Myth: We will run out of natural gas if we convert or prices will go through
the roof.
Fact: A common misconception is that we are running out of natural gas, and
fast. We actually have an abundant supply. The US supplies 84% of the gas we
use domestically (the remainder comes primarily from Canada). Here in the US
we have an estimated 53 year supply based on 1999 data. The price spike that
we experienced a couple winters ago was due to market forces. In a deregulated
market we leave the local supply decisions up to the natural gas utilities,
who did not anticipate a cold winter during the winter of 2000-2001.
Well, I don't see any of the natural gas suppliers rushing to put in new pipelines to supply this plant. Instead, they'll probably wait until the plant opens so they can have a "shortage", thusly justifying huge price increases supposedly to pay for the new pipelines and such. Of course with only a 53 year supply by burning up that supply faster we'll see the prices rise even faster.
One other idea to keep in mind is that electricity demand is traditionally
highest in the summer, when used for cooling, that’s when natural gas supplies
are on hand, which would leave plenty for heating in the winter when demand for
electricity is lower. We see natural gas not as an ideal solution, but as an
effective stop-gap measure until renewable energy sources can make up a
larger share of our energy demands. It’s a measure that should have been
undertaken decades ago.
Agreed- so why jack up consumers bills to pay for a stopgap conversion to natural gas that we'll run out of in 50-odd years anyway? And given that we have a 500 year supply of coal, perhaps the next generation will demand that the plants be converted back to coal.
Myth: Clean-up will be too costly.
Fact: The best estimates we have are that typical households (using 750
kilowatt hours or paying $52 per month) will pay between $2.70– 5.50 per month
extra. Consumers who are concerned about higher bills can always invest in
energy conservation (like installing compact florescent light bulbs or efficient
appliances) which may actually negate the price increase. Clean Energy Now is
working with environmental groups, consumers groups, neighborhoods and Metro
Area residents to tell the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that the plan
should go forward with protections for lower income energy consumers. During the
decision-making process, the PUC will carefully investigate Xcel’s cost figure
to be sure that they are not going to overcharge consumers.
I've already converted to fluorescents and such. By the time our these converted plants go online I'll hopefully have switched from natural gas heat to renewables entirely, and have wind power generation with battery storage for backup when Exel Energy gets greedy.
While coal is a relatively cheap fuel to purchase it is not necessarily the
cheapest energy source. If you figure in costs to mine the coal, transport the
coal, and dispose of the waste ash the costs add up both economically and
environmentally. One of the major costs overlooked is the health costs
associated with coal which include lost work days, asthma attacks, and at-risk groups
having their lives shortened due to the emissions. The Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency states that the MERP project will more than pay for itself in
health benefits. If we convert to gas we not only remove thousands of tons of
pollutants but we reduce the health-related costs and environmental costs, which
will actually be a direct benefit to us.
Like many of the proponents of natural gas, you seem ignorant of the different grades of coal and lump them all together. You also seem to assume that all coal fired power plants pollute equally, ignoring the huge differences in pollution depending on the technologies the plants employ.
So many folks we talked to over the years believe we can do better than being
75% reliant on coal (which is 25% above the national average) and a combined
1% reliant on solar and windpower as a state.(Dept.of Comm 2002).
Given our closeness to the Powder River coal that reliance is not surprising. After the natural gas bubble bursts we will see continued reliance on coal until renewables become more viable.
burning biomass in Hawthorne,
Dyna Sluyter
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