[clif]

how to cheaply remove CO2 from the air.

Sorry, .... that unicorn will never fly.

[dohboi]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/ ... 8A20150829

China passes new pollution law, sets sights on coal consumption cap

(I'm just reporting this development, here; not claiming it's any kind of game changer.)

[AgentR11]

While its good to note changes in Chinese law; keep an eye on their purpose and implementation. China's concern isn't CO2, its particulates in their big cities, smog; the nasty stuff we dealt with in the late 60s.

I'm fairly convinced their long game doesn't involve any reduction in the quantity of coal burned, but rather, changing the location that the coal is burned at. Namely, Eastern RF. It technically won't be China's emission anymore; and Russia won't care what we say their emissions are or should be. Atmospheric flow makes your average Russian oblivious of air quality in the East. So its also a non-issue domestically for Russia; and any opposition voice will get labeled with a precious "foreign agent" label, and thus unable to win an election even for Dog Catcher of the Slum.

[dohboi]

Thanks to Csnavywx at neven's site for this:

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=22952#

"Systematic (again) under-reporting of coal usage in China. Revised figures now place actual production well above 4B tonnes/yr, once again demonstrating that taking newly printed numbers as gospel is unwise. Chinese coal statistics are more like a fine wine, they get better with age."

New preliminary data from the China Statistical Abstract 2015 (CSA2015) show an upward revision to China's historical coal consumption and production. Energy-content-based coal consumption from 2000 to 2013 is up to 14% higher than previously reported, while coal production is up to 7% higher. These revisions also affect China's total primary energy consumption and production, which are also higher than previously reported—up to 11% and 7% in some years, respectively, mainly because of the revisions to coal. In 2014, energy-content-based coal consumption was essentially flat, and production declined by 2.6%.

"The issue here is that the latest GDP numbers are widely thought to be overstated. Indeed the industrial and RE sectors (where a lot of this coal is used towards) are likely in outright contraction (they were earlier in the year, at least). The latest export numbers were abysmal. So this posturing about China voluntarily lowering emissions through tough regulations is also likely wildly overblown. No doubt they're taking the air pollution issues fairly seriously, but the biggest response so far has to been to construct coal plants outside the cities (including coal-to-gas, which is in full swing) and run super-high voltage lines to the coasts. This isn't a long term strategy to tackle CO2 emissions."

[ROCKMAN]

Good catch dohboi. I've always been amazed at folks who thought China would turn from cheap coal during a period of booming oil prices. Especially with the Chinese almost pathologic desire for growth. You want a big omelet...you crack a lot of eggs. You want a big economy...you consume a lot of energy. It ain't rocket science. LOL

[dohboi]

I do think that Chinese coal use cannot continue to grow at the same rates it has been doing on average for the last couple decades--there's just not enough coal available to them to do so, and there is the immediate problem of air pollution from plants near cities. But, yeah, it will likely be those kind of factors more than GW issues that will curb their use.

Perhaps when they start loosing entire provinces (much of Jiangsu province, just north of Shanghai with a some 80 million people in it, is a meter or less above sea level) and also perhaps when some big coastal cities get ravaged by mega storms, then maybe they'll start to wise up. Maybe.

Of course, Sandy didn't seem to make a whole hell of a difference in US national GW policies, so who knows what level of disaster would be necessary to get through to the psychopaths that seem to be ruling much of the world...

[onlooker]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/n ... a-suggests
China under reporting Coal consumption.

[Tanada]

Economic Times reported that China's coal output in November hit its highest since June at 299.98 million tonnes, data showed, boosted by firm demand from coal-fired power plants as the country's heating season kicked off in the middle of the month. Analysts expect coal demand in the world's top consumer of the fuel to continue to rise in the coming months as many homes have reverted to using the commodity for heating due to natural gas shortages. Many are also using electric heaters, drawing on power from coal-fired power plants.

Demand for gas has surged this winter after the government ordered millions of households and industrial plants across the north to switch to the cleaner fuel from coal as part of its war against smog.

But supplies have not been able to keep up with the extra consumption. The nation's capital city Beijing will restart a coal-fired power plant to help ease the deepening gas supply crunch.

Ms Wang Fei, a coal analyst at Huaan Futures said that "The decrease of coal consumption from households has been offset by the soaring demand from utilities."

Coal remains China's major fuel for power producers, with more than two-thirds of its electricity generated from coal-fired plants in October even as Beijing aims to promote renewables and natural gas.

Ms Wang said that "Coal supplies remain tight in some regions due to increasing demand from power, chemicals and metallurgy sectors. The authorities will continue to release high-quality coal capacity to ensure sufficient fuel supplies."

