Ferdinand E. Banks

Renewable Energy Reality: We're Dependent on Coal

Mark Goldes, there is no alternative to coal. Looking for one is a waste of time. The optimal policy is to use as little as possible, to clean as much of it as is possible, and to find and if necessary subsidise new technology for cleaning coal. Isn't it time for some realism where this topic is concerned?

And thanks David Fessler for an interesting and useful article..

The Real Rationale Behind Current Supply and Demand for Oil and Other Commodities

This is an interesting and useful article, even if I disagree with certain claims by the author. Of course, his pointing out the situation with fossile fuels makes it worth reading for everybody.

About Stephen Chu. Regardless of his background in physics I see him at the present time as a member of the new president's environmental team, because environment rather than energy is likely to be emphasized by President Obama. But that's OK if the result is a focussing on nuclear, because something that Professor Chu can undoubtedly do - and might be interested in doing or having done - is to calculate the cost of electricity generated by nuclear as compared to gas and coal and renewables. Of course, if he gets what I think is the wrong answer, I'll have to wake the town and tell the people - assuming that I still have access to a forum, which isn't certain.

About global warming. I don't see any point at all in bad-mouthing global warming (AGW), even if it turns out that.... As for dry fusion, when the music starts at the new year's eve parties...in 2099, they probably will still be talking about getting that. The physicists working on dry fusion should be retrained to work on health issues.

Coal's Dark Days Are Over

You say that clean coal technologies are improving - I certainly hope so, because everything considered, they don't have much to offer yet. However, regardless, a lot more coal is going to be used than many observers think.