The Greening of America - Dateline WYOMING

[h=1]PacifiCorp Proposes Replacing Wyoming Coal Plants With Renewables and Storage

For the first time, the Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility has outlined a plan that could save customers money by retiring coal plants early. But it faces a challenge in Wyoming’s new coal protection law.

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[/h][h=1]--When new energy tech renders old tech less profitable and less economical, the Green New Deal gains legitimacy whether one likes it or not.

The big coal companies will fight this tooth and nail but it cannot be stopped.[/h]

This is sort of a buggy whip manufacturing problem.

Checkerboard Strangler said:

[h=1]PacifiCorp Proposes Replacing Wyoming Coal Plants With Renewables and Storage

[/h][h=1]--When new energy tech renders old tech less profitable and less economical, the Green New Deal gains legitimacy whether one likes it or not.

The big coal companies will fight this tooth and nail but it cannot be stopped.[/h]

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Coal will die of it's own long logistical tail. The coal power plants may extend their life with small nuclear reactors supplying the heat,
because all the other infrastructure is in place. A heat engine is just a heat engine after all, it just needs a source of heat and a cooling pond.

longview said:

Coal will die of it's own long logistical tail. The coal power plants may extend their life with small nuclear reactors supplying the heat,
because all the other infrastructure is in place. A heat engine is just a heat engine after all, it just needs a source of heat and a cooling pond.

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I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. While many coal power plants are being replaced with natural gas power plants throughout the US that does not mean there isn't a market for coal. Alaska's coal industry is very healthy and selling a large portion of its product to China, and other Asian countries that are still heavily dependent on coal.

Also, I wouldn't count on nuclear being used in Alaska. They tried that once, then the 9.2 magnitude "Good Friday" earthquake occurred in 1964 and cracked the reactor. They spent the next decade cleaning up the contamination, and there hasn't been a nuclear reactor in Alaska since. Most of Alaska's power comes in the form of hydroelectric, with natural gas and coal fueled power plants coming in second and third. We're also looking into geothermal, but that is still a few years away. There are also a lot of wind generators in western Alaska, because they are completely off the grid.

Checkerboard Strangler said:

[h=1]PacifiCorp Proposes Replacing Wyoming Coal Plants With Renewables and Storage

[/h][h=1]--When new energy tech renders old tech less profitable and less economical, the Green New Deal gains legitimacy whether one likes it or not.

The big coal companies will fight this tooth and nail but it cannot be stopped.[/h]

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Coal...its your grandad's energy source!

beefheart said:

Coal...its your grandad's energy source!

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My grandfather used wood. My father used coal. I use natural gas.