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The Coal Plant Of The Future

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) wants to develop so called “Coal-Based Power Plants of the Future” according to a recent Request for Information. Well, not exactly. To be precise, the DOE is seeking information “that may culminate” in the operation of such a coal fired power generating plant. No funding opportunity here--at least not yet. But commercial operation is still sought by 2025.

The DOE's information request pertains to a “highly efficient” plant (over 40 percent efficiency) that is also modular or small (50-350 MW). The hope is that manufacturers would be able to sell these new designs both here and abroad. It should have load following capability and be carbon-capture ready. It must be at least 75 percent fueled by coal. A commercial system would (hopefully) be ready within 10 years. A detailed explanation of how this coal plant of the future would use or capture carbon should be included as well.

The DOE also wants to know if the plant would operate off the grid and whether it provides other products than electricity, like steam for example. The DOE also wants to know levels of prospective employment, as well as listing all financial and regulatory impediments. And when answering please keep the reply to a succinct 10 pages.

A reader might be excused for remarking that fossil fueled electric power generating plants with those characteristics already exist. But they burn natural gas. And we seem to have a lot of that fuel. And it's cheaper and cleaner than coal. But no matter.


More: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Coal-Plant-Of-The-Future.html

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What torching Iran deal says about US commitment to nuclear security

President Donald Trump pulling the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal flies in the face of hundreds of inspections that showed Iran was meeting its end of the bargain.

It’s a move that many leaders in the international community opposed, including all other parties to the deal – France, Germany, the U.K., Russia and China. Trump’s decision has generated a firestorm of commentary about what may come next.

But what stands out to me as a researcher on energy policy and nuclear policy, is what it says about the agency that carried out the inspections – the International Atomic Energy Agency – and its mission.

Inspections in Iran

In July 2015, after the Iran deal was signed, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution that requested the IAEA carry out the monitoring and verifying of Iran’s compliance with its nuclear commitments. Between January 2016 and February 2018, the agency conducted more than 400 site visits and dozens of unannounced, or “snap” inspections. It installed cameras and employed satellites to perform surveillance work.

The visits covered more than 190 buildings, and the agency’s investigations used hundreds of thousands of images. From this extensive activity, the IAEA repeatedly declared, up through the most recent director’s report of March 2018, that Iran was in compliance.

None of this is affected in the least by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent presentation about Iran’s nuclear program, which was based on information dating from well before the Iran deal was even conceived.

And yet, Trump referenced the Israeli intelligence documents as “definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie,” in his speech announcing the U.S. was leaving the agreement.


More: http://theconversation.com/what-torching-iran-deal-says-about-us-commitment-to-nuclear-security-96326