Clean Coal: The renewed alternative
The BBC has reported on How coal is cleaning up its act.
Coal is returning as top-choice for power generation following unstable Oil and Gas prices, its high availability, and is being boosted by various research programmes into making it burn cleaner.
With over 30% of the UK’s power coming from coal-burning plants, Clean Coal Technology could have a huge impact - both for the environment directly and for those plants which could reduce their Carbon Emission Rights requirements.
CCT is an umbrella term covering many projects which share the same main concept: the coal is converted to a gas which is then burnt in a special turbine which can capture the CO2 (and other pollutants) for later storage, often deep underground.
Using coal also has the advantage of much larger reserves - with more than 160 years’ supply, coal is expected to last more than twice as long as Gas, and about four times longer than Oil.
Along with other technologies, CCT can increase efficiency and reduce emissions in coal-burning stations to levels similar to Oil and Gas stations. The figures can then be further improved by adding Biomass to the equation, creating a yet cleaner, more efficient, and longer lasting power supply.