Clean energy poised to phase out coal

Well just think how much people pay for their bottled water and how much energy is used in shipping it an for all those bottles

Clean coal is like clean sewage.

And again, in a water scarce world coal and nuclear will not be feasible as energy sources. We will need energies that are not water intensive.

Over five hundred views, over forty responses, an important issue, a planetary emergency, and it is now slipping off as posts about beer, pot, and atheism continue to move up. Perhaps I need to try to put a sexier picture with this next time. And perhaps we can then even use Current voters as a barometer as well of why this world is continuing its destructive ways. I really try to not complain about posts that make TV, but really, based on the stats I see this should have been on TV and I do wonder at times what members or staff have the influence to push certain people up and others down.

But thanks to those who responded here that kept this important conversation going on the frontpage as long as it has been. People need to know that renewable energy is coming more into demand and that there is reason to be hopeful. The climate crisis however, is much more important than beer ads and atheism. Just my observation.

I thought this was particularly interesting:

"Two-thirds of the energy contained in the fuel for most power plants is converted to waste heat or lost in distribution. Combined heat and power (CHP) can reduce those losses to less than 20 percent and provide the United States with 150 gigawatts of generating capacity-more than nuclear power now provides."

My understanding is that 50% of all rail traffic is coal cars. Sad day for railroads and their romance, but the road to the future is lined with the skeletons of the giants gone by.

first of all los angeles was a tar pit when they found it
"la brea tar pits with the dinosaurs in them"

it took years of burning to clean it up

question? If we leave the oil and coal underground will it actuall hurt us in the future or should we burn it so it is gone forever

the past animals on this planet have left it in ruins leaving their waste and dead behind

this is the only reason we have all of the coal and oil

CanadianTreehugger: Now that is one species I would love to see extinct. ;-).

I heard that around 50% of the electricity in the US comes from coal. If we all put our minds collectively on it and support solar energy to each household things will change. So we still a long way ahead to change our polluted ways.

The other thing we should phase out are greedy, earth destroying politicians who only care about the power they hold and the money they get.

We need a system where each household produces their own electrical energy.

Why do we really need so much 120v and 220v when most of the systems that we use run on 12v?

Most of the electronic devices we use have power converters that change the 120v to 12v or less. The byproduct of this conversion is heat.

Think about it. We could have two electrical systems in our homes. One where we harness our own energy to light our homes and run most of our electronic devices while we have another system that is fed the traditional way into our home that gives us the higher voltage stuff to run our refrigerators, electric stoves, and other heavy power hog equipment.

I think that renewable energy is a great idea and it is achievable within a decade or less. Targeted tax credits would help a great deal and I see renewable energy as the next economic boom of the 21st century.

"A change is coming because people are tired of the old ways that produce the same results with pollution, disease, war, and economic upheaval."

I seriously hope so but were going to have to wait and see. A similar situation popped up in the 70's I believe. However, as soon as the price of oil dropped again people just stopped caring about clean energies and went back to wasting fossil fuels(gas-guzzling SUVs anyone?). Hopefully with the climate as fucked up as it is right now people will truly rally behind clean energies and renweable resources. Otherwise we can all kiss our asses goodbye...

All of you prepare yourself to pay the carbon tax ,which is a lie, the bankers and the corporate media are selling this to the american people and the rest of the world.
I wonder how come enviromentalist dont protest against the sodium fluoride in the drinking water, mercury in the vaccines,melamine in 90% of baby food in america, aspartame in soft drinks ? where are the green peace groups ? I didnt heard their voices against this problems.
The oil companies everytime someone discover a clean energy they buy the patent so no one get access to it.
They are lying big time .

Green energy has many wonderful benefits that would supply our need, we have the materials,all is left is a strong government to convert the country(and eventually the world) to using these helpful benefits, its a win-win for everyone......

Can't we have both? I think the coal industry in the US needs severe restrictions but their is a thing called clean coal. I hate to see what would happen in W. VA. if coal as a fuel is no longer in demand.

So "clean" coal wasn't really clean?

God, can you imagine how gorgeous Southern California would be without the smog?

We must keep demanding cleaner energy power.

Supply meets Demand... Then it gets cheaper and better technology.

Unlock your Full Potential: Free your mind of fears, Let go of limiting beliefs and Live Learn Love, Understand Grow- Evolve, Create Greatness and share it with the world...

Solar power splitting hydrogen in fuel cells = clean energy day and night. No excessively long power lines.

