Saturday, July 14, 2007

Coal: The Other Non- PC Alternative

Two alternative sources of energy often go unmentioned nowadays: Nuclear and coal. It seems some in the environmental movement are now taking a second look at nuclear but coal seems to still be mired in obscurity.

Meanwhile, we keep beating ourselves over the head with corn- based ethanol which, as we're starting to see is likely more trouble than it's worth.

Lowell Miller, from the U.S. Department of Energy, tell us a little about coal and its possibilities in the Sacramento Bee (if asked for login, humboldtlib is username, blogspot is password).

It amazes me that liquid fuel can be made from coal, but it can and the technology has been around for some time. Now it might be getting close to being cost effective. Will political correctness have us throwing coal out as an energy option? Only time will tell.

********
As an aside, I'd heard the military was researching coal based fuels for their aircraft. Apparently it works. I wonder how well? Anybody heard how the testing went?

8 Comments:

At 12:02 PM, Blogger ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ said...

The Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe used synthetic fuel made from coal 1943-1945 for their aircraft and vehicles when petroleum from the Romanian and Baku oil fields became unavailable.

 
At 2:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Coal is a disaster. Nuclear is the cleanest fuel by far. The toxic waste generated to power an american family is something like ten tons a year with coal. With Nuclear, the waste generated over 20 years fits in a damn shoebox. Wake up!

 
At 3:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This blog will die! Fred will have to find more productive uses of his time.

 
At 9:41 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Six of the United States' 10 largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions are coal-fired power plants in the South, but year after year Southern lawmakers balk at pushing utilities toward cleaner renewable energy.

 
At 10:44 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

The old coal fired plants might well be heavy polluters. What the guy in the Bee is talking about is new technology that allows supposed clean fuels to be made from coal.

 
At 10:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If it was good enough for the Nazis, it's good enough for us.

 
At 5:46 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Clean-firing coal plant is an oxymoron, like law-abiding illegal alien.

 
At 5:47 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Or like law-abiding U.S. employer of illegal aliens.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home