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2007-12-20 Home Front Economy

First CO2-free coal power plant announced

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Posted by gorb 2007-12-20 06:22|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 Yes, it sounds like a ripe candidate for a future accident and a mass asphyxiation.

Posted by eLarson 2007-12-20 07:41|| http://larsonian.blogspot.com]">[http://larsonian.blogspot.com] 2007-12-20 07:41|| Front Page Top

#2 What are they gonna do with the other gases given off as a result of coal gassification? Carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide? And what about the arsenic? Hmmm? I think it's a pretty good idea to do this but there are some other hazards not mentioned here.

Posted by Deacon Blues">Deacon Blues 2007-12-20 07:50|| 2007-12-20 07:50|| Front Page Top

#3 The power requirements to run the CO2 extraction are about 10% of the plant output. So its pretty easy math to say we'll have to build 1 new power plant in 10 just to run the CO2 system.

Posted by BrerRabbit 2007-12-20 08:05|| 2007-12-20 08:05|| Front Page Top

#4 Jeebus. What a waste of money. $1.2-billion for a 275 MW plant. You can build a 1000 MW conventional combined cycle coal fired plant and have a large chunk left over.

The gasification will produce hydrogen to run a gas turbine in a combined cycle generating plant.
Carbon monoxide - reacted with high temp steam to produce H2 and CO2.
hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide - turned into elemental sulfur and sold.
arsenic - solidified with the rest of the slag. Probably sold for concrete or road building filler.

I suspect soon there will be an excess of CO2 to pump down oil wells and they will end up paying to pump it into the ground.

power requirements to run the CO2 extraction
Not to mention the thermodynamic losses to produce the hydrogen.

Posted by ed 2007-12-20 08:32|| 2007-12-20 08:32|| Front Page Top

#5 I remember reading about an idea of growing algae big time using CO2. We could have huge algae beds on a CO2 bender producing O2 like Jack the Pig. Then the algae is processed to become a biofuel. Don't know how it pencils, though, so let's not get Popular Science Ga-Ga before we check it out.

Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul 2007-12-20 09:19|| 2007-12-20 09:19|| Front Page Top

#6 In the time period since Kyoto was signed China's CO2 production has gone up 55% and we've exported a great deal of our manufacturing base there.

Sure, for a lot more than a coal plant costs we can build one where the CO2 is pumped back into the ground.

We'll still have ten years where we buy power-intensive stuff to manufacture from overseas, at least until our credit cards are cancelled. Then we won't be able to build power plants at all.

While this will handle CO2 production on a local level I believe it'll go up globally...

Posted by Abdominal Snowman 2007-12-20 10:34|| 2007-12-20 10:34|| Front Page Top

#7 Couple submissions: there was an attempt to build a modern coal plant outside of Garden City Kansas using Colorado coal (IIUC) - ultra modern. The Sierra Club (WTF they care about western Kansas you can only guess) lobbied against it and it was turned down (appeals pending).

As for pumping the gas underground, see Hutchinson, KS.

Posted by swksvolFF 2007-12-20 11:14|| 2007-12-20 11:14|| Front Page Top

#8 IIUC there are a number of options for sequestring the CO2. Given our huge coal resources, and the need for power that has different time charecteristics than wind, solar, etc this could be a very valuable technology. Sure its more expensive than conventional coal, but given the increasing need to control emmissions, this is one good tool to have in the arsenal.

And presumably we give the tech to China as well to reduce their emissions.

Posted by Liberalhawk 2007-12-20 11:52|| 2007-12-20 11:52|| Front Page Top

#9 And presumably we give the tech to China as well to reduce their emissions.

Nah, they'll just steal it...

Posted by Raj 2007-12-20 12:16|| 2007-12-20 12:16|| Front Page Top

#10 This is just another example, among many, of the focus of the innovative western mind on the issue of next-gen energy sources. This kind of stuff thrills me because it gives me the confidence that one or several of these technologies is going to pan out, that we will reduced (significantly) our dependence on foriegn oil and that the arabs will be too poor to export their evil dogma. Win win all around.

Posted by remoteman 2007-12-20 15:45|| 2007-12-20 15:45|| Front Page Top

#11 I have a mental image of our descendants running turbines powered by all that compressed CO-2. (After they figure out it's all a scam)

Posted by Redneck Jim 2007-12-20 15:54|| 2007-12-20 15:54|| Front Page Top

#12 The FutureGen Alliance -- a coalition of private power companies and the U.S. Department of Energy

and notice the strong involvement of private industry - ultimately its market forces that will lead to more innovation.

Posted by Liberalhawk 2007-12-20 15:55|| 2007-12-20 15:55|| Front Page Top

#13 Better yet, pipe it into greenhouses, go in periodicly to harvest whatever you've planted.
(Growth should be fantastic)

Posted by Redneck Jim 2007-12-20 15:56|| 2007-12-20 15:56|| Front Page Top

#14 Have to disagree with you Remoteman. These guys are spending 4 times the amount of resources because the political goal supersedes the economic goal of efficiently generating electricity. It misallocates money, labor, and brainpower that could be used to increase our well being instead of burying a gas several miles underground. That is sin in my book and makes every American just a bit poorer. More of this stupidity and we, as a nation, really will end up poor.

And presumably we give the tech to China
Pray that the Chinese are stupid enough to pay 4 times the price for a power plant. Somehow I doubt it.

Posted by ed 2007-12-20 16:12|| 2007-12-20 16:12|| Front Page Top

#15 Burn Anthracite.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2007-12-20 16:15|| 2007-12-20 16:15|| Front Page Top

#16 "Perfect is the enemy of the better."

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2007-12-20 20:52|| 2007-12-20 20:52|| Front Page Top

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