Coal Technology

Coal Technology

The Myth of "Clean Coal"

"Clean coal" is a term that was much bandied about during the recent presidential campaigns, particulary during the debates. For the moment "clean coal" is mainly an advertising campaign, funded to the tune of $35M by the coal industry. It could be said to refer to technologies that capture and store carbon dioxide, but the problem is, we don't have any examples of where this is being done, let alone successfully. Read more about this interesting debate from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies here.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

A new study from Harvard projects that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) will be just as expensive as alternative energy sources. Even worse, that's the cost projection for CCS 20 years from now. Until then, if your utility bets on CCS instead of alternative energy, you'll be paying even higher electricity bills. More

Integrated Gas Combined Cycle (IGCC)

IGCC is a technology that aims to burn coal more efficiently, at least more efficiently than the traditional pulverized coal plants, which make up the vast marjority of US power stations. The efficiency is achieved by gasification, which converts coal into synthetic gas or syngas.

In 2007 there were only a handful of IGCC plants generating power in the U.S, and these were demonstration projects funded by the Department of Energy, so there was no requirement for them to meet market demands for cost-effectiveness. Numerous IGCC plants were expected to come online in the U.S. in the 2012-2020 time frame, but most have been cancelled. (see Source Watch for details)