Even as it makes plans to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, the European Union is gearing up to put some 50 coal plants on line in the next five years. Europeans' distaste for nuclear energy and the relative cheap cost of coal -- even when carbon permits are factored in -- have made the black rock attractive for meeting rising demand. E.U. electric companies say they're seeking out "clean" coal, an oxymoron that is unlikely to be feasible anytime soon. Any way you slice it, a slew of new coal plants means another five decades of dirty electricity in the E.U., which environmentalists say is pretty much a death sentence for the climate as we know it. Says ubiquitous NASA climate scientist James Hansen, "Given our knowledge about what needs to be done to stabilize climate, this plan is like barging into a war without having a plan for how it should be conducted, even though information is available."
source: The New York Times
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Delay And Deny Posted 8:22 am
23 Apr 2008
http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/23/fuelcell-energy-posco-ma ...
Posco Power, a subsidiary of the steel producer Posco (nyse: PKX - news - people ) that is one of South Korea's largest power producers, ordered an undisclosed number of power plants and fuel cell modules worth a total of $70 million.
FuelCell Chairman R. Daniel Brdar said the order's total wattage of 25.6 megawatts is roughly equal to enough energy to power 25,000 homes at any given time.
[I think Richard Branson is a big investor/angel in FCEL.]
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nycowboy Posted 10:06 am
23 Apr 2008
Personally, I wish those plants would stay with oil or natural gas, as it's cleaner then coal. Yet, I'd much rather see new clean coal technology, rather then old coal dirty coal plants providing electricity, or even dirty plants using other fossil fuels.
While the clean coal plants put out more greenhouses gases then the alternative, the reality is they are much cleaner then the alternative of old coal technology.
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vakibs Posted 1:42 am
24 Apr 2008
Please read this book by Prof Bernard Cohen. Solar and nuclear power are the way for the future.
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~blc/book/BOOK.html
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Wolverine Posted 3:51 am
24 Apr 2008
Anyone who advocates nuclear energy should be forced to mine uranium, and live with to radioactive tailings and nuclear waste. Otherwise, shut up already with this hideously environmentally destructive technology.
And this is not meant to support coal. Anyone who advocates building more coal plants should have to mine the stuff and live next to a coal plant.
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usandthem Posted 9:54 pm
24 Apr 2008
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Wolverine Posted 4:15 am
25 Apr 2008
Everyone can have solar panels on their roofs and wind generators in their yards, which would go a log way toward providing all the artificial energy needed. But until humans evolve to where they're not willing to destroy the rest of the planet in order to make money, acquire needless material goods, be needlessly more comfortable, or have totally unnecessary conveniences, this problem, along with all other ecological problems, will not be solved.
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