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Well by some definitions wood to make paper isn't clean because it requires cutting down trees. Clean in this stance is how its used and compared to other forms of energy. The Chinese for instance are investing a lot of money in clean usage research by conversion of the coal itself.
The problem with an old coal plant is in the firebox/boiler combination. The turbine generator and electrical parts of the facility are working fine. So why not just replace the firebox/boiler part of the plant with one generating the proper amount and quality steam to feed the existing turbine generator units?
That would save money but utilites are about making money by spending money and saving rate payers money is never part of their plan.
The old steam turbines are usually too small and not set up for super-critical steam. I have seen some old turbines used with natural-gas fired combustion turbines.
It doesn't appear that the terrible damage done by mountaintop removal and strip mining of coal to natural waterways has been mentioned thus far in this thread.
When streams are impacted by these forms of mining, it's usual for all aquatic life to be destroyed and water quality to be destroyed with it, making the water impossible to be adequately cleaned for normal use. The mining process releases heavy metals, chemicals, and carcinogens, in addition to coal...and those toxic substances go straight into the land and water.
In many parts of the Appalachian coal fields (a misnomer - few "fields" are naturally found in the mountains), valley streams are buried by the "overburden" - i.e., the rocks, soil, trees, etc. which originally covered the coal seam found at or near the top of the mountain (the low-hanging fruit was taken long ago, by deep mining, a much less destructive method). Retaining ponds are often created, usually above the original watercourse, in an attempt to prevent additional damage. But when the seasonally heavy rains come, as is typical in the spring in the mountains, flooding and landslides occur regularly.
The human cost, not only to those living in the immediate area, but also to those downstream who must draw their water from the streams and rivers whose headwaters are in the mountains, is enormous. "The poisonous waters rise" over ALL of our land, even that which is hundreds of miles from the mountains, when our waterways originate in the coal fields in which mountaintop removal and strip mining are the common methods of extraction.
This is something all of Kentucky's citizens and residents need to realize. The Kentucky River is long and beautiful, and it's the source of drinking water for almost all of central Kentucky as well as to much of Eastern Kentucky, where it originates. A vast number of the tributaries in its mountain headwaters have been severely damaged by mountaintop removal and strip mining of coal.
So far, neither the federal nor the state nor local governments have focused on this very serious issue. Instead, far too many of the Frankfort politicians keep telling us how "Coal keeps the lights on" and term themselves "Friends of Coal". Perhaps so - but they are not friends of Kentucky, nor are they friends of Kentucky's people. If they were, they would not close their eyes to the poisoned water and devastated land their "friend" has created.
Coal does not burn cleanly. China is notoriously poor at controlling coal power plant emissions. I had a friend whose mother grew up in Pittsburgh, PA in the early part of the 20th century who said her clothes actually got grey from soot, just from walking to and from the bus stop to school and later to work. imagine breathing that for years.
People who are constantly begrudging government regulation in this country have no idea how crappy our air and water would be if it were left up to industry to voluntarily clean up after themselves. Not that all regulation is useful or necessary, but some of it has certainly helped improve our quality of life.
It doesn't appear that the terrible damage done by mountaintop removal and strip mining of coal to natural waterways has been mentioned thus far in this thread.
They are required by law to reclaim that land, granted it won't be the same afterwards but in one hundred years you'd never know they were there except from the air.
On the flip side that new mining activity is used to fund reclamation of abandoned lands where no one is responsible. For every ton of coal mined there is a fee, those funds are used to reclaim property that may have been in that condition for more than a century and it just doesn't include coal mines.
People who are constantly begrudging government regulation in this country have no idea how crappy our air and water would be if it were left up to industry to voluntarily clean up after themselves. Not that all regulation is useful or necessary, but some of it has certainly helped improve our quality of life.
Agree, I live in area where an unregulated industry has cause some very serious issues but at some point in time enough is enough. The analogy I like use is we can build cars that are 100% survivable in a crash but that is pointless if no one can afford the car. Energy is the same way and if natural gas prices go up and coal is no longer on the table you're going to see a significant increase in the price of everything.
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