Wired article - politics and the feasibility[edit source]
Useful article here - this bit of political reality in particular caught my eye:
In January, the Obama administration proposed blocking the construction of new coal-fired power plants unless they use CCS. The same coal companies that have long extolled the promise of “clean coal”—a marketing term for CCS—immediately began protesting that CCS was impossible. - Renewables Aren’t Enough. Clean Coal Is the Future, WIRED, March 2014.
Very informative article; also very pro-CCS.
One very respectable name makes a case against 100% renewables being feasible in the near term - Steven Chu, the Nobel winner, who says:
“there are times when you get a week of bad weather or a week of cloudy days over hundreds of miles. There are times when the wind stops blowing across all of Washington and Oregon for two weeks. During these times—guess what?—you still need a source of reliable power.”
However, this ignores BZE's proposed model: renewables on a smart grid with backup provided by gas turbine generators (cheaper, more responsive but less efficient than conventional generators) for the rare times when it's needed. That seems like a sensible model to me, but I don't know how costs and feasibility compare. I'm interested to hear of any analysis or informed comparison. --Chriswaterguy (talk) 04:46, 14 April 2014 (PDT)