How "Clean" is Your Electricity?

[MountainDon]

Here's an interesting site. Enter your 5 digit Zip Code and the system provides source info (coal, gas, nuke, hydro...) and well as emissions info (NOX, SO₂, CO₂)

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/how-clean.html

[Redoverfarm]

Well I was prepared for the worst because I knew it was coal and not clean coal.

[alcowboy]

Somebody please explain to me what "clean coal" is. How the heck can you make a dirty black rock that burns into a clean item, unless you turn it into a diamond? 
Country in the next few weeks>>

J. Scott Gleaton from Alabama

[Redoverfarm]

Maybe this will help with the understanding part.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_coal_technology

But with what has to be done it has to raise the price.

  We have been holding onto the rim for years.

[bobtheengineer]

I actually work for a power company that has a coal gasification facility that captures CO2.  check out www.dakotagas.com

As far as clean coal electricity, with CO2 capture, yes its in the initial test phases right now.  We are looking at retrofitting an existing coal fired plant to incorperate a 120 MW slip stream clean it up and capture the C02 out of it. I don't really want to get into that whole global warming argument, thats another can of worms entirely.

As far as the term clean coal. Well, based on what else is available, there are no acceptable options from the Sierra Club or Greenpeace side.  Wind is expensive, unreliable and kills birds.  Nuclear is a nightmare to deal with the end waste.  We need reliable electricity, where else is it going to come from?

[MountainDon]

with CO2 capture,

Once we capture the CO₂, what do we do with it?

Hold it ransom and threaten the Sierra Club, etc. that we'll release it unless they cough up? 




Seriously though, what is done with it?

[alcowboy]

put it in little containers like Daisy BB Guns do then shove them into a trigger mechanism. 

[bobtheengineer]

Actually in this case, its sent into a pipeline, then pumped deep underground to help aging oilfields recover more oil.  It can also be send underground into a deep saline aquifer.

One thing you need to realize, is that we aren't magically creating this CO2.  The oil/coal/nat gas whatever fossil fuel you use, is carbon based, the carbon was at one time in the earths atmosphere.  It was always here someplace.

[MountainDon]

Oh I realize the CO₂ is simply being moved from one place to another, one form to another. I just was not aware what was done with it to keep it out of the atmosphere. There's only so much we can use, and even then many of our uses releases it to the atmosphere in the end. Every time one cracks open a beer, there ya' go.

[glenn kangiser]

Cool info, Bob.  I worked in the oil field some years ago and they would pump oil and saltwater up then tank it and separated the saltwater then send it back down.  It was rather bad when Texaco was pumping it back into a clean water aquifer near the surface for a while.  Lots of upset people.