RE: The US Is Pushing for More Coal Power but Are the Returns Worth the Investment?

DAB — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 19:26:04 GMT

There are so many other uses for coal, that just burning it is a terrible waste.

I understand many countries still use coal because it is what they have, but the effects on the population are devastating. See China and India as prime examples.

I was surprised to see that Germany still uses a lot of coal, but they have very few options.

Is there a solution, it depends upon what people are willing to pay. Face it, coal is relatively inexpensive to mine and use. Other fuels are more expensive on an increasing scale.

There is no easy answer. Solar and wind can help, but both are inconsistent.

We could use nuclear fuel, but we need to greatly improve its efficiency so we stop wasting 99% of the energy, which is why we have so much nuclear "waste!"

There are ways to recycle the nuclear fuel rods, which are a really stupid way to run a reactor, we just need to stop thinking of it as waste and realize that it is a resource.

DAB

RE: The US Is Pushing for More Coal Power but Are the Returns Worth the Investment?

rscasny — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 18:00:39 GMT

This topic is so ripe with politics that even it's existence as an issue is the arena of the ill informed.

Despite reported coal supplies, there is no such thing as "clean" coal. I read two weeks ago that coal miners are surging with black lung disease because the type of coal being mined is from thinner veins and is bordered by silica which these dudes are breathing. Not that clean, I guess.

There are enough natural gas reserves that do not dirty up the environment and cause respiratory problems.

But the most important thing for people who are in technology is that it pulls attention from the huge wins and development that is on going in alternative energy sources. Ask the average guy on the train how much energy is supplied today by solar and wind and you'll likely get a hmm and I dunno or may be 1%. The facts are:

The U.S. set a new renewable energy milestone in March, in data released Wednesday. For the first time, wind and solar accounted for 10 percent of all electricity generation, with wind comprising 8 percent and solar coming in at 2 percent. The report was published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), which collects and disseminates environmental data that is used to inform policymakers.