3 ms·

Natural gas is cheaper, produces less greenhouse emissions, can be ramped up/down quicker, and produces less other toxic emissions (fly ash is horrible stuff) p

Natural gas is cheaper, produces less greenhouse emissions, can be ramped up/down quicker, and produces less other toxic emissions (fly ash is horrible stuff) per kWh than coal. It's better in every way than coal. The only reason China is still building coal is because they're China and they don't give a fuck. re: batteries and mining lithium/cobalt. Sure, mining 1lb of lithium/cobalt isn't any better than mining 1lb of coal, but that 1lb of lithium/cobalt takes you a lot further. You can only burn that 1lb of coal once, but you can cycle that 1lb of lithium/cobalt daily. From a purely environmental standpoint specifically with regards to mining, batteries are still better. However, I don't think the economics are there yet. It will probably be sometime soon though.

jwilliamson 6y ago
China doesn't produce much natural gas domestically, and the last few years have been a lesson to them in how dangerous relying on other countries for manufacturing inputs is.
- herdodoodo 6y ago
  If I'm not wrong, I'm pretty sure they have to import anthracite from Aus, because the coal they have domestically is lignite and bituminous. On another note, China has slowed down coal production not because of carbon dioxide output, but because of all the acute toxins/pollutants emitted by coal plants. Carbon dioxide is a compound that only developed countries care about, because it has few short term consequences and whose effects aren't observed by your avg. person. Your avg. person, however, does feel the effects of nasty air and acid rain, caused by nitrates/sulfates released by coal plants. This is the chief reason China will publicize moving away from coal. Because of air pollution and acid rain, not because of climate change.
  - namibj 6y ago
    It's not hard to filter ash and sulfur out of a coal-fired power plant's exhaust. In fact, it's normal for their brother "waste incinerator power plant", at least here in Germany.

jwilliamson 6y ago

China doesn't produce much natural gas domestically, and the last few years have been a lesson to them in how dangerous relying on other countries for manufacturing inputs is.

herdodoodo 6y ago
If I'm not wrong, I'm pretty sure they have to import anthracite from Aus, because the coal they have domestically is lignite and bituminous. On another note, China has slowed down coal production not because of carbon dioxide output, but because of all the acute toxins/pollutants emitted by coal plants. Carbon dioxide is a compound that only developed countries care about, because it has few short term consequences and whose effects aren't observed by your avg. person. Your avg. person, however, does feel the effects of nasty air and acid rain, caused by nitrates/sulfates released by coal plants. This is the chief reason China will publicize moving away from coal. Because of air pollution and acid rain, not because of climate change.
- namibj 6y ago
  It's not hard to filter ash and sulfur out of a coal-fired power plant's exhaust. In fact, it's normal for their brother "waste incinerator power plant", at least here in Germany.