Posts tagged Obama

Clean coal technology by the numbers

By now, you’ve probably seen our Clean Coal Technology map on the America’s PowerSM Web site. From the map, we know that there’s more than $12 billion in clean coal research in 43 states, even some not normally associated with coal production.

Those are some pretty impressive numbers. I’ve come up with a list of other interesting figures to illustrate the commitment that government and energy organizations are putting into the commercial deployment of clean coal technology.

Take a look:

• There are officially four clean coal projects listed in President Obama’s Clean Coal Power Initiative.

• Obama’s administration is pushing to have “five to 10” commercial clean coal power plants operating as demonstration projects by 2016.

• The U.S. Department of Energy manages more than 300 active research and development projects spanning a wide range of fossil fuels, including coal.

• Of those projects, 70 are focused on carbon sequestration technology.

• According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s latest database, there are 46 active carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects across the globe, including countries like China, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.

Fifteen of the projects mentioned above are located in the U.S.

• More than 60 organizations and institutions have partnered with the World Resources Institute to develop safe practices for CCS, including Harvard University, Southern Company and the Argonne National Laboratory.

These numbers show that people understand coal’s value as an abundant, affordable fuel source. They also demonstrate the extent to which they’re investing in clean coal research and are working to deploy carbon capture and sequestration. For even more figures, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s fossil fuel database.


President Obama Voices Support for Clean Coal

President Barack Obama reiterated his support for clean coal technology on Wednesday during a speech given at Andrews Air Force Base.

During the speech on energy security, the president stated that “We need to make continued investments in clean coal technologies.”

This comes just one month after he announced the formation of a clean coal task force with the goal having 10 commercial power plants with clean-coal technology operating as demonstration projects by 2016.

We’re thrilled with the president’s continued support of clean coal technology. Because coal generates almost half of our electricity, it is critically important that we continue to invest in new technologies that will allow us to use it in cleaner and more efficient ways.

Judging by today’s comments, it’s clear President Obama believes the same thing.


A busy week in energy news

There have been so many positive stories regarding the energy industry this week, and it’s been exciting for us to watch. One of the biggest announcements came yesterday when President Obama announced the creation of an interagency task force whose goal is shepherding five to 10 commercial demonstrations of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology by 2016, according to E&E News.

A few of the other stories that our readers may find of interest include:

  • From Time: A New Clean Economy – With Old Sources of Energy
  • From MetroNews of West Virginia: Governor Talks With President About Energy
  • From Reuters: Obama Eyes Biofuels, Clean Coal In New Climate Push
  • From USA Today: Obama: U.S. ‘Can Win The Race’ For Clean Energy Economy
  • From Politico: Obama Plots New Energy Path
  • Obviously, we are encouraged to see so many stories that demonstrate the administration’s support for clean coal technology – and it’s clear from these stories that clean coal technologies will play a major role in a diverse energy portfolio for decades to come.

    For a complete list of all the stories that impact the coal-based electricity industry, make it a habit to regularly check out the news page on AmericasPower.org.