And the biggest source of electricity purchased utilizes coal, which in many ways is 'dirtier' than oil. Not sure that's a 'win'.
-ERD50
Coal gasification is getting another look to produce a variety of energy solutions.
If the cost of certain types of conventional fuel (raw energy sources) continue to increase and maintain higher levels... this will be a viable alternative.
But gasifying coal takes energy, so you need more coal for the same output. So that makes the environmental damage and habitat destruction from mining even worse. I don't know how that compares with burning it, maybe better overall, but I wouldn't call it 'clean'.
Most consider it to be a temporary solution till there is some sort of hydrogen fuel or fuel cell breakthrough that makes it viable.
Until the laws of physics are changed, this isn't going to happen.
1) There is no large source of "hydrogen fuel". Almost all the hydrogen we have is bound up in oil and natural gas (
hydro-carbons) or water (
H20) and it takes energy to release them from their bonds. As has been said many times, hydrogen is not a fuel, but it can be used as energy storage/trenasport. It's not a solution at all.
2) We will not see any breakthroughs in Fuel Cells. They are operating close enough to their theoretical efficiencies that we might see incremental improvements in cost and size, but no 'breakthroughs'. Again, where is the fuel going to come from ( waste gas from landfills and some bio-gas sources could be good, but these are limited)?
The US has a lot of coal... as does China. Converted Coal might serve as an alternative fuel that caps crude inflation (demand vs supply).... substitutes!
However... that would probably just mean there is availability... but at higher prices!
Agreed. As oil prices rise, alternatives (cleaner or not) will become relatively more cost effective. One advantage of Electric Vehicles is that they will take electricity from any source, so are adaptable to whatever source can supply electricity.
-ERD50