Several Steps Back To The Time Of Coal Power!
The City where I was born is called Bradford, situated in West Yorkshire in the Industrial Heart of the country in the gloomy Northern Area of England! This area really became developed in the Industrial Revolution when the invention of Steam Power was the latest and greatest technological breakthrough to hit the world! Bradford was at that time the center of the worlds woolen industry so with the new power source, literally thousands of new facilities or mills were constructed in order to speed up the production of the finished woolen cloth and vast fortunes were made by the Wool Barons!
In order to produce the steam, Coal, which is a fossil fuel was readily available in huge quantities and had for a long time been processed to produce gas for household and street lighting purposes, I am sure that most people have seen films of Jack the Ripper carrying out his evil deeds under the Gas Lights of old White Chapel in London! Coal was burned to supply everything from the production of Electricity in later times, Steam to supply the power to drive the textile machines, Steam to power the boilers for heating purposes in Offices, Hospitals, Schools etc, Steam Engines were the prime movers for the Vehicles and Railways of the day, coal was the standard fuel for cooking and heating in the homes, basically, life in them days revolved around coal!
My Childhood Memories!
The downside of this wonderful new power source was that coal is a dirty fuel and pumped out every kind of pollutant imaginable but nobody really knew or cared about these things as thousands of jobs were produced and money was plenty, for the mill owners at least. Everything was filthy as the thick black smoke from thousands of factory chimneys was billowing 24 hours a day continuously, the air in Manila would have been considered pure compared with the English air of the time! It was only after some years that the now well known health issues were realized! This kind of pollution went on for over 100 years and only started to decline when new Man Made Fabrics replaced the heavy Woolen Cloth produced in Northern England so with this turn of events, the factories started to close down! In the 1960’s, the government, realizing the problems, went on a clean up drive to make life better for the people, Coal was now being replaced with new forms of power such as Natural Gas from the North Sea, cleaner ways of producing Electricity like Hydro Power, Nuclear Power and Oil were now being developed, household cooking and heating were now either Gas or Electric, many areas were declared Smokeless where Coal and Wood were no longer allowed to be burned as a fuel! Even cleaner forms of fuel were being used in vehicles!
In 2003, the last time that I visited my home town, it was not the same place where I grew up! When I was a kid I remember everything being black, even a new building did not stay clean for long! Mothers could not get the laundry clean because as it was hung out to dry, specks of soot wood land on it! With everything being covered in soot, it was impossible to keep kids clean also! Now, it was a very clean place, all but one of the mills had been demolished and the air was clean and clear, the only major change that I noticed was the amount of immigrants there or maybe I just had not noticed this point as I had not really lived there since 1970!
Basically, what I am saying is that the age of coal is now nearly a thing of the past in many countries and areas around the world as new forms of Power Producing Technology are taking over but unfortunately, in the Sarangani area of Mindanao Coal has arrived and the problems with it are just beginning!
The Area View Now is much better!
There are plans to build a 200 megawatt Coal Fired Power Station at the mouth of Sarangani Bay right on top of a Marine Protected Area and World Class Dive Site! The plan for this Facility is to expand to 900 megawatt as the requirement for power increases! The company says that there will be no pollution and new Clean Coal technology will be used and only imported Low Sulfur Content Coal will be used to fuel the plant but the same company are backing a proposed Coal Mining Operation near Lake Sebu, one of the local beauty spots and the coal quality there is proven to be young and of low quality! Say what you want, there is no such thing as Clean Coal, the smoke from the discharge chimneys might not be visible but the pollutants certainly are still pumped out into the atmosphere adding to the Greenhouse Gas volumes that scientists say are the major cause of Global Warming!
Now, also in Gen San, the many Fish Canneries are using Coal for their heating requirements because as they say, Coal is cheaper than Bunker Fuel! All these companies have secured the required Environmental Compliance Certificates but who checks on these Coal Burners and what happens to the Toxic Ash which is a unwanted bi product of coal burning! as more and more companies are starting to burn coal, I can see back to my youth living in a heavily polluted city, with financial gain being the motivator for the introduction to the area of this new, Clean Coal Technology as they call it!
There are plans in this area for several new ventures such as a large Open Pit Copper Mine, New Open Pit Coal Mine, Industrial Parks, Cement Works etc and all this will have power supplied from the Coal Fired Power Station, who will benefit the most from all of this, the people of the area or a few faceless facility owners who probably do not know where Sarangani Province is!
Lets keep it this way!
With the world going Green and new really clean and renewable technology being available, why must Coal be resurrected? The simple reason is PROFIT plain and simple, the health and wealth of the local population does not matter, the damage to the environment does not matter, the future of our children does not matter, only the bottom line, profit is seen by these companies, nothing else matters to them!
I really hope that the government will see sense in time and not let such abuses to the environment and health of the people happen as there are other forms of energy available to achieve the same end!
Note, President Ronald Regan was wearing a suit which was made of Bradford Wool Cloth when he was shot!, such cloth is good but it is not Bullet Proof!
Chris! They use coal because it is cheaper and available. What better reason is there for using it? People are being misled when it comes to manmade greenhouse emissions. The effect of man is insignificant when lumped in with all of the rest of natures emissions such as methane from oceans and rain forests. The emissions from just one volcanic eruption such as happened with mount St. Helens in the USA is more than all power plants emissions combined for the lifetime of the plants world wide. It is just crazy to worry about this issue. We need to be realistic and not be led astray by radical environmentalists. PS- volcanoes are going off all the time!
Chris, As the owner of a laundry shop, I have seen LPG and electicity costs become the growing monster threatening to devour our two shops. While everyone would love to live in a world where food and basic needs were free, and our noses are never assaulted by a disagreeable odor, those concepts are just not realistic. There is not much I can do about my neighbors pigs that squeal in the early morning like elementary school girls being chased, because that neighbor has the right and obligation given to him by the Creator of this universe to feed his family.
I as many others need affordable power to create wealth so that I can feed MY family. The obligation of the government of any nation should be limited to making sure that the rights of the smaller, poorer property owners and dwellers of an area are not overlooked by any proposed developer or business owner. That business owner or power producer has a right to try and create a profit to feed his family as well, and the families of those that work there. Hopefully that power plant will enhance the quality of life for its employees as well as the customers that it serves. When we slam excessive restrictions on, or seek to over regulate a business because we are worried about what impact it MAY have on our beloved activities and areas, we may very well be hurting ourselves by raising the costs for them to provide a service or product to us and our neighbors. We also discourage beneficial competition to that business that keeps greed, and obscene profit making at bay. So the rabid environmentalists have become a contributor to the misery and economic instability of the masses.
So while I respect, and share in your desire to enjoy a pristine environment, I recognize the need for balance with the needs of the inhabitants of this world. I used to love fishing on the birch lined
lakes of Wisconsin, but I like to read a good Clive Cussler adventure novel as well, and those birch trees make great paper.
Our earth can only be ravaged for so long. Soon that balance will be in disfavor of our health. Unfortunately some enviromental movements have also moved to making a payday, and have long forgotten their original goal. When the ocean is so polluted it will not give you fish, and the soil so filthy it will not give you grain. What will your great grandchildren think of the current stewards of this earth?This planet is being raped for the profit of a few.
I am 58 years old, and my 5th grade teacher warned us then of these coming problems. This is a 5th grade teacher, so where were the brains running industry? They were in the backrooms making deals on how to squeeze a dollar. Not worrying about their grand children’s air, and water.
I live in a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom sailboat that lives off of solar, and wind 90% of the time. If the CEO’s of the 50’s had looked to the future we would all be living off of these renewable energies. Instead their immediate greed over powered their senses of what is right.
This coal burning will acidify your local waters, and the slow choking death of life in the sea will soon catch up with these wrong decisions….i2f
They who forget the past are condemded to repeating the same mistakes. A very good post from one who is concerned with that land and life around him. You can go for weeks without food, days without water but only about four minutes without air. My scuba gear is dusty in my closet but I know the need for clean air.
Hi Don,
You are quite correct in your statements, I tell people things like: Change all light bulbs to energy saving types, this will save power! On small Hydro Plants, at low usage periods pump the water back into the Storage! Turn off lights and appliences when not in use etc! All these methods have been used for years in other countries here but to date here saving energy is not profitable, making more power is!
Chris like you I live close to the sea. Not by being down the street, but by actually living on the sea, and when we are lucky fishing, from the sea. When we travel we snorkel daily, and truly enjoy the beauty of the sea. The sea is our life, and I mean the world’s population when I type our. Especially for a country like the Philippines where the sea is depended on for substance.
In the beginning no one realized the importance of clean air, water, and oceans. They were used as dumping grounds. Thinking they were endless, and 100 years ago the population of earth was so small. Yes you may throw a small particle in a swimming pool. You keep doing that, and sooner, or later the pool will become nothing but particles. Those that ignore this simple analogy just don’t see the BIG picture…….i2f
P.S.
When I can escape this economy we will surely have to meet. I am sure a person with your interest would enjoy a spirited sail!…..
Carbon Capture
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&sid=aSoAI7WaVcqs
Bunker Oil
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=as0cCLrEiyLM
Hi Chris Enjoyed your post. I look forward to more of them.
“Basically, what I am saying is that the age of coal is now nearly a thing of the past in many countries and areas around the world as new forms of Power Producing Technology are taking over” Not true. There are more coal fired electric plants being built every day somewhere in the world. There are over 400 in the US alone and China will surpass us very soon. Worldwide use of coal has risen 4 out of 5 years since the industrial revolution started.
