http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2008-02-26-coal-co2_N.htmA Wisconsin coal-fired power plant operated by We Energies is scheduled to launch a pilot project to capture a portion of the carbon dioxide produced as the coal is burned. It will be the first time a U.S. power plant has corralled CO2, the main greenhouse gas, before it floats out of the smokestack.
I know that many will know this idea and the environmental gurus will poo-poo the idea and say we just need to get off of fossil fuel period, but I really do believe that this could be something we will be having to do.
Electricity demand is going to do nothing but go up - sorry, all you conservationists, but that's reality. If you look at the other big contributer to carbon in our atmosphere - the way we get around - every realistic alternative involves electricity. Hydrogen you say, where do you think hydrogen comes from? Electrolysis, and the first six letters are not a coincidence.
Realistically, where is all this energy going to come from? Consumer demand for convenient transportation will not go down, only up. This is even after some of our coastal city streets begin being under water. This is to say nothing for the various other electronic gizmos that we will continue to surround ourselves with.
Our fossil fuel resources are limited. Give use another century (at the most) and they'll be gone. In the meantime, they will continue to be a major player in energy production. We've just got to find a way to make it work environmentally.
Mike
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