Comments on: Dominion CEO Disconnected from Reality

By: wigwam

wigwam — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 04:00:05 +0000

“Clean coal” is an oxymoron. Coal is mostly carbon, and the only way you get energy from carbon is by oxydizing it (e.g., buring it) to form carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a greenhouse gas. Any questions?

By: EdwardTeller

EdwardTeller — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:24:32 +0000

I had to leave for a meeting for awhile. Thanks for checking my place. I’m hoping we’ll see you back here real soon, too.

By: Scarecrow

Scarecrow — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:53:28 +0000

Re rural electrification and socializing transmission costs — a good social policy at first glance. But it’s structure was dictated by utilities who thought only in terms of central generation and integrated grids operated by monopolies. What would have happened if, instead of socializing transmission costs, we had asked, what’s the most economic way to provide electricity to rural areas? Would distributed and/or micro generation have developed sooner? I dunno.

By: A Siegel

A Siegel — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:29:04 +0000

Re “economic equity”, to me this becomes a real question of how we “price” the overall costs / benefits. If there is a meaningful carbon cost, then the transmission system can be incorporated into the wind price & the wind remains cost competitive.

And, part of the carbon revenues might be used explicitly to help foster the introduction of more renewables (and thus help pay for transmission lines).

Now, we electrified the nation with the wires being a shared social burden. Does that make sense for the introduction of renewables?

By: A Siegel

A Siegel — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:24:51 +0000

Wow … Thank you. And, I’ve just visited the beautiful Progressive Alaska. I plan to read up (write on) what you’re doing and documenting.

By: A Siegel

A Siegel — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:22:34 +0000

Martha — That coal is part of the energy picture does not mean that we need to support adding more. VA is last (or near last) in the nation in terms of energy efficiency. There is a tremendous reseroir of Negawatts in the Commonwealth to tap that could obviate the need for the plant for awhile to come. (Imagine how far $1.6 billion could go toward energy efficiency.) Imagine what could happen with Profit Decoupling. Imagine …

By: ThatGuy

ThatGuy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:19:06 +0000

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!! YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

By: A Siegel

A Siegel — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:16:37 +0000

SC — I am a pessimist optimist. Right now, I am feeling a bit more on the optimist side when it comes to the financial viability of renewables (such as CSTP (concentrated solar thermal power) and CPV (concentrated photo-voltaiics) for electrical power generation). There is also Google’s RE less than C. Etc …

I am very sadly pessimistic about our GW path and our ability to do the things necessary not just to reduce emissions, but actually start to reverse them. But, there are win-win-win geoengineering options even for this.

Re nuclear, I see this likely as part (PART) of the path forward … and, yes, waste is far from an inconsequential challenge.

By: Scarecrow

Scarecrow — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:14:50 +0000

The HVDC notion is fine, but the economic equity issues I raised still apply.

I think the “stranded wind” concept is really interesting. The attraction is that instead of thinking we have to move wind power as electricity, we can convert it to something else to be used more locally — and once we see that possibility, then smart people can ask, “which of these possible options makes the most economic/carbon sense? I like it.

Great post, A. More please.

By: TobyWollin

TobyWollin — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:13:05 +0000

This is late, but I’ve got to include it. I have been to Wise county, VA. It is at the back end of Virginia’s panhandle and frankly is as poor a place as Appalachia has produced, complete with played out coal mines, skinny unhealthy kids, polluted water, drugs, and you name it. The technology for extracting coal from played out mines is available and less expensive now, which is why Dominion wants to be there. The other thing is…it’s easy to get permitting and support for a filthy thing like a coal burning utility plant there. It makes what are relatively good paying jobs and sounds like a great idea. But, of course, no one in the Eastern half of the state..or at least east of I81 would allow something like taht in their area…but out in Wise County? No problem…those people are considered hillbillies anyway to the rest of the people of the state of VA.