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Submitted via IRC for Bytram
U.S. greenhouse emissions fell in 2017 as coal plants shut
Greenhouse gases emissions from the largest U.S. industrial plants fell 2.7 percent in 2017, the Trump administration said, as coal plants shut and as that industry competes with cheap natural gas and solar and wind power that emit less pollution.
The drop was steeper than in 2016 when emissions fell 2 percent, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said.
EPA acting administrator Andrew Wheeler said the data proves that federal regulations are not necessary to drive carbon dioxide reductions.
[...] While Wheeler gave the administration credit for the reductions, which mainly came from the power sector, the numbers also underscore that the administration has not been able to stop the rapid pace of coal plant shutdowns.
[...] Natural gas releases far less carbon dioxide when burned than coal and a domestic abundance of gas has driven a wave of closures of coal plants. In 2017 utilities shut or converted from coal-to-gas nearly 9,000 megawatts (MW) of coal plants.
[...] The trend of U.S. coal plant shutdowns is expected to pick up this year, with power companies expecting to shut 14,000 MW of coal plants in calendar year 2018.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday October 19 2018, @12:04AM (2 children)
Sure, your electric cars will work fine. But cable cars, light rail, and passenger cars make up only a small percentage of the vehicles in our transportation infrastructure, the rest of which is dependent on fuel for its portability and predictability. You know this; why pretend not to?
Maybe methane has better numbers; that doesn't make the idea of using hydrogen a petroleum-company shill topic.
Frankly, that's step one in deciding to use any fuel that you intend to produce yourself.
There is no "good" fuel in terms of energy efficiency; hydrogen being a "not good one" doesn't make the idea of using hydrogen a petroleum-company shill topic.
Noted. Toyota isn't a petroleum-industry shill. If the next dominant fuel turns out to be unicorn fairy dust, Toyota will bolt on a rainbow-colored carburetor and carry on as usual. They don't care about oil per se.
People make decisions for all kinds of reasons, few of them logical or rational. Someone making an irrational suggestion doesn't make them an evil oil baron.
It's not overwhelmingly likely that hydrogen will be the fuel of the future, but it's possible at this stage for lack of a more viable competitor. And the winning fuel will have the best sales pitch, and not the best numbers, I guarantee it.
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Friday October 19 2018, @12:17AM
Light rail? You know that just about, if not all, high speed passenger trains are electric and they are not "light rail", right?
You know that we have these things called "wires" and they are quite efficient for "transporting" electricity, right?
You know that there are working examples of electric 18-wheeler trucks operating now, right?
You are misrepresenting why I call "the hydrogen economy" a con by fossil fuel industry. It's because, today, hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels.
Remember that you wrote this:
Now, remember that hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, so how can hydrogen be more efficient than "turning the peat or dead dinosaurs or whatever into oil or coal.", when fossil fuels are the input for hydrogen production?
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 19 2018, @03:25AM
A side note to consider, hydrogen can squeeze through other molecular structures and also won't always be 100% combusted. This means some hydrogen molecules will escape and I see no reason why they would guaranteed combine with something in the atmosphere. Long story short, we may end up with a slow loss of hydrogen on the planet. Pretty minor I imagine, but then again maybe not if it becomes a massive aspect of our infrastructure for hundreds of years.