All for clean energy. The idea we are causing global warming is a myth. At least they didn't use the word "Green"

Lets get America back to work by producing a renewable energy infrastructure. This would slow unemployment rates, keep energy money in our economy, and slow the climate change. A win-win for the US.

Excellent! I've been saying this for a while. My parent's don't buy into the global warming story, but I have been stressing that we need cleaner alternatives regardless of whether global warming is real or not. I see the global warming scare as a much needed kick in the ass to do something about our dirty and inefficient ways.

Make hemp the nations fiber-food-fuel crop and we will quickly reverse our carbon and poison spuging ways...

The new thing that they're selling is an algae that produces a biodiesel that can run a combustion engine. The only problem they had was finding enough carbon dioxide for the algae to live off of. Thats where the coal plants get involved. They cap the coal emissions and pipe it to the algae in near by containers.

Yes, and it is only considered good PR because the majority of the population is ignorant of the deception. And that is why I get angry when Obama and other politicians talk to crowds about clean coal without telling them the whole truth about it.They actually prop up the deceptive PR. I did write to Obama about clean coal though. I hope he got the message. ;-).

Let me add this if it already hasn't:

Clean coal or clean burning doesn't EXIST!

Good pr by the companies though.

More from the link:

The new report provides an overview of the state of renewable energy technologies as well as a roadmap charting their role in the transition to a low-carbon economy:

Buildings consume about 40 percent of global energy and emit a comparable share of carbon dioxide emissions. With technologies available today, such as more-efficient lighting and appliances and improved walls and windows, the energy needs of buildings can be reduced by 70 percent or more, with the investment paid for via lower energy bills.

Two-thirds of the energy contained in the fuel for most power plants is converted to waste heat or lost in distribution. Combined heat and power (CHP) can reduce those losses to less than 20 percent and provide the United States with 150 gigawatts of generating capacity-more than nuclear power now provides.

In 2007, wind power represented 40 percent of new generating capacity installations in Europe and 35 percent in the United States. Wind power now costs just under six cents per kilowatt-hour on average-less than natural gas and roughly even with coal.

An area covering less than 4 percent of the Sahara Desert could produce enough solar power to match global electricity demand.

Investment in new renewable electric and heating capacity equaled an estimated $71 billion in 2007, up from just $20 billion in 2002.

By 2006, the U.S. renewables industry had created 386,000 jobs compared with 82,000 jobs in the coal industry.

The development of smart electricity grids, the integration of plug-in electric vehicles, and the addition of limited storage capacity will allow power to be provided without the "baseload" plants that are the foundation of today's electricity systems.

Resource estimates show that renewable energy is more abundant than all the fossil fuels combined. This abundance, together with improved technology and high energy prices, has created an extraordinarily favorable market for new energy systems in the past few years.

The Worldwatch Institute will be discussing this report on Capitol Hill today. ;-).

SeaJade: So true. Coal isn't the only thing we need to phase out. Industrial agriculture that kills biodiversity is another.

I hope for a clean environment too! The way we build our buildings as well as farm are integral to this positive shift as well.

We must be positive and we must keep on fighting for what is right. I know my child deserves nothing less, and if I do anything before I die it will be to make sure the world is a better place when I leave it than it was when I got here.

Sweet! I hope so...

From the article:

New technologies will permit rapid decarbonization of the world energy economy in the next two decades, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. These new energy sources will make it possible to retire hundreds of coal-fired power plants that now provide 40 percent of the world's power by 2030, eliminating up to one-third of global carbon dioxide emissions while creating millions of new jobs.

"We no longer need to say ”�in the future' when talking about a low-carbon energy system," says Christopher Flavin, President of Worldwatch and author of the report, Low-Carbon Energy: A Roadmap. "These technologies-unlike carbon-capture facilities-are being deployed now and are poised to make the most carbon-intensive fossil fuels obsolete."

Reducing dependence on fossil fuels will not only strike a defiant blow to the climate crisis, it will also act as an agent of recovery for an ailing global economy. Rebuilding the global energy system has the potential to create thousands of new businesses and millions of new jobs, starting immediately.

Decarbonizing the energy economy requires several key steps: the accelerated deployment of solar, wind, and biomass power plants; integrating variable power sources with digital smart grids that are more flexible in their ability to balance demand and supply; developing the capacity to store energy economically; and selectively adding a new generation of efficient micro power plants that provide heat as well as reliable electricity when it is needed.

The new report provides an overview of the state of renewable energy technologies as well as a roadmap charting their role in the transition to a low-carbon economy:

More at the link above.