Modern Coal Plants – Efficient & Lower Emissions Power Plants

Coal Power Plants
Coal use today is no longer evocative of dirty power plants with polluting black smoke billowing from their smokestacks. Many of these plants have been transformed through technology to operate more efficiently and with significantly lower emissions. Some fire coal with other waste materials and others produce both electric power and heat transmission. Cases of plant retrofits and their new performance statistics are documented by various institutions, including the Energy Information Administration (http:// www.eia.doe.gov) and the World Coal Institute (http://www.wci-coal.com). The following examples highlight clean coal use throughout the world: (more…)

Carbon Dynamics in Forest Ecosystems

The accumulation of carbon within a forest growth cycle can be considered in four stages. The initial establishment stage involves low global carbon cycle accumulation and may even experience net carbon loss (particularly from soil) as a result of site preparation and low biomass and bioenergy inputs. A rapid uptake of carbon is then experienced during the second phase, known as the full vigor stage, which subsequently levels off as the stand reaches the mature stage. Finally, the forest reaches old growth and the carbon is in steady state with accumulation associated with new growth balanced by mortality and disturbances. (more…)

Energy R&D, Energy Funds, Energy Conservation

Government expenditures on energy R&D, energy conservation have risen steadily over the past decade, but only two countries, Japan and the United States, are responsible for the bulk of expenditures in this area. Until the mid-1990s, global conservation expenditures were more or less split equally among the transportation, industrial, and residential sectors, but during the past few years, there has been a sharp rise in industrial conservation R&D efforts. (more…)

Biomass Feedstock Productions – Challenges and Opportunities

biomass feedstock productions
Advances in biomass feedstock production are extremely important. These advances have the potential for reducing the final cost of biofuels, power, and products. In addition, advances will allow the production of plants, trees, and residues with characteristics increasingly well suited for feedstocks. For example, genetically engineered plants feedstocks may allow higher yields of usable biomass per acre for fuel and other uses. New methods in erosion control, fertilization, and pre-processing can result in (more…)

General Categorization of Electricity Generation Using Alternative Energy Resources

The first step in categorizing potential benefits and costs is determining the relevant scope of the analysis. We have concluded that, at this level of analysis, it is appropriate to limit the scope to the benefits and costs associated with the types of electricity generation that offshore wind, waves, and ocean currents might be displacing. Therefore, we consider externalities associated with offshore alternative energy plus those associated with coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear, and conventional hydroelectric power. (more…)