Shining A Light On Clean Coal Technology (NAPSA)—When a consumer turns on a hall light, logs on a computer or runs the dishwasher, chances are the word “coal” never INCREASINGLY CLEAN POWER enters his mind. Yet, in many ways, the development of clean coal technology is the key to meeting the ever-growing demandfor affordable electric power. Over half of the electricity we wn Sulfur Dioxide(SQ2) 043/038] Nitrogen Oxide(NO;) use in our homes, schools and busi- nesses comes from coal. Coal helps keep energy costs low for consumers and promotes economic growth. At the same time, the use of advanced technologies to generate electricity from coal has helped to reduce emissions and provide a cleaner environment. By investing over $50 billion in new technology, the coal-based electricity industry has met—and in some ways surpassed—the emission reduction requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to EPA data, since 1970 the coal-based electricity sector has reduced air pollutant emissions by 32 percent. Much of this was accomplished—with the assistance of the federal government—through advances in the development of new clean coal technologies. So far, these advances have focused on twoareas: developing, testing and refining advanced pollution control systems to reduce sulfur dioxide (SQ9) and nitrogen oxide (NO,) emissions; and *promoting innovation to design, build and test the advanced power systems that will power America in the generations to come. Practically all of the nation’s coal-based power plants @ Coal-based electricity helps keep energy costs low and promotes economic growth. have some type of clean coal technology in operation. The use of these advanced technologies have allowed the coal-based electricity sector to effectively and efficiently reduce emissions of SO9 and NOy. The majority of these dramatic improvements have been made by retrofitting existing power plants. New, state-of-the-art power plants designed and built over the next several years provide a great opportunity to refine advances in clean coal technology. In fact, as technology continues to evolve, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has projected that the expertise will exist by around 2020 to begin building new power plants that use coal to produce electricity at market prices with essentially no pollution. However, industry experts are quick to acknowledge that achieving this pollution-free power plant concept—called Vision 21—is predicated on making the right investments in technology in the near-term. To learn more, visit the Web site at www.ceednet.org.
