Jul 29 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Ken Ward Jr. The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.


Action by the federal government and industry is needed over the next 10 years if the nation's appetite for energy is going to be lessened and fed by cleaner fuels, according to a National Academy of Sciences report issued Tuesday.

Improvements in energy efficiency and deployment of new fuels could help greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if a sustained national commitment is made to altering today's energy system, according to the report.

Coal could also remain part of this energy future, but faces enormous challenges in capturing its carbon dioxide emissions and finding ways to reduce coal mining's other environmental impacts, the study says.

"Increased use of coal will intensify concerns about environmental and safety aspects of extraction as well as about pollutants in emissions," the study concluded.

The 184-page report emphasized the importance of improving efficiency as a "near-term and low-cost way to reduce U.S. energy demand."

"Fully deploying these technologies in buildings alone could save enough power to eliminate the need for new electricity generating plants to meet growing U.S. demand," the report said. "However, some new plants would likely still be needed to address regional supply imbalances, replace obsolete technology, or present more environmentally friendly sources of electricity."

The National Academy is a private, nonprofit institution that provides science advice under a congressional charter. The new energy report is part of the organization's America's Energy Future project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, BP America, Dow Chemical and a variety of foundations.

Regarding coal, the report says that the electricity sector is going to need to demonstrate, within the next decade, that carbon capture and storage, or CCS, technologies "are technically and commercially viable in both new and existing power plants and in liquid fuels production."

Retrofitting a coal-fired power plant for CCS costs nearly as much as building the plant in the first place, the report notes. And running the CCS equipment diverts 20 to 40 percent of the plants' energy. This reduces the plant's efficiency and increases electricity costs.

Also, the report cautions, CCS has been demonstrated at commercial scale, but no large power plants today capture and store carbon dioxide. A typical coal-fired power plant would need to inject underground about 300 million cubic feet of CO2 per day, or about equal to 160,000 barrels per day of oil, comparable to production from a large oilfield.

"Given the large volumes involved, the challenge should not be underestimated," the study said.

Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kward@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.

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