It will be here for many more decades. Demand will continue with population growth and economic developement. There are a million business men in the Philippines just like Dave who are motivated by fear of losing their livelyhood. The public has shown consistantly that it will sacrifice just about anything when their way of living is threatened. You know it when you start to hear people downplaying and denying the true cost of the energy we use.
I applaud you and John Rogers for moving in a wiser direction in your usage, not many people see the need. Unfortunately at present almost all the alternatives cost more in BTUs to produce than the will ever produce as electricity in their usable lifetime. That includes the solar cells and wind generator on John’s boat. As for cheaper ways to produce, hydro is about it right now. Geothermal will do better when they can extend the usable life of the installations.
There are a lot of alternatives in our future but they won’t be widely used until they are cheaper than fossil fuel and cost less in terms of energy and materials to produce. We also cannot fully replace our present usage with alternatives in any forseeable future. We simply have to learn to use less.
When I started studying peak oil 6 years ago, one simple fact stood out that amazed me. Even if demand continued to rise, if we simply stopped wasting energy, it would give us the 20 years we need to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels! Of course that simple solution will only happen about the time monkeys grow wings, hahaha
Hi, Chris.
Found this article on the BBC web news this morning:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8198690.stm
Sounds like the guys down under rely a lot on coal sales.
I think i’m not really off-topic because shiploads of that aussie coal may very well be burned in that huge power plant you wrote about in your article.
My 2 cents: save power and delete nukes from our poor planet.
Greetings from Italy.
Hi Gattone,
The Ausies do ship lots of good quality coal around the world and if used correctly can be good but in places like this quality control can be very lacking and after some time the process might be poor and cause a lot of polution! Not Good!
Get rid of Nukes, I agree with that but I do not really think its possible somehow!
I John,
I am inclined to agree with you in many ways but unfortunatly, if we do not put up some form of resistance then they will not stick to the principles of the clean coal thing! Toxic ash will be dumped anywhere and damage to the environment will happen! This country has no real medical cover for the poor so there are no medical defence for the poor who will suffer the most! Building this plant not 100 meters from the shore will create damage to the marine environment and who will gain from all this, not the people of Mindanao, thats for sure! This area is a very beautiful area with lots of wind and sunshine! This could easily produce the energy needs for the people of the area but not for the heavy industrial needs of the big companies!
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comment!
I am not a crazy type of environmentalist but watching how the Coal Plant people work disturbes me as they tell things like, Power will be much cheaper! There will be no risk to your health! There will be jobs for everyone! Education will be available to all (Who can afford it)! Just a lot of BS really!
There are places where it could be built where the out of site, out of mind principle could be used but to build at the entrance of the bay where it will be visible from sea, land and air!
The power company here has said that this power is not needed for the people so its for the Heavy Industry which is planned!
There are many rivers here which are good for small hydro plants, lots of wind, lots of sunshine so this type of power could easily be harnessed to serve the population!
If the power is for industry then they should build this plant on one of the sites, even Malalag Bay is an area planned to construct the pier where the Copper Ore will se shipped out from, why not build there!
I realise that countries have to expand but there are good ways to do in! Not Coal!
Hi John,
I am 58 next month and I fully agree with what you say, There are methods of producing power without polluting the world any more and it could easily be done here but I think that if you use renewable energy then the is not the massive profits to be had in the supply of fuel and this is what the greedy people at the top want! We have a big Volcano, Mt Apo which already has a small Geo-Thermal plant on it, that could be expanded at not too much extra cost but again, no fuel profits!
We will always have profit hungry people in the world but I really hope that they will see the light and make their profits in a more sensible way!
Hi John,
I fully agree with you! I actually think that now in the Philippines and Asia as a whole, people are starting to realise the importance of the environment in order to sustain life, there are not as many people fishing with Explosives and Poisons and there is much more advertizing about the environment in general and how important it is to keep it alive!
Lets hope that the future generations will be educated in such a manner that they will understand the imfortance of it!
I hope we can meet up sometime, we seem to have similar ideas on this subject anyway!
Hi Fossil,
I know that there are a lot of coal plants around the world as coal is cheap but to build one here, who would police it to make sure it was sticking to the government guidelines once it gets built!
The major thing here is that all the new power is for big business and not for the people, the site is not well choosen as it on top of a great dive spot in an area of scenic beauty! If its for commercial use then build it on their sites and keep the mess together!
The ADB has started a plan exchanging normal light bulbs for energy saving types, I saw this work very well in Africa and it can save lots of energy here!
We have lots of Sun, Wind, Water and Geo Energy sourses in Mindanao, this is what should be used, not coal but there is no money to be made in fuel for such plants!