Carbon will not be Captured at Longannet

I have always been realistic about carbon capture and storage. The UK government has always been(in public at least) ecstatic about its potential. Whatever your views it must be wrth trying to see if that is a realistic and cost effective way to prevent emissions from reaching the atmosphere from power stations.

Emissions savings and Energy savings: time to stop talking about it and start doing it

I have for many years criticised the government for talking about the environment and reducing greenhouse gases, but failing to do much more than talk or set up talking shops and advice centres. In fact the talk has become boring to the majority of those who live in the United Kingdom. Talking about a problem does not solve the problem if there are solutions to the problem staring you in the face. I do not suggest that all the solutions for controlling greenhouse gases now exist, but those that can help now, without innovation and speculation. They key features of emission savings of the last government were:-

Carbon sequestration may be pointless

Governments, particularly those Governments of nations which have significant coal power stations, have taken refuge in the concept of “clean coal” imagining fondly that someone will invent a technology which can sequestrate carbon dioxide from coal burning power stations.

The Government announce that they will announce an announcement!

The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (what a grand title) Mr E Miliband spoke on television about energy. He announced a forthcoming announcement. That is the way Governments do things these days; they throw policy teasers into the wind, then they talk about forthcoming policy announcements and then make the announcement. Having made the announcement they then make it at least three or four times more, so that by the time they are making the policy most people think that this has been the policy all along.

Coal Reserves – and the future of coal

Is coal the new oil? There are various grades of coal but a medium grade in North West Europe cost $29 a tonne in 1999, and today costs $149 a tonne. Most grades of coal have increased in price between three fold and four fold in the past nine years. Coal (if counted in terms of energy) is more plentiful than natural gas, oil or uranium. Fortunes will be made in coal, as humans seek more and more energy self gratification, and as their numbers multiply.

The Minister for Energy and Climate Changes speaks

“The rich world must act first, but that won’t stop dangerous climate change unless we help the poorest countries to act too.” This was what Mr Ed Miliband said last week. You will remember that Mr Miliband, a gentleman who studied politics, economics and philosophy at university and has spent his working life in politics (apart from a brief early foray in journalism), is the Minister in Charge of the Department of Energy & Climate Change.

Coal power stations and carbon sequestration

What a difference a few years make. A few years ago the United Kingdom Government was content to rely on market forces to provide the nation with fuel. The news is dominated by the economic crisis but at least as equally important is the energy crisis, for without energy the economy will not recover and with too much energy that depends on fuels which emits too much greenhouse gas, not only is the economic future leak, but also the future in all other respects holds problems that we may never be able to solve.

Filling the seas with iron

Oil that we find deep in the ground was laid down millions of years ago (it is thought by most geologists) by organic material, particularly algae and zooplankton which died and fell to the bottom of the sea. There over long periods of time the organic material was compressed and heated causing it to form into a waxy mud, and then with more heat the waxy mud turned to gas and oil.

The energy and environmental policies of the Conservative Party

Every political party wants to appear to have “green” policies these days. Green is the new black. The policies of the Government in the United Kingdom are well defined but inchoate, and more observed in their talk than in their action. They talk the talk but do not, when push comes to shove walk the walk.

What will happen to the climate when oil prices rise and more coal is consumed?

Of all the fossil fuel coal is the most polluting, in terms of dirt affecting air quality and in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly carbon dioxide, but other greenhouses gases are emitted when coal is burnt, depending on the type of coal. Politicians talk optimistically about sequestrating the carbon form coal as it is being burnt, but this is their vision of the future. Carbon sequestration is not yet a reality and you cannot build a climate change policy on something that has not been invented.