These two articles from Ken Bossing's newsletter offer
additional facts worth considering. West Virginia is continuing to
fall behind the global trend towards renewable energy by clinging to coal.
And I am not talking just about the jobs that would be
created by a more favourable climate for renewable energy companies and
installers, I am also talking about the industry that manufactures` the systems
in renewable energy. We have a much greater potential in renewable energy if we
established a State Economic Development Policy of aggressively pursuing the
jobs intensive renewable energy systems manufacturers as well as establishing a
real RPS, and real incentives for people to participate. And that's where
a F.I.T. program would work.
The Silicon refining plant in Alloy WV produces silicon
for, among other products, solar cells. It's shipped out of state.
Blocks opf silicon must be very pure, and transporting them by truck can cause
wastage. If a P.V. manufacturing plant was built next to the Alloy
plant, transportation costs might be cut significantly.
But Our Economic Development Department does not pursue
new technologies such as P.V. manufacturing. Believe me, my efforts to get help from that Department were
fruitless, and it may have been because I have an emerging manufacturing
business that addresses the carbon footprint of airlines.
Thermal Coal. like asbestos, should be left in the
ground. The true cost of coal is much higher than the current prices, and
there are better, cleaner and competitive alternatives, when priced
fairly, that will create more jobs than the coal industry
will...especially as it declines.
According to the latest issue of EIA's
"Electric Power Monthly," the mix of renewable energy sources (biomass,
geothermal, solar, water, wind) accounted for 16.38% of net U.S. electrical
generation in April 2011 - the latest month for which data are available. This
represents an increase of 43.68% compared to April 2010. Hydropower accounted
for 10.36% of net electrical generation in April 2011 while non-hydro renewables
accounted for 6.02%. By comparison, nuclear power's share of net electrical
generation in April 2011 dropped to 18.05%. Year-to-date (i.e., January 1 -
April 30, 2011), renewables - including hydropower - accounted for 13.74% of net
electrical generation; non-hydro renewables alone accounted for 5.04%. Compared
to the first four months of 2010, solar has expanded by 69.5%, hydropower has
increased by 37.6%, wind has grown by 35.5%, and geothermal has expanded by
5.2%. Among renewable energy sources, only biomass-generated electricity
declined - by 4.6%. On the other hand, nuclear power has dropped by 0.9% and
coal has declined by 4.9%; natural gas increased by 3.6%.
26.) Report Finds
Wind, Solar Power Growth Is Beginning to Outpace Coal,
Nuclear:
The installed capacity of wind and solar
power grew faster than that of any other power technology, according to a recent
analysis of the global power plant market released by Greenpeace International.
In addition, renewable energy reached its biggest market share in 2010,
providing enough capacity to supply electricity to the equivalent of one-third
of Europe. The report also highlights how renewable energy plants accounted for
more than a quarter (26%) of all new power plants added to the worldwide
electricity grid over the past decade, compared to nuclear power stations, which
represented 2% of new installations in the same period. The report shows that
while the global wind industry added approximately 35,000 MW of capacity in 2010
alone, it took the global nuclear industry from 2000 to 2010 to achieve this.
During the same period, new coal installations went into decline in every
country except
China.
Subject: Re: [EC] In Beckley paper: Money to Sierra Club prompts
boos
I agree that a reasoned, calm, detailed and fact driven response
would be appropriate. I think it's important NOT to take their bait and come
back with a personal attack on the individuals. The facts are powerful enuf.
