Coal is hardly renewable 6

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1. 

   badongr Posted 9:03 pm
   23 Jan 2007

   Renewable Energy, as understood by WSomehow as I listened to SOTU 2007 I had the distinct impression that the president honestly believes that coal is a reneable resource.  Poor guy must think he's going to be arond for another 50-60 million years, after the face of the planet is scoured by those climate changes wrought by mankind's thoughtless consumption of carbon-based energy sources.  Just my 2 cents worth.
   JR

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2. 

   amazingdrx Posted 12:45 am
   24 Jan 2007

   Good heads upGovernor Schweitzer of Montana is pushing coal to liquid fuels too.  Instead of wind power on the great plains of Montana.
   Pretty sad for a democratic reformer who won on environmental issues.
   He has not even considered powering CTL with wind. The gap between reality and the POV of the bribe swilling politicos is very wide indeed.
   
   http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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3. 

   OscarBrown Posted 4:40 am
   24 Jan 2007

   CTLThe problem with coal-based fuels is that they are big losers with regard to global warming.  
   
   
   A gallon of coal-based fuel is responsible for twice as much global warming pollution as is a gallon of gas.  
   
   If you fill a Honda Civic with a gallon of coal-based fuel, driving that Civic would generate as much global warming pollution as a Hummer H3.  That's the big Hummer.  
   
   
   The Presidents plan would throw us from the frying pan of oil dependence into the fire of global warming.  
   
   

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4. 

   Nucbuddy Posted 2:55 pm
   24 Jan 2007

   Hummer models and their relative sizesOscarBrown wrote: If you fill a Honda Civic with a gallon of coal-based fuel, driving that Civic would generate as much global warming pollution as a Hummer H3.  That's the big Hummer.
   No. The Hummer H3 is the small Hummer.
   
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummer_H3
   
   

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5. 

   enki09 Posted 8:19 am
   25 Jan 2007

   Coal to LiquidsI appreciate the way you are looking at this issue. But before you make up your mind please consider the alternatives which could be developed within this paradigm.
   The coal (carbon) to liquids concept is the first step that needs to be taken on the path to making hydrocarbons a totally clean, endlessly renewable fuel.
   An intermediate step would be the implementation of on board reformers. This alone could cut the fuel used by vehicles by as much as 50%.
   The goal however would be to create a system in which hydrogen fuel cells are the power plant of choice. These cells will use the hydrogen from hydrocarbons as the fuel and leave behind the carbon to be recycled into liquid fuel again. The hydrogen will come from water and so these hydrocarbons will be totally renewable. Since the only exhaust would be water vapor they are also non polluting. I think this is the only viable pathway to a clean, renewable future.
   
   http://www.myspace.com/enki09

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6. 

   amazingdrx Posted 12:11 am
   26 Jan 2007

   Only path?Hydrogen fuel cells with reformers.  Very problematic.
   I think solid oxide fuel cell/microturbines  as the generation source for serial plugin hybrids could reduce liquid fuel use to 10% of what it is now.
   At that level of fuel consumption oil will last a long time.  And biodiesel from algae grown in solar collectors can eventually take over.
   As oil consumption drops prices will remain stable in the face of competition from better and better batteries, further decreasing fuel consumption.  Mass production and research breakthroughs can make 40 mile plugin range typical.  
   Batteries plus electric drivetrain plus backup generation will cost less than the internal combustion engine (ICE), because the serial plugin hybrid design has on the order of 100s of moving parts, while the ICE has on the order of 1000s of moving parts.
   
   http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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