We hope Obama’s clean energy message inspires movement toward CCT Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/23/2009 09:00:00 AM

This afternoon, President Obama is scheduled to deliver an address on clean energy to an audience of students and faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

As he speaks about the nation’s energy future, we will listen for his support of clean coal technology (CCT) and the placement of affordable energy costs for consumers.

Congress has included provisions in the climate legislation to fund CCT, and we are also encouraged by recent remarks from U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu supporting carbon capture and sequestration initiatives. At the end of the day, we hope Obama’s speech inspires lawmakers to support a bill that will create an innovative and cost-effective energy plan, bring CCT to the global marketplace and secure our energy independence by relying on coal to meet our growing energy demands.

Washington U. part of international clean coal team Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/16/2009 09:00:00 AM

Last October, our team traveled to Washington University in St. Louis to report on the vice presidential debate. But knowing that the school is home to one of the world’s leading programs in clean coal technology research, we didn’t want to miss the chance to ask people there what they thought about coal.

We bumped into James V. Wertsch, director of the university’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy, and two Chinese students from his program. In the video above, Wertsch tells us that “coal is going to be huge” for the United States and China and that we should continue to invest in clean coal research.

Washington University’s Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization is focused on advancing technologies for the clean utilization of coal, developing solutions to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and improve public understanding of the role of coal as a source of energy.

ACCCE members Arch Coal, Peabody and Ameren are lead sponsors for the program’s cutting-edge research, which includes carbon capture and sequestration, algae growth and emissions control technology.

This consortium partners up with universities from nearly a dozen coal-producing countries like China, India and Indonesia.

Washington University understands that climate change requires a global solution – and by working together, we can deploy commercial-scale clean coal technologies faster and more efficiently.

Show your support for Washington University by following the school on Twitter or becoming a fan of its engineering program on Facebook.

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.

“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.

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.

Team Virginia “Jaywalking” in Staunton Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/12/2009 10:31:37 AM

Team Virginia had a bit of fun with folks in downtown Staunton, spoofing Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” segment from The Tonight Show.

While Leno asks questions about current events and pop culture, our team asked, “What does affordable energy mean for Virginia?”

Think you know the answer? Check out the video to find out.

Talking Affordable Energy in Ohio and Missouri Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/11/2009 11:27:48 AM

Yesterday was a big day for Team Missouri -- they started at the State Capitol building in St. Charles and ended at the Cardinal's game in St. Louis.

The team discovered that many people in the Show-Me State are concerned with their rising electricity prices and want to know why coal is an important aspect to the state's energy mix -- which of course, the team was happy to answer. Coal provides 82 percent of Missouri's electricity, and if coal was removed from the energy mix, the state could lose 317,000 jobs by 2015.

Team Missouri even met a few folks who had never heard of clean coal before!

Meanwhile, Team Ohio reached out to families at Licking County's Hartford Fair, dubbed "the biggest little fair in the world." Locals agreed that the way to keep jobs in Ohio was by supporting clean coal technology.

The team even overheard a high school student tell her friends they should wear the affordable energy hats our team was handing out because "coal for electricity is good, and work should be done to make it green."

Keep up the good work, teams!

For more live updates from the road, follow our Twitter.

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.

Team Virginia Talks Affordable Energy In Richmond Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/10/2009 09:16:50 AM

In case you didn't catch Team Virginia in Richmond, here's a video of their trip to the state capitol. The team spoke to locals about affordable electricity and what it means to the state.

If you want to follow along with Team Virginia, go to http://twitter.com/americaspower and click the #VA hashtag.

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.

Happy Rain Day 2009! Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/30/2009 09:12:27 AM

Here in Washington, D.C., almost every day this summer has been a rain day.

But in Waynesburg, Pa., there’s only one Rain Day. And it was yesterday.

Rain Day is a Greene County, Pa., tradition dating back to July 29, 1876. All parts of life revolve around coal in Greene County, and folks in the area are proud of the rich heritage it has given them.

We weren’t around for the first Rain Day, but we participated in the celebration last year.

Take a look at the video we put together at Rain Day 2008.

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.

Clean coal technology made in... China? Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/28/2008 02:35:00 PM

The U.S. is not the only player involved in pushing the envelop on advanced clean coal technologies to capture and store carbon.

China is involved in a project like the FutureGen project here in the U.S., a public-private partnership to build a near zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant.

(Click here for the latest on FutureGen's status.)

The Chinese project — known as GreenGen — is larger in scale then the proposed FutureGen project, and it promises to show continued progress on advancing technologies that will ensure that coal remains a viable energy option for meeting growing energy demand even as we move to enact measures to reduce greenhous gas emissions.

As we've learned, there is no word in the Chineese language for NIMBY (not in my backyard), so I suspect that it will be full-speed ahead for the GreenGen project. That said, I'm hopeful that as a country, we move aggressively in achieving the goal set by the incoming Obama administration to have at least five full commercial-scale carbon capture and storage projects deployed in the U.S. over the next several years.

If we fail to do that, the technologies that we use here at home to capture and store CO2 could come with a "made in China" logo. While I'm pleased to see that China is taking such a strong leadership position, it would be a shame to see us miss out on the opportunity to export U.S. developed technologies abroad.

See below as Fred Palmer, senior vice president at Peabody Energy, discusses the plans for GreenGen:

Railroads are America's energy pipeline Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/24/2008 03:10:00 AM

It is hard to think about America's freight railroad industry as an energy pipeline — but in fact that is partly what it is.

In addition to carrying millions of tons of frieght each year, America's railroads are also responsible for carrying coal from the mines to the power plants.

And they do it efficiently and safely.

Jim Young, chairman of the board with Union Pacific Corporation recently had a chance to tell us about the rail industry's role in meeting America's future energy needs.

Take a look for yourself:

No matter what you've heard, FutureGen is alive Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/21/2008 02:57:40 PM

Recently, we had the chance to chat with Fred Palmer, senior vice president at Peabody Energy

We talked about the status of a project slated for Matoon, Ill., called FutureGen — a public-private partnership to build the world's first near zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant. (Peabody is one of the founding members of the FutureGen Alliance).

In the video below, you'll hear him say "FutureGen is alive."

He adds, "We'll make a concerted effort in the Obama administration to reinstate the project and get this built as originally planned."

We share Fred's cautious optimism that this important project will get back on track early next year, given the commitments made by Barack Obama — both in terms of this project specifically and in support of the deployment of a number of large-scale commercial carbon capture and storage projects.

Watch the whole video for yourself.

Exclusive conversation with CNN expert Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/12/2008 11:35:34 PM

CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider, named one of the 50 most influential Washington journalists by Washingtonian Magazine, is among the best at breaking down polls and offering historical perspective.

In an exclusive conversation with Behind The Plug, Schneider talked with us about the important role that coal played in the battleground states in the 2008 presidential campaign. (Most swing states rely heavily on coal.)

Here's a snippet of our conversation: