Herm said:
AndyH said:
It doesn't appear that the EIA report accounts for externalities. It doesn't seem to account for the inability to actually finance an 'advanced nuclear' or coal plant. And coal with carbon capture and sequestration? That animal doesn't exist!
They do mention advanced coal, and did you notice the cost of nuclear? That includes the legal delays and cost of financing.
Coal is on the way out, and I expect nuclear is as well. I don't expect CCS to take-off once the government-funded research program money stops.
We have some recent experience with a new nuclear project here in South Texas. In the end, even with my lobbying in favor of plant expansion
, the misinformation and financing shell game severely weakened the project (and the Japanese disaster probably sealed its fate). In hindsight, and considering our severe drought, I'm happy that the project did not go forward.
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-CPS_Energy_sees_need_for_new_STP_units-3006095.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/2409.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/energy/article/CPS-talkson-nuclearpower-halted-1240848.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/energy/article/NRG-will-no-longer-invest-in-STP-expansion-1343841.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/energy/article/CPS-halts-talks-on-buying-nuclear-power-1128743.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Herm said:
Carbon capture and sequestration is still experimental, same as IV generation advanced nukes. Apparently there is a market for CO2, it can be used to maintain pressure in oil fields and in combination with NG it can be used to make synthetic diesel. We may see more carbon capture out of coal plants.
I'm torn about moving forward to use carbon from power plants. On one hand, we could integrate environmental needs, emissions processing, and 'waste' streams into a closed system, like the Kalundborg, Denmark program.
http://indigodev.com/Kal.html On the other, we need to cut CO2 emissions so dramatically, I think it's way too late to consider investing in progress over a 20 year period when we need it in five or 10 years.
Herm said:
The interesting part about this study is the low cost of wind, assuming it blows.
A giggle for you, Herm:
This is fascinating, since the rap on wind is that it's not dependable because "sometimes the wind stops blowing." In the real world, sometimes it also gets too hot or too cold for the supposedly dependable fueled peaking power plants to operate properly.
http://energy.aol.com/2011/08/10/wind-power-lessons-from-the-texas-heat-wave/
The good news is that we have scientists and engineers that use advanced instrumentation and very robust math skills to find the really, really windy parts of the country.
That's why folks like Pickens and Duke Energy plant wind farms in the Texas Panhandle and points north, while others plant towers near- and off-shore.
In 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved construction by Coastal Point Energy of an offshore meteorological tower at the site of the company's planned Galveston Wind Project. The company has since used the tower to gather over 30 months of wind data, which confirmed the site's "superior" profile for wind power generation, according to the company.
http://theenergycollective.com/jessejenkins/58832/texas-offshore-wind-energy-project-poised-be-first-water" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
City of San Antonio and Duke Energy plan another 20 MW of land-based wind on South Texas coast:
http://www.cpsenergy.com/About_CPS_...08082011_Los_Vientos_Windpower_Project_NR.asp
CPS Energy, the nation’s largest municipal buyer of wind energy and sixth among all energy providers, will soon add 200 megawatts (MW) of wind power to its growing renewable energy portfolio. Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, will build, own, and operate the 200 MW Los Vientos I Windpower Project in Willacy County, located approximately 120 miles south of Corpus Christi and 20 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico.
“We are getting this power at a very attractive price so it will benefit our customers in terms of a continuum of affordable rates along with the delivery of more clean, non-emitting energy,” said Cris Eugster, chief sustainability officer for CPS Energy.
