Category: Coal

Japan Will Encourage Coal Use In Eastern Europe

Published on by sunshinehours11 Comment

Thanks to anti-fracking activities in Europe by environmentalists, the only plentiful fuel available cheap enough to use against Putin’s control is Coal.

“The government plans to support Ukraine and other Eastern European nations in the construction of next-generation coal-fired power plants that can generate power with less fuel, according to informed sources.

Under the initiative, Japan would stand behind the nations’ efforts to use coal—abundant in Eastern Europe—instead of natural gas, the supply of which makes them dependent on Russia. The government is expected to announce the initiative at the meeting of energy ministers from Japan and other Group of Seven industrialized nations to be held in Rome from May 5.

Japan’s support will involve the construction of coal-fired power plants using technologies known as supercritical steam pressure and ultra supercritical pressure to spin the turbines, enabling these nations to obtain electricity while using less fuel and emitting less carbon dioxide.”

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001241034

Embed from Getty Images

Coal Vengeance on Drax

Published on by sunshinehours11 Comment

Hurrah!

“Britain’s biggest power station is suing the Government for losing a lucrative contract after a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed that it burns wood from precious US forests as a ‘green’ alternative to coal.

Drax is committed to switching from coal to ‘biomass’, or wood pellets.

In December, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey promised the North Yorkshire plant two lucrative ‘contracts for difference’ – which would see it earn £105 for every megawatt hour it generates, rather than the normal price of £50.

“But this paper revealed that much of its biomass is shipped in from historic wetland hardwood forests – 3,000 miles away in North Carolina.

“Environmentalists” say this is destroying endangered species’ habitats, and increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.”


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2614104/Power-station-sues-government-axeing-contract-MoS-exposed-switch-coal-wood-precious-U-S-forests.html

 

However, keep in mind it was “Environmentalists” who have worked hard to stop fracking. Natural gas has half the CO2 per mega-joule of energy compared to coal. And it is much, much cleaner than coal or wood.

 

Embed from Getty Images

Other Than Germany … COAL!

Published on by sunshinehours12 Comments

Poland is suggesting that coal make a big comeback in the European Union in order to thwart Putin’s use of Natural Gas as a weapon.

“Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says the country’s giant coal fields should become a cornerstone in Europe’s defense against a newly aggressive Russia.”

(Too bad the EU has fought against fracking to the point of insanity)

But the sentence that jumped out at me is

“Poland burns over 50 million tons of coal a year, more than any European nation other than Germany, “

Wait! I thought Germany was the poster boy for green energy!

Yes indeed. BP Statistical Review of World Energy says Germany burned more coal than any other European nation and it burned 3.9% more coal in 2012 than it did in 2011.

Why? The shutdown of some of its nuclear power plants.

Country 2012 Change
Austria 2.0 -23.8%
Azerbaijan ^ 3.8%
Belarus ^ 1.2%
Belgium 3.0 -9.5%
Bulgaria 7.0 -13.4%
Czech Republic 16.6 -7.8%
Denmark 2.5 -23.4%
Finland 2.9 -15.1%
France 11.4 20.1%
Germany 79.2 3.9%
Greece 7.5 -0.5%
Hungary 3.0 -1.9%
Republic of Ireland 1.5 16.9%
Italy 16.2 0.3%
Kazakhstan 35.0 2.6%
Lithuania 0.2 -5.5%
Netherlands 8.5 8.2%
Norway 0.7 -0.5%
Poland 54.0 -4.0%
Portugal 2.9 31.4%
Romania 6.7 -9.5%
Slovakia 3.2 -3.5%
Spain 19.3 24.2%
Sweden 1.5 -25.7%
Switzerland 0.1 6.5%
Turkey 31.3 -5.6%
Turkmenistan – –
Ukraine 44.6 6.9%
United Kingdom 39.1 24.0%
Uzbekistan 1.2 -0.3%
Other Europe & Eurasia 22.2 -1.7%

 

 

Putin: Helping Coal Make a Comeback in the Ukraine

Published on by sunshinehours1Leave a comment

It is too bad the EU has worked so hard to stop fracking in Europe. Europe might had have some spare natural gas to sell the Ukraine.

