Family Guy

Throughout this year and especially in the Presidential election candidates from both parties shouted out their support for "CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY" making sure that everyone heard their approval.

The problem is that in fact, scientific fact "CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY" does not exist...or does it? What is your opinion?

Clean Coal - Pipe Dream Or Next Big Thing?, Coal Industry Launches Ad Campaign To Support Energy Alternative, But Some Say Technology Hasn't Caught Up Yet - CBS News

DarkWizard12

the term "clean coal" is subjective. yet, it must be noted, so is every energy source with the name "clean" attached to it. What people really mean by the term "clean coal" is that it is cleaner than it used to be. I know, I know, "People should say what they mean", but still, that is the general idea behind it.

With all the new available technology of extracting coal, it is a fact that we can easily get the coal we need without harming the enviroment too much, and if the government would allow the market to work in this field, I have no doubt that the competition would allow for faster-discovery of technology to hopefully, make it truly "clean".

UtahBill

Think Progress Tennessee coal sludge disaster ?shows that the term clean coal is an oxymoron.’
t r u t h o u t | Massive TVA Coal Sludge Spill Devastates Tennessee

Coal sucks....it is dirty and dangerous from mining to disposal of the ash...
They should be retired as soon as nuclear can take over...

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Education is expensive, ignorance is costly.

Each generation should have more opportunities than the last, but not at the expense of the next.

earthworm

Strongly disagree.
True , very true that coal is not "clean".
So nuclear and oil are clean ??
Not even solar and wind are "totally clean".
And, given sufficient technology, coal can be as clean as anything else; but if we get "carried away" (a problem), the cost may be too great..
And despite what the Greenies tell you, "clean" is NOT everything.

DarkWizard12

Was that disastor due to the normal operations, or was it due to someone being an idiot with the fusalage? because I have a real hard time believing that accidents are any excuse to cower from potential progress.

UtahBill

I have worked in the nuclear industry a long time...it is the only substantial source of energy that can be considered anywhere near "clean".
Wind and solar will continue to cost too much, and be unreliable, for the next 50 years at least...unless we learn to only use power when the sun shines or the wind blows.
Look at the northeast and the midwest right now, how will wind or solar do them any good?

I know that nothing is totally clean, but that is no reason to avoid going for the cleanest, which is nuclear.
There is no technology in existence, or even on the horizon, that will make coal anywhere near clean.

__________________
Education is expensive, ignorance is costly.

Each generation should have more opportunities than the last, but not at the expense of the next.

UtahBill

what is fusalage? most likely the retention pond was poorly built.
Accidents happen at coal plants far more often than nuclear, but one at a nuke plant that has nothing to do with the nuclear part of it gets a lot more press than deaths at a coal plant.
What progress, or technology discoveries, are you looking for here? Do you think that throwing money at coal will make it clean? Not likely to happen. Progress cannot be legislated into existence, discoveries cannot be forced.

__________________
Education is expensive, ignorance is costly.

Each generation should have more opportunities than the last, but not at the expense of the next.

jujuman13

Sweden is so far as I am aware the only Coal Producing Nation that takes extreme care in production to minimize pollution.
However once that product is used it must inevitably cause some pollution.
The US cannot or simply will not produce Coal using the same production methods.
The current Advertizing suggesting 'Clean Coal' is quite blatantly incorrect.
To advertize something that may come about in some distant future, is so dishonest.
Having got that particular gripe off my chest, it is difficult to see how the US will be able to produce enough energy from any other source at the same cost.

DarkWizard12

inside joke.
I will agree with this statement, however, that wasn't my premise. Accidents happen all the time in various energy facilities, what makes this one stand out?
Translation: Everything worth discovering has already been discovered.

and no, the government shouldn't throw money at it. I'm talking about letting private enterprises chase various and better tehnologies. It happened during the industrial revolution with the cotton gin, lets do it again!

UtahBill

I don't need a person who is likely uneducated in physics, chemistry, and/or energy related technologies to translate for me....
Saying "let's do it again" won't speed up discoveries one bit. Lots of people are doing the appropriate research, success will happen when it happens...

__________________
Education is expensive, ignorance is costly.

Each generation should have more opportunities than the last, but not at the expense of the next.