A lot of people who push carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a way of reducing greenhouse gases from coal-fired power generation neglect to consider the reason coal-fired GHGs are a problem in the first place. They are a problem because they are huge. In the U.S., half the electricity comes from coal. This translates into...
Coal gasification
A practical way to store hydrogen: remapping the route to the hydrogen economy
Mention the phrase “hydrogen economy” these days, and most people will laugh at you. That’s because the phrase reminds most people of the endlessly unfulfilled promises of fuel cell–powered cars and hydrogen refueling stations. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his famous hydrogen powered Hummers, has dropped talk of the Hydrogen Highway in favour of something a bit more...
The new age of low-carbon hydrocarbons: a rude surprise as the three Rs go big time
Gasoline, diesel, and heating oil are all hydrocarbon fuels. Almost every drop of them available on the planet today comes from petroleum. But that isn’t written in stone. Each of these fuels is, at bottom, a different combination of hydrogen and carbon. You can make all of these fuels without using any petroleum. You...
Guessing between the lines: how will Canada-U.S. energy and environment policy take shape?
After weeks of speculation about how Canada and the U.S. will respond to the converging pressures on the economy and environment, last week’s Ottawa meeting between the president and prime minister produced a few hints. Stephen Harper and Barack Obama emerged from their meeting saying they would begin a “clean energy dialog.” Though they...
Alberta oilsands face threats from the U.S.: if not Waxman, then Lieberman-Warner II
To read new posts, see the Canadian Energy Issues homepage Section 526 of the 2007 U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act prohibits U.S. federal agencies from buying fuels whose lifecycle emissions are higher than those of conventional petroleum. This means U.S. agencies cannot buy Alberta oilsands petroleum the way it is produced today. Which...
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