“Ukraine’s Western-backed leaders scrambled on Friday to find new sources of energy after Russia hiked its gas price by 80 percent in response to the overthrow of Kiev’s pro-Kremlin regime.”

“We are now reviewing our electricity and fuel balance for 2014 with a view of using as much domestic coal as possible at the expense of natural gas,”

http://www.thegwpf.org/ukraine-shifts-to-coal-after-russian-gas-price-hike/

 

Embed from Getty Images

Paris Bans Cars Due To Pollution

Published on by sunshinehours1Leave a comment

Paris air pollution is getting so bad they are banning half the cars and only allowing cars with odd number plates in on some days and even numbered plates on other days.

I know the world likes to blame bad air pollution in China on the coal power plants, but Paris gets most of its electricity fro nuclear power. So obviously they got the right conclusion – blame cars. Could all the new wealth in China and all the new cars be behind their pollution, and not coal power (or not as much)?

Embed from Getty Images

“Hundreds of police are monitoring traffic in Paris after pollution levels prompted the French government to impose major restrictions.

Only motorists whose cars have odd-numbered registration plates are allowed to drive.

On Tuesday, if the restrictions remain in place, it will be the turn of those with even-numbered plates.

Ministers acted after air pollution exceeded safe levels for five days running in Paris and surrounding areas.

The smoggy conditions have been caused by a combination of cold nights and warm days, which have prevented pollution from dispersing.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26599010

Dirty Truth About Wood-Burning Biomass

Published on by sunshinehours12 Comments

“Far from being “carbon neutral,” wood-burning biomass actually emits more carbon dioxide (the primary global warming greenhouse gas) per unit of energy produced than either gas or coal. Yes, trees can grow back and reabsorb that carbon, but that growth takes many years. The most recent studies show that

The renewability of wood is also questionable, as forests would be threatened by any meaningful increase in electricity generation using biomass as fuel. Replacing just 10 percent of the coal used in Pennsylvania would require more than 12.8 million green tons of wood per year — far more than the state’s annual commercial wood harvest (about 5 million tons).”

Read more here.

SaveTheCoal

CO2 from Wood/Biomass is worse than Coal

Published on by sunshinehours14 Comments

The new trendy fuel being proposed to replace the EPA/Hansen vilified coal is wood and/or biomass.

One biomass power plant “will emit 1,732 tons per day of carbon dioxide to produce 380,000 MWh of power annually, an emission rate of 3,327 lbs of CO2/MWh. For comparison carbon dioxide emission rates are 2,117 lbs/MWh for existing coal plants,  1,314 lbs/MWh for existing gas plants
and 760 lbs/MWh for new power plants.”

Lets put that in a table.

Fuel lbs of CO2/Megawatt Hour
Biomass 3,327
Coal 2,117
Older Natural Gas 1,314
New Natural Gas 760

“wood fueled biomass power plants emit about 50% more CO2 per MWh than existing coal plants, 150% more than existing natural gas plants and 330% more than new gas power plants.”

Thats right. Biomass/Wood produce 330% more CO2 than a new super-efficient natural gas power plant burning natural gas. And thanks to fracking the gas is super-cheap.

If you believe in the “CO2 will end the world scam”, then please fight hard against wood and biomass power plants. And fight hard for new natural gas power plants.

If you don’t believe, then laugh at the idiots who do. And tell them the truth.

If you are against fracking, and for biomass/wood power planets, you hate the planet.

Slaughtering Old Trees in Germany to Burn Coal And Close Down Nukes

Published on by sunshinehours12 Comments

In order to ensure the lights don’t go out after Germany’s latest stupid energy decision to shut down its nuclear power plants, they are slaughtering 12,000 year old Oaks to dig up up the dirtiest coal – Brown Coal.

Critics of the German government’s energy policy say it is unacceptable to raise C02 emissions by relying on coal as the country moves to switch off all its nuclear power plants by 2022. In order to extract the brown coal from the ground this winter, RWE will cut down 3,900 hectares of the 12,000-year-old oak and hornbeam Hambach forest, leaving just 300 hectares in tact.

Read about it here.

Previous tree slaughtering documented here.