Clean+Coal+Technology

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the U.S. Department of Energy conducted a joint program with industry and State agencies to demonstrate the best of these new technologies at scales large enough for companies to make commercial decisions. More than 20 of the technologies tested in the original program achieved commercial success. The Clean Coal Power Initiative is providing government co-financing for new coal technologies that can help utilities meet the President's Clear Skies Initiative to cut sulfur, nitrogen and mercury pollutants from power plants by nearly 70 percent by the year 2018. Also, some of the early projects are showing ways to reduce greenhouse emissions by boosting the efficient. Clean Coal has been mentioned by President Bush on several occasions, including his latest State of the Union Address. Bush's position is that clean coal technologies should be encouraged as one means to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil. Senator Hillary Clinton has also recently said that "we should strive to have new electricity generation come from other sources, such as clean coal and renewables.". If Clean Coal continues to grow in popularity, Ohio — a notorious swing state in the Presidential Election — is one state that stands to benefit. The greatest uncertainties for future coal plants are the environmental requirements for reduction in SOx, NOx and CO //2// emissions. USC PC plants do offer reductions in emissions over conventional sub-critical unit's pro-rata with the associated efficiency gains, but the effect on CO 2 emissions would be modest at approximately 6 percent. As currently estimated, the costs of CO 2 removal from PC plants are about double those from IGCC plants. As and when governments' regulations require CO 2 removal to a major extent, then natural gas prices will most probably rise and IGCC would most likely become the preferred clean coal technology. Emissions from coal-fired power plants represent the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, a primary cause of global warming. Coal mining and abandoned mines also emit methane, another cause of global warming. Since the carbon content of coal is much ' higher than oil, burning coal is a more serious threat to global temperatures. Many other pollutants are present in coal power station emissions. A study commissioned by environmental groups claims that coal power plant emissions are responsible for tens of thousands of premature deaths annually in the United States alone.
 * __ CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY __**
 * __ The Beginning __**
 * __ Purpose __**
 * __ Support Of the Clean Coal __**
 * __ Uncertanties __**
 * __ Harmful Effects __**