Author
Docteur en philosophie, Jérôme AUDRAN, travaille depuis plus de 10 ans
dans la communication multimedia et le journalisme en ligne. Il
enseigne ces disciplines à l'Université de Marne-la-Vallée...
Coal, a Future Energy?
10 May, 2007 06:57 pm
To consider coal, known to be highly polluting, as an energy source of the future seems somewhat of a paradox. Yet, that is the bet being made by some ?high tech? companies in the energy sector.
The poor image of coal is due mostly to the fact that it is responsible for one third of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. However, a new technology could solve the problem: carbon sequestration. The idea consists of “capturing” CO2 that is emitted in the smoke of electric power plants and “sequestering” it underground.
A new promising technology, but with a cost: the electricity produced could prove to be 10 to 12% more expensive than electricity produced by traditional coal power plants. What’s more, this technology requires a large stocking capacity. A 1000-MW coal power plant requires 50 million barrels of CO2 to be stocked per year. Finally, some experts worry about the true ability of the gas to remain underground. The debate should be intense in the coming years.
Furthermore, the use of coal in liquid form is becoming more of a reality. This technique is definitely not new (it dates to the 1930’s), but it used to require overly expensive production costs. With brut oil costing over $60 a barrel, liquid coal (situated around $40 a barrel) becomes attractive.
Currently coal reserves are estimated to last around 250 years.
Translated by Christopher Le Coq
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