Could US coal emissions stop in 20 years?

US coal emissions could stop

US Infrastructure seems to be a case of good news and bad news at the moment. While the US faces its greatest environmental disaster with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, an increase in interest for renewable energy by many politicians could lead to a potential green energy surge.

Coincidentally, an article in the American Chemical Society's semi-monthly journal, Environmental Science and Technology (ES and T), has theorised that US coal emissions could stop in 20 years time.

According to Pushker Kharecha and his colleagues in the article, "the only practical way to preserve a planet resembling that of the Holocene (today’s world) with reasonably stable shorelines and preservation of species is to rapidly phase out coal emissions and prohibit emissions from unconventional fossil fuels such as oil shale and tar sands"

Pushker Kharecha and his co-authors are from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Columbia University Earth Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and 2030 Inc./Architecture 2030 and as such believe that the US's current levels of CO2 emissions is detrimental to the environment.

While renewable energy has seen a boon in recent years, coal and oil are still the primary sources of energy for the country. However the team believe that the US could totally stop emissions of carbon dioxide from coal-fired electric power plants within 20 years. But how?

Rush for renewables

The shift to fully renewable energy is expected to take time, so short of a new technological breakthrough, how is the US going to wean itself off coal within 20 years? According to the article, the stopping of US coal emissions can be done with a phase-out plan and using technology that already exists and could be even more commercially viable within the next ten years.

By making improvements to electricity networks and implementing a smart grid, as well as increasing the utilization of power in the homes and commercial buildings, they believe the entire US power system could be more efficient.

On top of this, they propose the replacing of all coal power plants with a diverse mixture of renewable alternatives such as biomass, geothermal, wind, solar, and third-generation nuclear power so as not to be too reliant on one source.

If nuclear power plants are a success, then the authors believe that more advanced, fourth generation nuclear power plants should be pursued. Carbon capture and storage would also be implemented.

So a pie in the sky idea or a feasible idea to stop the US's coal addiction?

Relevant articles:

US's first offshore wind farm | $452m eco-refit program for US homes | NYC's $220m Governors Island development

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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