On Saturday, July 23, 2011, James Kotcon <jkotcon@wvu.edu> wrote: > I think we
need to attack the short-sighted leaders who think of coal first, and deny the
reality of global warming, especially during this year of unprecedented
weather. > > Manchin ran his campaign by literally shooting
at the Cap-And-Trade bill, which would have included the subsidies for Clean
Coal and the economic incentives needed for CCS. West Virginia's political
leaders do not have any plans for developing a transition to a post-coal future,
and are therefore blind to the possibilities and are locking us into
ever-increasing dependence on an industry doomed to run out, and sooner than
they imagine. Projections show a 40 % decline ion coal produciton in WV
within 5 years, yet they continue to talk as if coal is the future of West
Virginia's economic development. > > I believe we need to
respond soon. It will expose us to a lot of attacks, but it will also
position us as credible leaders on the issues. I think we need a press
release, or even a press conference by Monday. > > Whaddya
Tink? > > JBK > >>>> Jim Sconyers
07/23/11 8:43 AM >>> > Translation: "Coal now, coal forever! And
to hell with the consequences!" > > On Sat, Jul 23, 2011 at 8:29 AM,
Vivian Stockman <vivian@ohvec.org>
wrote: > > July 22, 2011 > > Money to Sierra Club
prompts boos <http://www.register-herald.com/local/x202401951/Money-to-Sierra-Club-prompts-boos> > >
By Mannix Porterfield Register-Herald Reporter <http://www.register-herald.com/> > >
http://www.register-herald.com/local/x202401951/Money-to-Sierra-Club-prompts-boos > >
> > > > An industry leader joined a union
chief and political luminaries in West Virginia in a sustained chorus of boos
directed Thursday at billionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s hefty gift
to an environmental group bent on wiping out the coal industry. > >
Bloomberg disclosed he handed a $50 million donation to the Sierra Club from his
own pocket for use in the group’s quest to shut down coal mining the two
consider an environmental hazard. > > His action triggered a swift
and predictable response in coal-rich West Virginia. > > “The next
time the lights go out, the people in New York City will all know exactly whom
to blame — their mayor, Michael Bloomberg,” Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., said from
his Capitol office. > > Bloomberg said his gift would enable the
Sierra Club to close as many as one-third of America’s oldest coal-fired power
plants by 2020. > > Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin weighed in on the
latest controversy involving the industry, calling coal “the most stable,
cost-effective means of meeting the energy demands of our country and the
world.” > > “With the use of our natural resources here in West
Virginia, our country becomes more energy-independent,” Tomblin
said. > > Tomblin helped break ground on the new Willow Island
hydro-electric project near Saint Marys. > > “The fact, however,
that we are looking for other sources of energy — and developing clean coal
technologies — does not mean that our country can afford to no longer use coal,”
the governor said. “Coal must be a part of any realistic solution to meet our
growing demand for energy.” > > Given the size of the charitable
gift that could be spent on hiring lawyers to challenge coal production and
power plants alike, Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association,
said the industry must view Bloomberg’s threat seriously. > > “It
sends a terrible message to coal miners and families that depend on coal, not
only in West Virginia but across this country,” Raney said. “It has provided
energy to make steel and power throughout the history of this country. Now, all
of a sudden, he’s made a lot of money doing something, and he wants to put it
into something that sounds pretty shallow, pretty selfish.” > >
Raney noted the mercury hovered at 100 degrees in both New York and Washington,
D.C., and was 97 in Charleston, and questioned how Bloomberg would act if the
electricity suddenly stop-ped with a lack of coal. > > “Let’s assume
he takes all the coal generation off the grid,” he said. “If he accomplishes
quickly what he wants to do, I’m wondering what he’s going to
do?” > > The industry has been in a roiling feud with the
Obama administration over its Environmental Protection Agency’s approach to
mining permits, and Raney said coal operators must brace themselves for a
well-heeled assault by the Sierra Club in a bid to stop coal plants and force
others to retreat from remodeling plans. > > “They’ll just be
flinging grenades, is what I think,” he said. “It’s simply not fair to the
people who have made a living trying to provide energy in this country. It’s
just like he thumbed his nose at it. It doesn’t make a lick of
sense.” > > Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., found it disappointing that
Bloomberg launched an attack on coal, rather than work to achieve a balance
between production and environmental concerns. > > “Coal not only
built this country, but it built the skyscrapers of New York City, and, without
coal, the lights of that city would be dark and its economy would be
devastated,” the senator said. > > “I have said from day one, and
will say until my last breath, that there has to be a balance in our country
between the environment as well as our economic and national security, which are
threatened by this country’s addiction to foreign oi