ronwagn + 5,571 August 29, 2020 https://www.powermag.com/xuzhou-3-shows-the-future-of-subcritical-coal-power-is-sublime/ Xuzhou 3 Shows the Future of Subcritical Coal Power Is Sublime Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marcin2 + 710 MK August 29, 2020 Coal and nuclear are the only globally available and scalable base load electricity source. Nuclear is too difficult and/or expensive at the moment ( moment=next 30 years perspective). There is general consensus in the industry that coal will be the largest source of electricity in the next 60-80 years. Lets get back to the question in 2080-2100 maybe the perspectives of coal would change at THAT moment. Locally in rich or rich in hydrocarbons countries ( like US) natural gas is the solution. But this is only locally ( the same as locally is the case with hydro and nuclear ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BenFranklin'sSpectacles + 725 SF February 17 On 8/29/2020 at 4:43 AM, Marcin2 said: Coal and nuclear are the only globally available and scalable base load electricity source. Nuclear is too difficult and/or expensive at the moment ( moment=next 30 years perspective). There is general consensus in the industry that coal will be the largest source of electricity in the next 60-80 years. Lets get back to the question in 2080-2100 maybe the perspectives of coal would change at THAT moment. Locally in rich or rich in hydrocarbons countries ( like US) natural gas is the solution. But this is only locally ( the same as locally is the case with hydro and nuclear ) In general I would agree with this, although I'd say natural gas has base load potential in the US because it's so cheap. New nuclear is expensive *at the moment*, but the reasons for that are more regulatory (Outdated designs = massive safety costs), financial (huge plant + long build time = massive interest costs), and political (on-site union labor is expensive). These issues would all be solved with modern, small, modular designs. Many such designs are in the works. Do you have any thoughts on these? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turbguy + 501 March 2 If any carbon capture tech becomes available, that doesn't require utilizing 20-30 percent of plant nameplate without it, that could be a savior for coal fired generation. I don't see much promise of this in the foreseeable future. The Boundary Dam plant in Saskatchewan tried it. It was a real technical and maintenance struggle, which I would expect. AND, they had a customer nearby for the gas. I guess there's a handful of demo plants out there that I am unaware of. Economically, it will require some sort of firm guarantee (and perhaps subsidies) from "someone" to move this along. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites