Outlook For Coal - Even Greater Use And More Pollution

                                 Image via WikipediaBy Steve Stillwater

Everyone has heard that the use of coal for power generation should be de-emphasized in favor of greener, less-polluting sources. But what is the outlook, according to the New York Times? Even greater use of coal between now and the year 2050.

Why?

Because economic growth in China is, and will continue to be, powered by burning coal. Current trends are for the usage of coal to decrease in Europe by 2050, but more than double in China over the same period of time. In other words, even though there will be a shift to cleaner power generation in the USA and Europe, that shift will be overwhelmed by growth of coal-burning power plants in China.

No one beleives China will avoid coal due to its lower cost compared to other power generation sources. That is why carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) may be the only hope to keep emissions in check. Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said that when it comes to climate change, the "single most important issue is how to get China to deploy carbon capture and storage into its coal sector."

Of course, carbon capture and sequestration also adds cost. The USA has poured funding into new technologies that could make CCS more economical, including a recent 575 million in grants. But even the best methods will likely add $30-50 per tons of CO2 emitted, which would add about 30% to current power generation costs.

And get this: China thinks the rest of the world should underwrite the cost of efforts to get China to reduce its emissions. Will Western countries be willing to do this? I hope not. China is the fastest growing economy on earth and should bear its own responsibilities and costs in this area.

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From Steve Stillwater, Green Living Enthusiast

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