Energy Independence Archive

Coal gasification, in some form, is the technology that will solve the problem of air pollution caused by coal burning. The U.S. Government has joined with private companies to develop a near-zero emissions Coal gasification and electricity generation Power plant called “FutureGen”, See: www.futuregenalliance.org. However, Coal gasification is not new. The Great Plains Synfuels Plant has been operated by the Dakota Gasification Company since 1988. The FutureGen Power plant is intended to duplicate much of Dakota Gas’s process, but with greatly improved efficiency and with the production of…

The question of whether individual actions can make a meaningful impact on the environment is complex but increasingly relevant. While systemic changes driven by governments and corporations are crucial, individual choices also play a significant role in driving environmental progress.

Fossil fuel power plants are a critical component of the United States energy infrastructure, and their importance cannot be understated. In this blog post, we will explore the use of fossil fuel power plants in the USA and their impact on the environment.

Fully 75% of the U.S. population lives in major urban areas which are generally void of all forests. Yes, there are trees, but the role of forests in the survival and advancement of humans, as well as their potential for future advancements, goes largely unmentioned in this nation.

Wind engineers are doing a brilliant job developing solutions that have vastly improved the performance of wind turbines and the generators connected directly to the turbines; as well as in understanding the behavior and availability of wind resources. But it is time for Engineers to turn their creative efforts toward solving the problem of wind energy’s intermittency.

You do not need advanced math skills to follow and perform the arithmetic examples shown below. Anyone who can balance a checkbook or calculate the total square feet of floor space in his or her home, and understand why an area measuring 10 yards by 10 yards equals 100 square yards, can perform the following arithmetic examples and prove that American energy independence could be achieved with solar energy alone.

The Biofuels Feedstock Development Program (BFDP) at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has assembled a team of scientists ranging from economists and energy analysts to plant physiologists and geneticists to lay the groundwork for this new source of renewable energy. Included are researchers at universities, other national laboratories, and agricultural research stations around the nation.

When crude oil is selling above $50 per barrel, synthetic fuels made from coal or other non-petroleum sources of hydrocarbon molecules become economically competitive — but only if refineries have the technology to “refine” unconventional hydrocarbons and biomass, in addition to petroleum.

The widespread availability of cheap mechanical power unleashed the industrial revolution, altering the course of human history. Modern civilization began with the industrial revolution and will continue its advance until all nations have the technology and standard of living that defines the modern world. Global communication and modern transportation systems have changed the geo-economic relationships between nations — modern technology has overcome the great distances and naturally isolated geographical locations that have historically separated the peoples of the world. 19th-century…