What is wrong with coal ?
M. Orhan Tarhan
March 17, 2008
Coal has been the major energy source for industry, transportation, and chemistry for several centuries. The more recent advent of petroleum was an energy source easier to handle and it was cheaper. Of course, distilled or chemically or catalytically treated products of petroleum could be used in automobile engines, and coal could not. Germans succeeded in converting coal to liquid fuel during WWII. To them cost did not matter, they had no other alternative. After the War we too ("We" meaning myself included) tried that conversion in the United States with better reactor design, better catalysts, and better methods, it was always more expensive than the petroleum products. Some 40 years ago some people believed that if a barrel of oil would go up to $14, then coal conversion would be cheaper. Today that same barrel is about $110 and coal conversion is still not competitive with oil, because the price of energy is determined by oil, with higher oil prices, we have higher energy prices, and it costs more to process coal.
Jeff Biggers wrote in Washington Post of March 2, an article titled "Clean Coal? Don´t Try to Shovel That."
He is considering the human aspects of underground coal mining and the messing of large lands by strip mining. He concluded that there is no such thing as "Clean Coal". Mining kills or maims people and that is just Orwellian language leading to Orwellian politics. Mr. Biggers is of course absolutely right.
Now since the discovery of global warming, coal (as well as oil) have become dirty words, because their combustion produces carbon dioxide that is causing global warming. But every body was not accepting those scientific facts. The petroleum industry spent millions of dollars just to put doubt in the minds of the people that global warming actually exists. Even the President, did not believe in it, just as he does not believe in evolution.. But after Nature´s wild behavior during the last years, one would have to be both blind and deft to deny Global warming.
Long years of experience in Socialist countries and in Turkey proved that a government cannot operate industry. I spent the ten first years of my professional life in government-owned and operated steel industry in Turkey. It did not work., especially if there was democracy . Industry works best under corporations run by engineers who are taught economics. This truth is generally recognized in the United States, but still once in a while technically illiterate politicians make decisions to spend huge amounts of tax-payers´ money to make a coal- or oil burning process to recover its carbon dioxide, and to inject it underground. That is such a waste of money, when the same money could be spent in an energy process that does not produce any carbon dioxide in the first place, such as hydro-electric plants, plants converting sun light to electricity, or huge wind-mills converting the energy of the wind into electricity. Of course the capital should not come from tax-payers´ money but by investments of citizens. An other genial decision of the government is to male ethanol from good corn. I understand that more energy is spent to make ethanol than ethanol can produce when burning in a car´s engine. But the government pays subsidies to farmers and it looks good to some people. But technically and economically it is ridiculous.
When in this country a process looks attractive, generally it is not difficult to find investment money to exploit it. Corporations know what will work and earn their share-holders dividends. If they do not touch a process, then it is just not economical. Technically illiterate politicians should not touch them either.
It is good to hear that public pressure in many places succeeded in preventing new coal-burning centrals to be erected. Our citizens should be enlightened about these things . They should not allow their representatives in Congress to spend their money for technically and economically ridiculous projects. Actually they should not be allowed to spend any money for any industrial project, period. It is not our government´s business to go into the industry . They should read the constitution.
I think we should hurriedly replace coal-burning centrals by plants converting light to electricity, with appropriate energy storage facilities.
Jeff Biggers wrote in Washington Post of March 2, an article titled "Clean Coal? Don´t Try to Shovel That."
He is considering the human aspects of underground coal mining and the messing of large lands by strip mining. He concluded that there is no such thing as "Clean Coal". Mining kills or maims people and that is just Orwellian language leading to Orwellian politics. Mr. Biggers is of course absolutely right.
Now since the discovery of global warming, coal (as well as oil) have become dirty words, because their combustion produces carbon dioxide that is causing global warming. But every body was not accepting those scientific facts. The petroleum industry spent millions of dollars just to put doubt in the minds of the people that global warming actually exists. Even the President, did not believe in it, just as he does not believe in evolution.. But after Nature´s wild behavior during the last years, one would have to be both blind and deft to deny Global warming.
Long years of experience in Socialist countries and in Turkey proved that a government cannot operate industry. I spent the ten first years of my professional life in government-owned and operated steel industry in Turkey. It did not work., especially if there was democracy . Industry works best under corporations run by engineers who are taught economics. This truth is generally recognized in the United States, but still once in a while technically illiterate politicians make decisions to spend huge amounts of tax-payers´ money to make a coal- or oil burning process to recover its carbon dioxide, and to inject it underground. That is such a waste of money, when the same money could be spent in an energy process that does not produce any carbon dioxide in the first place, such as hydro-electric plants, plants converting sun light to electricity, or huge wind-mills converting the energy of the wind into electricity. Of course the capital should not come from tax-payers´ money but by investments of citizens. An other genial decision of the government is to male ethanol from good corn. I understand that more energy is spent to make ethanol than ethanol can produce when burning in a car´s engine. But the government pays subsidies to farmers and it looks good to some people. But technically and economically it is ridiculous.
When in this country a process looks attractive, generally it is not difficult to find investment money to exploit it. Corporations know what will work and earn their share-holders dividends. If they do not touch a process, then it is just not economical. Technically illiterate politicians should not touch them either.
It is good to hear that public pressure in many places succeeded in preventing new coal-burning centrals to be erected. Our citizens should be enlightened about these things . They should not allow their representatives in Congress to spend their money for technically and economically ridiculous projects. Actually they should not be allowed to spend any money for any industrial project, period. It is not our government´s business to go into the industry . They should read the constitution.
I think we should hurriedly replace coal-burning centrals by plants converting light to electricity, with appropriate energy storage facilities.
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