The new term for coal in China is, apparently, “electrical power.”
So note in this report that, in addition to natural gas, coal boilers are being placed with “electrical power” — which seems to mean electricity that comes from a coal power plant versus a coal boiler, say, in a building. It’s a good move for China’s air since coal power plants are much more efficient and cleaner than coal boilers in buildings. But it’s still coal. Probably greater CO2 emissions (as well as electricity) from power plants since they burn coal more efficiently.
Read the Ecns.cn report.
It’s great that the switch will result in less SO2 and NO2 to get the smog down. Governments should focus on that, within reason, not on CO2 emissions.
For anyone who considers themselves a conservationist, environmentalist, ‘friend of the Earth’ – That is the great tragedy of all this CO2 madness – loss of focus on true problems and true pollution, overfishing and poor land use policies, and corruption that causes poverty in places of plenty.
“poverty in places of plenty” – I’m going to have to copyright that! My muse must have been was extra-strong this morning.
Have to agree with ‘saveenergy’ – if the particular coal-fired boilers (that are probably inefficient small old burners) are replaced with electricity from large-scale power generation coal plants – that will just run at a higher percentage of rated power, so more efficient than has been the case, how could the Chinese plan result in more CO2? (and I’m not counting all the CO2 saved from the switch to natural gas) I don’t think transmission losses will be greater than the difference in efficiency between small, local, probably not well maintained boilers, and the super-large operations than generate electricity.
Don’t get me wrong though – I don’t care a hoot about CO2, in fact would love to see CO2 at 1000 ppm for the sake of biosphere that is starving for CO2 at only 400 ppm.
“Probably greater CO2 emissions (as well as electricity) from power plants ”
How do you come to that conclusion ??? as you then say –
“since they burn coal more efficiently.”