facing our nation, they’re working toward a solution. They recognize the necessity that we have carbon capture and storage because we will still need to use coal (both here and around the world), but they also get that technology is the solution.

Other voices from the academic community on CCS:

•See video: Dr. Sally Benson, director of the Global Climate Energy Project at Stanford University, is an expert on how carbon dioxide flows through rocks.

•See video: Dr. Klaus Lackner, the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is an expert on ensuring that sequestered CO2 stays in the ground in a safe manner.

•See video: Dr. Michael Celia, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University, is an expert on assessing CO2 storage possibilities.

With so many talented individuals working toward the same goal, it’s all the more evident that clean energy technologies like CCS can and will reduce emissions while allowing us to use our most abundant and affordable energy source: coal.

RECS: Putting the ‘Safe’ in Safe CO2 Storage Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/23/2009 10:13:00 AM

This week, we’ll be attending the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) – a 10-day program that advances scientific research and professional training in the field of carbon capture and storage (CCS).

When we talk about the coal-based generating sector’s commitment to clean, we often refer to the eventual capture and safe storage of carbon dioxide (CO2).

This week at RECS, Dr. Klaus Lackner talked about how to ensure that the CO2 stays in the ground in a safe manner.

Dr. Lackner, the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, talked about the best way to monitor underground CO2 injection, including the advantages of using C-14 tagging, which involves a harmless carbon isotope.

Adding one microgram of C-14 to every ton of CO2 would be a safe way of alerting detectors that the carbon present at the storage site is the very same carbon that was injected in the CCS process.

When it comes to the safe storage of CO2, Dr. Lackner says it’s important to get it right.

In the video below, Dr. Lackner explains his work at Columbia University:

Chu tells China ‘we’re all in this together’ Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/16/2009 03:00:00 PM

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is in Beijing this week to talk about climate change with Chinese leaders in the hopes to open the nation’s market to American clean technology products while pushing China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“What China and the U.S. do in the future in large part will determine the fate of the world,” Chu said in a speech at Tsinghua University, as reported in the L.A. Times. “We’re all in this together.”

Chu warned that if China continued on its path, in 30 years it would have equaled all the carbon pollution the U.S. has ever released.

But Chu has a solution – develop clean technology in the U.S. and export it to China. The transfer of this technology is one of the chief topics he is expected to discuss on his trip.

As we’ve been saying, if we don’t develop the technology here, it won’t make its way to China, India and other places in the developing world that will continue to use massive amounts of coal no matter what we do in the United States. Even the L.A. Times acknowledged that the U.S. has the know-how in carbon capture that would benefit the Chinese.

If we want to address a global issue such as climate change, Chu’s right – China must be part of the solution.

When It Comes to Energy Investments, Here's Our Two Cents Posted by Joe Lucas on 04/29/2009 03:07:35 PM

We know we have our critics, but the least our critics can do is get their facts right.

Daniel Weiss of the Center for American Progress wrote a rambling post on his blog about the amount of money ACCCE members spend on research and development but failed to keep his facts straight.

Weiss said that ACCCE members “spent less than two cents in research on ‘clean coal’ for every $1 of profit” – where did he get these figures? Did he have a comparable number from other energy sectors? (Because it has always been my experience that the private sector funding, at least for federal R&D programs, has always enjoyed higher private sector participation than say, other energy sector projects.)

Also, how did Weiss account for the high number of projects going on in the private sector without any public funding that is not easily known to the public because they are developing proprietary technologies? (I was just on a panel last night with one such entrepreneur.)

The figure Weiss quoted is useless without the context of other industries or any consideration for these other factors. It shows that he’s just repeating the “party line” if he was to run down coal, without providing any credible alternatives.

Also, Weiss didn't address the fact that many ACCCE members are highly diversified companies with revenue and investments coming from many sectors of the economy (not just coal), meaning they may invest varying amounts of their research and development budget on clean coal technology (CCT).

