The way Ludwik worded his message sort of makes it sound as if I support coal burning as our energy source for the near future. For the record, I do not. I support nuclear fission.
I definitely do not support burning natural gas for electricity because I think we need to conserve natural gas as the near-future option for home heating. That's because it is a readily transportable and relatively clean way to heat homes and hot water, and the transport system is in place. It does generate CO2, but I still think it is the best current option for home heating. At some point I assume we will heat all homes electrically, but we aren't ready for that yet.
There are some relatively clean ways to burn coal. The plant being built near my home not only burns coal, but also garbage... 50/50. The fuel is pelletized and drops into a sealed combustion chamber that is sort of like a fluidized-bed furnace. The product is syn-gas which then runs a gas turbine. Pilot plants indicate this is a very clean way to burn coal and also get rid of some garbage. But it still generates CO2, and that is the main reason I don't think it is a long-term solution. Also, many rail cars of fuel will come in each day and cause increased train traffic. (The cooling tower will evaporate a lot of water and this summer we don't have much water to spare. But water consumption would also be needed if we located a nuclear facility in my region where we don't have a large river or a large lake.)
I support development of wind power, but I don't think it will be able to support a large percentage of our needs. I also wonder about the visual pollution. I am already tired of all the cellular telephone towers that have sprung up... they're all over the place. What a visual blight!
Of course I also support hydro and solar.
However, if the greenhouse effect is real, then I think we need to stop burning carbon-based fuels quite soon. The nuclear option may not be the real long-term solution, but like Ludwik says, it is a good option for the next 50 to 100 years.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail: 419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817