Feb 11 2009
Electricity Industry Admits: No Such Thing As Clean Coal
This is certainly sounds like it should be good news. Several CEOs from the electricity industry tell us in a new report that all the energy technology we need is already here and recommended that we pursue coal research and development with lots of money. But in this report (download link below) they include in those technologies something called “clean coal” — something that doesn’t exist. No plant burning coal in the United States is clean. They all emit mercury and other pollution, and they all store waste products as “ash” that contains known carcinogens and is even worse than the airborne pollution.
In this report, the electricity CEOs actually admit there is no such thing as clean coal now and won’t be for a very long time. The estimate is 2050. Here is the summary that appeared on Carbon Control News.
“A group of CEOs from some of the world’s largest electricity generators released a detailed report at international climate talks in Poland that claims “enough low-carbon technologies exist to help the world avert damaging climate change.” But strong policy decisions supporting rapid deployment of pre-sequestered clean-coal and new nuclear are needed as soon as possible to make a difference by the middle of the century, according to the report.. . .
The group asserts that aggressive government policies are needed immediately to implement these scenarios: “In the coming decades the world will need to double today’s power generation. We in the power sector have a strong opportunity to take a lead in combating climate change. But we cannot do this alone. We need to work with governments and other stakeholders to find solutions. We realize some of these changes will take many years, but there is no time to lose and it is only through combined efforts that we will succeed in creating a low-carbon, sustainable energy future.”
We have to do much more than “make a difference” by the middle of the century. By 2050, we have to have the plan for no more carbon finalized, implemented and in place. There will be no half-measures by then. And that begs the question, What exactly is “pre-sequestered clean-coal”? It’s not mentioned in the report, according to a search I did. The report states that the G8 plus China, India and South Korea are committed to a plan to build 20 large-scale CCS projects by 2020. This was decided in June 2008. So the U.S. is asking for some of this money in the current stimulus bill. “CCS” is carbon capture and sequestration — a technology which doesn’t yet exist. It’s been conceived of and planned for, but it’s not been built yet. To depend on something that hasn’t yet been built, or even tested, would be the height of foolishness! Especially when we have so many other forms of energy available to us now. For instance, wind power is booming in the United States right now. Solar power is also on track to be highly developed and popular in 2009.
I would say “never trust a report on carbon emissions written by the electricity CEOs” but I won’t, because right in the report they admit that CCS is only an unrealized dream. The report says:
