Clean coal
The Volkswagen (VW) scandal among many things highlights the issues of different types of emissions and what is clean and what is not.
There are two types of emissions. One type is air quality related and the other type is related to greenhouse gases. Air quality is about health. Greenhouse gases are about global warming.
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz in November last year visited the new Kemper power plant in Mississippi. After touring the plant he said: “I consider seeing this plant a look at the future.” It was probably meant that Kemper will be the big bang for future coal fired power plants. However, massive cost overruns and project delays have added arguments to the critics saying that this is not a viable future.
582 MW IGCC power plant under construction. Kemper, Mississippi. Owner: Mississippi Power, subsidiary of Southern Company.