Calling GE (an ACCCE member) a “coal company” is like calling JP Morgan Chase “a place where you get change for a dollar,” and I’ve pointed this out to Weiss several times, but he still ignores this huge flaw in his work.

And remember, CCT (as coined by Congress) refers to an entire suite of technologies that work to produce electricity from coal while achieving significant reduction in air emissions. For years, this has meant reductions in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other gases. And the next generation of CCT will include technologies that capture and store CO2.

By the way, I tried to post this comment on the Center for American Progress Web site, but unlike our blog, Weiss’ article won’t accept comments.

Next time around, I hope Weiss is a little clearer.

Steven Chu: Invest in CCS Posted by Joe Lucas on 04/08/2009 05:19:52 PM

Energy Secretary Stephen Chu told reporters this week that the U.S. should invest in carbon capture and storage technology.

"It absolutely is worthwhile to invest in carbon capture and storage because we are not in a vacuum," Chu told the Wall Street Journal following an appearance at an Energy Information Administration conference.

Chu went on to say he expects the United States and countries such as India and China to continue using coal to generate electricity.

That is just one more reason to be sure we keep putting dollars into funding clean coal technology research. Remember, the U.S. already exports coal – and if we continue to lead the way in creating and implementing the best ways to use it, we won’t only be exporting the fuel, but U.S.-bred technology as well.

Secretary Chu makes good points all around, and he’s right that these technologies are a worthwhile investment – as we’ve talked about here before, they have historically paid off.

Coal and algae, the ‘perfect’ clean energy pair Posted by Joe Lucas on 01/22/2009 12:53:14 PM

Whoever said coal couldn’t be a part of a green energy future must have missed this recent spot on NBC Nightly News.

Algae—the green slimy stuff you find in ponds and lakes—is being tested as an alternative fuel source for cars. In fact, experts believe that algae has the capability to displace petroleum diesel to the tune of 66 billion gallons of oil. What’s more, algae grows remarkably fast. Rather than harvesting once or twice a year, scientists can harvest algae every couple of days.

The caveat of this fast-growing super fuel? Giving it enough to eat. Every pound of algae consumes more than two pounds of carbon dioxide. The solution: grow the algae where there’s CO2 to spare.

Scientists conducted a small-scale test at an Arizona plant, pumping CO2 from a coal-fired plant into a tank of algae. The result was enough for one scientist to declare, “We’re able to convert a renewable product into fuel and at the same time consume CO2—it’s a perfect story.”

Wyoming clean coal plant to provide 'economic boon' Posted by Joe Lucas on 01/09/2009 11:44:42 AM

As you know by now, advanced clean coal research is taking place all across America.

In Wyoming, researchers at the University of Wyoming and General Electric Co. are planning a $100 million research plant to develop new clean coal technologies. As the Associated Press reported this week, “It should be an economic boon for wherever the plant is built.”

Here’s what Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) says about the facility, to be called the High Plains Gasification Advanced Technology Center: “As the demand for electricity continues to rise, this question of managing carbon while still utilizing coal is an issue we will be confronting for many years to come. I am confident that the research developed at this facility will help us answer some of these questions and keep coal in the mix of cleaner and more secure domestic fuels long into the future."

We’ll let you know more about this project as it progresses.

Obama’s environmental balancing act Posted by Joe Lucas on 01/08/2009 02:17:22 PM

Last week, The New York Times provided some additional insight into President-elect Obama’s upcoming obstacles. The chief challenge: striking “the right balance between his environmental goals and his plans to revive the economy.”

This balance is something we’re all striving for. At ACCCE, we understand that there’s no silver energy buckshot. The president-elect himself has recognized the critical role that technology will play in an emerging climate policy, and we strongly support his plan to invest in the demonstrations of full commercial-scale carbon capture and storage projects.

Keeping our options open sounds like a good strategy to me—especially given that 50 percent of our electricity is produced using coal. I’m not sure why anyone else would suggest doing anything to the contrary.

