Harry Welty, congressional candidate, asked me to proofread his answers to a public radio questionnaire for candidates. One of the questions was about a huge goal-gasification plant proposed for northern Minnesota. See MPR: Coal gasification plant: worth the tradeoff?
This plant will produce 1000 megawatts of electricity. The area in which it is being built doesn't need that much power. Are there sufficient transmission lines to distribute that power to other parts of the state? If not, what kind of battles are going to be fought on the location of new lines.
Coal gasification requires steam. Where is the water going to come from and where is it going to go? The plant is proposed in the Hoyt Lakes area. Are these lakes big enough to provide steam for a large plant, drinking water for the area's residents, and recreational water? See Fossil Energy: DOE's Coal Gasification R&D Program. This site also says that gasification "eliminat[es] nearly all air pollutants and potentially greenhouse gas emissions"; but carbon, the chief fuel makes carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
Has anybody concerned the national security issues for large power plants? It is much easier for a determined few to take out a large plant than dozens or even hundreds of smaller plants. Remember the havoc wreaked by those who were toppling transmission towers a couple of decades ago.
Will solar and micro-turbines provide for power generation closer to the source? What is the future cost and efficiency of solar panels and batteries. Would a few solar panels and a couple of batteries provide evening lights and cooking power for a house? Even if the house got most of its electricity from the grid, would the future cost be low enough that neighborhoods would not go dark when a transformer blows or a storm brings down lines?
I can't do all the research I would like at the moment, but consider these statements:
“By 2030 the cost [of solar generation] will be comparable to electricity produced by a nuclear power plant.”
“Fossil fuel resources will be totally out by then.”
- Solar costs halved by 2010? Sharp thinks so, MSNBC, Aug. 31, 2006
I think this may be the basis of my next article for the Reader Weekly.
