Novel Offshore Deep Water Platforms | 21 comments (21 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

The point to hammer home is, I think, ... (none / 1)

... there are no construction and manufacturing jobs in allowing polluting old coal plants to operate, and there is no guarantee that coal will continue to be cheap. Establishing the policy for a steady and rapid build up of wind power will create both construction and manufacturing jobs, and will give a guaranteed price for the electricity produced.

China can make noises about sustainable power, but they are not likely to really cut down their share of coal power before they hit their domestic peak coal ... and once they hit their domestic peak coal, the international price for coal is going to start heading up, and with it the domestic price for all coal-fired electricity.

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sat Feb 21st, 2009 at 01:42:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The point to hammer home is, I think, ... (none / 0)

Any estimate of the time to peak Chinese coal?

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Sat Feb 21st, 2009 at 04:32:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Any estimate is of course ... (none / 0)

... obscured by China's lack of any idea of Freedom of Information (after all, if Information was "meant" to be free, the regulating information would not be so useful in maintaining political control) ...

... but the last estimate I saw put it at ten to twenty years, and probably the short side of that ... so around 2020-2025 might not be a bad guess.

And expansion of coal supply will be increasingly difficult as they approach the plateau ... which the Chinese government seems likely to ascribe to "successful efforts to cope with CO2 emissions".

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sat Feb 21st, 2009 at 04:54:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The point to hammer home is, I think, ... (none / 1)

Bruce,

Good point! And since a new coal burner will make electricity at between 10 to 12 c/kw-hr with no CO2 trash-stashing, and 15 to 17 c/kw-hr with CO2 trash stashing....even offshore wind is competitive with new coal burners. Add in the social benefits to all the people put to work with wind and offshore wind, and this makes even more sense.

All that is needed is a Feed-In Law option....and they would be "ready to make some Gumbo". For both on and offshore wind.

Nb41

by nb41 on Sat Feb 21st, 2009 at 05:25:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Novel Offshore Deep Water Platforms | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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