Britain says yes to new coal-generated power plants Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/22/2008 05:19:31 PM

British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said his country will continue to build new coal-generated power plants with an eye toward retrofitting those new coal plants with carbon capture and sequestration technology when those technologies are fully operational.

"I will not take a position which ignores our security of supply needs,” Miliband told the Financial Times. He also stressed the need to drive the technology into new plants "as quickly as we can.”

Secretary Miliband has the right idea here. In fact, we’ve stressed the same thing since the beginning.

America needs to continue to build new coal plants because new plants create a market for advanced clean coal technologies. And that means supporting additional funding for clean coal technology programs – especially carbon capture and storage projects.

We’re going to need all of our available energy resources – wind, solar, nuclear and coal – to meet future energy needs. We'll also need to continue to promote energy efficiency, but at the end of the day coal use will continue to grow both here at home and around the world in order to meet electricity needs. 

There has never been an environmental challenge facing the coal-based electricity sector for which technology has not provided the ultimate solution. In fact, today’s coal-generated power fleet is 77 percent cleaner than ever before, and we're moving forward with new technologies that can be used to retrofit new and existing coal plants to meet requirements to capture and safely store CO₂. 

Sour grapes for enviros Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/11/2008 11:03:10 AM

Last week, a group of environmental special interest groups launched an ad attacking clean coal technology.  Some of the environmental activists who frequent our site (why they visit, I'm not sure since they seem to already have their minds made up on this topic) seem to believe that commercial represents the greatest contribution to cinematography since Gone with the Wind. 

This week, we've had a fun little Web feature with the Clean Coal Carolers, and these same activists have found some negative things to say. 

 Here's the problem:  These folks were in no way prepared to have the clean coal message so strongly embraced during the 2008 election.  You'll recall that both Barack Obama and John McCain (who was not known to be a strong supporter of the coal industry) continuously talked about how the use of coal promotes energy independence. And both talked about their commitment to investing in new advanced clean coal technologies to help meet the challenge of reducing CO₂.

Since the election, President-elect Obama has shown no sign of backing off the commitments he made on the campaign trail. 

As for us, we're going to continue to talk about promoting energy independence, keeping energy costs affordable and investing in the technologies that will make coal an even cleaner energy option for America.

Companies spending millions on new clean coal research consortium Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/10/2008 12:01:48 PM

Some of our readers still want to know whether our member companies are pursuing clean coal technology projects. You bet!

Last week, three of our members—Ameren, Arch Coal and Peabody Energy—announced that they will form a consortium to research advanced clean coal technologies.

Based at Washington University in St. Louis, the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization will bring together myriad of experts, including researchers, professors and government organizations, all in efforts to research and advance clean coal technology. We talked to the Wash U folks back in October, at which time they tipped us off that big news was afoot.

In its press release, the university said it has committed “more than $60 million in the past year to advance education and research related to energy, environment and sustainability.” Further support will be provided by Arch Coal and Peabody Energy, who will contribute $5 million to the consortium with an additional $2 million from Ameren, to be paid over five years.

Research and projects are expected to include:

· Co-combustion of coal with biomass or oxygen (which can lead to reductions in carbon emissions)
· Approaches to carbon capture and storage
· Pilot-scale facilities

In a statement, Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said, "From a university perspective, this is an exciting way to take coal — one of the nation's most abundant energy resources — and put it to work for the public good. The university will also work to build public understanding of the energy options for the future. The Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization will place St. Louis as the center for clean coal research."

We couldn’t agree more and look forward to hearing about the progress.

Basin Electric sounds off on Reality Coalition Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/09/2008 01:05:52 PM

This week, Basin Electric Power Cooperative (an ACCCE member) countered the Reality Coalition’s claim that clean coal technology doesn’t exist, citing two of its own clean coal initiatives, the Great Plains Synfuels plant and a proposed large-scale carbon capture demonstration project.

