Coal use increase

With more than 8 billion tonnes used per year (2023) and maintaining the role of largest global source of electricity ⚡️coal remains the n. 1 issue for climate goals.

Although capacity and generation are two different things (and coal plants tend to be used less as #renewables gain market share), this is quite a worrying trend ????

#production#energy#data#sustainability#power#climatechange

Clean Coal Technology

Clean coal technology refers to a variety of technologies such as Coal Gasification and Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) that are designed to reduce the environmental impact of burning coal for energy production. These technologies aim to reduce pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury that are released when coal is burned. Some examples of clean coal technology include carbon capture and storage, scrubbers, and fluidized bed combustion. These technologies can help to make coal a cleaner and more environmentally friendly source of energy.

Clean coal technology encompasses a range of techniques and approaches aimed at reducing the environmental impact of coal-fired power generation. Coal is a widely used and abundant fossil fuel, but it is also one of the most polluting when burned for electricity production. Clean coal technology aims to mitigate these environmental impacts by reducing emissions of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter, and mercury, as well as greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

One of the key technologies in clean coal is carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS involves capturing CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants before they are released into the atmosphere, compressing the CO2, and then transporting it to a suitable storage site where it can be permanently stored underground. This helps to prevent greenhouse gas emissions from coal combustion from contributing to climate change.

Another important clean coal technology is flue gas desulfurization, commonly known as scrubbers. These systems remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) from coal combustion gases, which helps to reduce acid rain and air pollution. Additionally, advanced combustion technologies such as fluidized bed combustion and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) can improve the efficiency of coal-fired power plants and reduce emissions.

In recent years, research and development efforts have focused on developing more efficient and cost-effective clean coal technologies.

Innovations such as chemical looping combustion, oxy-fuel combustion, and supercritical CO2 power cycles are being explored as potential solutions to further reduce the environmental impact of coal-fired power generation.

While clean coal technologies have shown promise in reducing emissions and improving the environmental performance of coal-fired power plants, they are not without challenges. Implementing these technologies on a large scale can be costly, and technical challenges remain in scaling up these technologies to commercial levels. Nonetheless, clean coal technology has the potential to play a significant role in reducing the environmental impact of coal-fired power generation and moving towards a more sustainable energy future.