Category: Coal Power
-
Musings of a Nuclear Engineer and a Coal Power Engineer on the Adequacy of Bulk Power Supply for the Future
This document summarizes discussions of Don Spellman, a senior nuclear engineer, retired U.S. Navy Submarine officer and Dick Storm, a retired coal power engineer. We have had ongoing discussions for several years regarding the inadequacy of new replacement of Dispatchable or Base Load capable coal and/or nuclear power plants. Therefore, We decided to jointly write this article to share our views. Introduction America’s Grid grew from the days of Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse to about the 1990’s in an…
-
Thoughts on Primary Energy and the Way the World Really Works
The Developed world and the Developing countries depend on energy to run. Developing countries need reliable PRIMARY Energy to progress from muscle power to machines and the Developed countries, including China and India require lots of reliable primary energy to sustain their quality of life. I am one of the few people who focus on…
-
Progress in Clean Coal Combustion Is a Remarkable Achievement, So, Let’s Get on with Building More New Coal Plants
New Modern Coal Plants are Needed for Energy Security, Grid Reliability, Affordable Electricity Generation and Without Pollution, so let me explain some of the details of the equipment used to clean the flue gases and the progress made in cleaning the air since 1970 Short History of Air Pollution Control The EPA was started in…
-
Perceptions vs. Reality
If it was simply the laws of Physics, Economics and Global Experiences of which source of Bulk Power was Best; then coal power plants would be on order by the hundreds. How can we fix the poor perceptions of coal power? Here are my thoughts. Energy Powers Life as We Know It America runs on…
-
The Real Problem With American Energy Policy
This post will be short and to the point. Myself and many of my energy experienced friends have watched as absolutely anti-American, anti-Human energy polices have come to be. My friend Tom cut through the BS and wrote the following as a response to the Daily Caller article which documented Chinese involvement in NGOs impacting…
-
Pros and Cons of Conventional and Renewables Electricity Generation In the Red State of South Carolina, Part 1
Background: Bulk Power Supply in the S.C. Lowcountry The wholesale (Bulk Power) electricity providers serving our region are Santee-Cooper (officially the South Carolina Public Service Authority, or SCPSA) and Dominion Energy (which replaced South Carolina Electric & Gas as the Investor-Owned Utility). Most of Palmetto Electric’s Bulk Power comes from Santee-Cooper. Santee-Cooper is a state-owned agency operating since the…
-
The Importance of Coal, Part 2: Coal Power in the Rest of the World
Coal power in America remains important and I wrote on that last week. This is a followup to provide an overview of the importance of coal as a form of primary energy in the rest of the world. The key phrase is Primary Energy. Ron Stein and Nancy Perlman wrote an excellent article on the…
-
The Importance of Coal: Thermal Performance Considerations for Heat Rate and Resiliency
The thermal performance of the existing coal fleet can be improved by applying proven and reasonable cost mechanical tuning solutions. Coal power generation has many advantages when done with excellence in operations and maintenance. This article is based on my presentation to the EPRI Heat-Rate Conference last week and it is written for experienced electric…
-
One Hundred Twenty Quadrillion BTUs and The Need for Coal to Provide at Least 20 Quads of America’s Primary Energy-Part 1
Coal fuel should be included in the future electricity generation portfolio based on the laws of physics, available forms of primary energy, proven economics of electric power generation and the proven track record of coal power for providing reliable, dispatchable and affordable electricity generation. The CO2 Coalition’s Angela Wheeler interviewed me for the CO2 Coalitions…
-
Advantages Of Coal Fuel for Electricity Generation
It is now officially winter. I think this is an appropriate time to review eleven advantages of coal fuel for electric power generation. Coal is Proven because it provided nearly 50% of America’s electricity generation up till about 2012. The peak year for coal production was 2008 when America produced over 1 billion tons of…
Power for the U.S.A. 