From the press release: “The Synfuels Plant is the only commercial scale gasification plant in the United States and home to the largest carbon capture project in the world. More than three million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) is captured annually and piped to Canada for use in enhanced oil recovery.”

The demonstration project is underway at the Antelope Valley Station, where it will capture CO2 from a traditional coal-based power plant.

Basin Electric CEO Ron Harper closed the statement by adding, “It’s not about ‘us versus them.’ Our end goal is the same as some national environmental coalitions: near-zero emissions generation. We just differ in our beliefs about how to go about it.”

Clean energy shouldn’t be all or nothing, says MIT professor Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/24/2008 02:58:00 AM

When it comes to reducing emissions from coal-fired plants, we can’t allow perfect be the enemy of the good.

Howard Herzog, a professor at MIT, echoed the same sentiment during a panel discussion at the International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies in D.C. yesterday.

Said Herzog: “By insisting on the perfect thing, we’re creating the worst thing, which is a stalemate. It doesn’t have to be full [carbon] capture versus no capture.”

From the ClimateWire report:

In their soon-to-be-published research, Herzog and fellow panelist Ashleigh Hildebrand, a graduate student in chemical engineering at MIT, found that grabbing 45 to 65 percent of carbon dioxide from a coal generator, as opposed to the often-proposed 85 to 90 percent, would provide an incentive for investors to get moving on the technology while achieving emissions parity with natural gas.”

The fact is, we'll need to find policies that allow us to meet growing energy demand while reducing emissions from our chief source of baseload power, we should support it.

We agree — an all-or-nothing mentality will get us nowhere.

Wash. U. making great strides on clean coal technology Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/02/2008 04:16:29 PM

Washington University is among the leaders in clean coal technology research. While on campus for tonight's vice presidential debate, we ran into James V. Wertsch, director of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy here at the university.

Watch the video below in which he talks about energy technology and proudly introduces two people in his scholars program.

T. Boone Pickens Goes on the Record about Coal Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/22/2008 04:07:36 PM

Some of our staff attended T. Boone Pickens’ speech at the National Press Club this afternoon, at which he spoke about reducing U.S. dependency on foreign oil and the need for a comprehensive energy plan using American-only resources, confirming: “I’m for everything that’s American when it comes to energy.”

Naturally, his “everything American” stance appeals to us, as coal is the country’s most abundant resource. And we were (mostly) pleased to hear Pickens talk about American coal during the Q-and-A session.

A questioner asked if he thought there was a place for coal in the overall American energy plan. Without hesitating, Pickens responded, “I’m ready to go [on coal]. Coal is fine with me, but we’ve got to clean it up.”

We’ve got a small bone to pick with the latter half of that statement, as Mr. Pickens seems unaware that we’ve been cleaning up coal. In fact, coal is 70 percent cleaner today than it was in 1970, based on the regulated pollutants per unit of energy produced.

This is due in large part to the more than $50 billion electricity providers have invested in clean coal technologies. And as far as we’re concerned, we’re just getting started.

The Future of Clean Coal Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/09/2008 10:55:00 AM

After two weeks of outreach at the Democratic and Republican National conventions, the blogs of many of the environmental groups are loaded with claims that “clean coal is no more than a working hypothesis.”

On substance, I respectfully disagree.

Why do these groups think that clean coal is any less of a certainty than the notion that renewables can displace significant quantities of baseload generation currently supplied by traditional energy resources like coal?

The fact is, the path of ensuring the widespread deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies for coal-based power plants is better defined and ultimately more doable than what these other groups would have you accept (that energy efficiency and renewables alone could result in significant displacement of traditional fuels currently used to meet baseload generation needs).

I suspect this simple fact is why both Barack Obama and John McCain have endorsed continued investments in clean coal technology to ensure that America can continue to rely on our domestic coal reserves as a means of providing affordable, reliable and increasingly clean electricity.