Archive for Coal
This isn’t surprising as I already noted that America could cut its coal consumption by 62 % by 2020 just by increasing its energy efficiency. Now comes a new study that shows that the USA could be completely coal-free by 2030.
If it can be done in America, it sure can be done in the European Union. Indeed, the group of countries relies almost as much on coal as the USA. Both get nearly 50 percent of the electricity from thermal sources.
For more on this study please check out the article on Ecogeek or the full study in the latest issue of Environmental Science and Technology,
To CleanTechies : « Biochar is charcoal type created by the pyrolysis of biomass, and differs from ordinary charcoal only in the sense that its primary use is not for fuel, but for biosequestration or atmospheric carbon capture and storage.»
«As much as 12 % of the world’s human caused greenhouse gas emissions could be sustainably offset by producing biochar. That’s more than what could be offset if the same plants and materials were burned to generate energy, »
Since CCS isn’t exactly the great solution some coal companies want to make us believe, perhaps biochar could sort of do the same, but at a lower cost.
We have heard that before : ” Wind power is far too unreliable ” or ” Nuclear power isn’t a safe solution “. Yet the reality is most of the times far from these myths. Popular Mechanics published a long article debunking energy myths.
I wrote about some of them such as clean coal that won’t clean up our air or biofuels that won’t cure our addiction to oil or don’t even represent an alternative to oil. Some others, like algae are quite new topics here.
After debunking all these myths, this long article ends with a true fact that I have been hammering here since the beginning of this blog : ” Energy saved, it turns out, is the cheapest new source. “
According to the International Energy Agency, China became in 2009 the world’s biggest energy consumer in front of the USA. Indeed it consumed 2.25 billion tons of oil equivalent (TOE) while the latter consumed 2.17 billions.
To the Wall Street Journal : ” China’s total energy consumption was just half that of the U.S. 10 years ago, but in many of the years since, China saw annual double-digit growth rates. “
The IEA notes that these figures would be much higher without the important energy efficiency efforts carried out in the past few years. Continue »
We all know it : coal is by far the most greenhouse gases emitting energy source. It is also a major air pollutant. For these two reasons it is the environmental enemy #1. (cf The Economist’s cover, back to 2002)
However, many countries like China, India, Germany or the United States are still relying importantly on this solution to generate their electricity, and some of them to astronomic proportions.
TreeHugger recently published a list of the ten countries that burn coal the most according to the data provided by the US Department of Energy (DoE). Continue »
I really believe coal should go away as it is the most greenhouse gases emitting and most polluting energy source. I am really glad France decided to step away from it and chose nuclear instead.
The Huffington Post published last week an article on how coal-fired plants are causing cancer cases to people and even animals because of their massive air and water pollutions.
I find it hard to believe that in the 21st century, we are still using so massively an energy source that dates the 19th century. It is high time we embrace new energy sources. Continue »
Things are slowly but irresistibly changing in the United States. Wind power added ten gigawatts of capacity to the grids last year alone and coal is less and less used to generate electricity.
Meanwhile, a nuclear renaissance may be under way in America as last month President Obama announced a $8.3 billion (6 billion euros) loan to build in Georgia the first reactors in 30 years.
I dream of America being powered with 40 percent nuclear, 40 percent renewables and only 20 percent thermal. There is a long way to go but could this become a reality ? Continue »
I believe fossil fuels will be replaced sooner or later by electricity. This might prove to be a good thing as heat pumps and electric vehicles are two excellent energy efficient solutions.
Thus, electric consumption is rising and is due to keep rising in the next decades. Having low carbon sources to generate electricity is very thus important for a country.
This is the occasion for me to propose you data on the carbon intensity and origin of electricity generation in some affluent countries. Continue »
It is a well known fact, coal-fired plants are by far the most carbon dioxide intensive energy source. Now according to an article on Celsias coal ash is also much more radioactive than nuclear waste.
The massive coal sludge accident in Tennessee last year showed that coal-fired plants can massively destroy ecosystems. This adds up to the already well documented air and water pollution induced by such solutions.
It is high time we work on cutting coal consumption around the world. For example, decreasing American coal consumption by 62 % is feasible. Continue »
As Bloomberg noted : ” China and India’s joint plan to cut greenhouse-gas emissions gives the developing world an alternative to the climate treaty that wealthier nations want them to sign in Copenhagen, analysts said.”
“Asia’s two biggest polluters from burning carbon-based fuels announced their collaboration on renewable power and energy-efficiency projects in a memo of understanding yesterday in New Delhi.”
This regional agreement between two of the world’s largest greenhouse gases emitters is good news 50 days before the UN climate talks in Copenhagen. Continue »