The monthly total was down 2.7 % on the year, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

Output over the first eleven months of the year reached 3.14 billion tonnes, up 3.7 percent compared with the same period of last year. The country produced 3.64 billion tonnes in 2016, the third annual drop.

The production of coke used in steelmaking fell 10.9 % in November to 34.47 million tonnes, with year-to-date output reaching 398.43 million tonnes, down 2.7 %.

LINK

[Tanada]

China's coal consumption on the rise

Coal consumption peaked in China in 2013 at 4.24 billion tonnes. Then government efforts to improve the energy structure and tackle pollution saw coal use fall between 2014 and 2016. Following a small increase in 2017 consumption rose again in 2018, according to figures published on February 28 by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Experts say this second consecutive annual increase suggests China may have de-prioritised energy saving and emissions reduction, owing to the pressures of its slowing economy. Another wave of infrastructure investment is also slowing the decoupling of the economy from energy consumption.

A faltering transition?

The rebound in coal consumption has increased China’s CO2 emissions. Greenpeace calculates that they grew by around 3% last year, the largest increase since 2013.

There have been a number of recent proposals for coal consumption to be allowed to grow in China, so as to reduce pressure on energy supplies, with calls for more coal gasification or liquification. Zhou Dadi, head of the National Development and Reform Commission’s Energy Research Institute, said in response that “regardless of how much you improve the technology, coal remains inefficient and carbon-intensive. It would be a step backwards to go from global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to... a return to reliance on coal.”

Commenting on the idea of “clean coal power”, He Jiankun, chair of the academic board of Tsinghua University’s Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, told chinadialogue that “coal can be used in cleaner ways, but it can never actually be clean and low carbon. Don’t get those ideas confused.”

He added that China’s green transition is a tough challenge: a quick shift from peak carbon to zero carbon. But if China can make it happen, it will have more control over its future.

Positive trends

Despite some increase in coal use, consumption has not returned to 2013 levels and the overall trend remains downwards.

In 2018, coal accounted for 59% of China’s total energy consumption, 1.4 percentage points down on the previous year and the first time coal has accounted for less than 60% of primary energy. Clean energy, which in China includes natural gas alongside hydro, solar and wind, accounted for 22.1% of total energy consumption, up by 1.3 percentage points.

China is expected to reach its 13th Five Year Plan goal of reducing coal to under 58% of total energy consumption in 2020.

Zhou Dadi said that 2019 will be a crucial year for intermediate targets in the government’s “assault on air pollution”. With end-of-pipe measures in coal power stations, such as sulphur and nitrate scrubbers and dust collectors, having been installed on a wide scale, the next stage must rely on changes to the energy structure.

Rapidly growing electricity demand

The new 2018 data also showed a 7.7% increase in electricity generation and a 8.5% increase in total electricity use. These are new highs since the economic slowdown started in 2012, and outstrip the year’s GDP growth of 6.6%.

On one hand, this shows accelerating cleaning up of end-user energy consumption: electricity is replacing gas and oil. But it also reflects greater investment in infrastructure as a response to the economic downturn, with energy-hungry industries such as coal, steel, cement and chemicals recovering and swelling electricity demand. These industries remain the drivers of economic growth in China, making reductions in coal-use less achievable.

A new round of industry and construction stimulus would condemn global emissions to grow for another several years.

The jump in electricity consumption highlights the complexity of China’s green transition. Pollution cuts in some industries mean higher electricity consumption. The steel industry is an example. Yuan Jiahai, professor at North China Electric Power University’s Economy and Management College, explained that with inefficient capacity being eliminated, more electric furnaces being used, and environmental-protection equipment coming online, electricity use in the steel industry rose 9.8%. That is 8.6 percentage points more than the previous year, and equates to a contribution of 0.8 percentage points to the increase in total electricity consumption.

An infrastructure revival?

Some analysts worry that increasing economic uncertainty may lead the Chinese government to again promote growth with a major stimulus package.

In China, economic stimulus often means infrastructure construction. Some such construction may be necessary, but it spurs the production of energy-intensive building materials (like steel and cement) and demand for electricity, and so increases coal consumption and emissions.

As the world’s largest carbon emitter, China’s choices affect global climate efforts. Lauri Myllyvirta, an energy analyst with Greenpeace, said in an article last November that “a new round of industry and construction stimulus would condemn global emissions to grow for another several years.”

So far the government has avoided a comprehensive stimulus package in favour of more targeted measures, such as investing 86 billion yuan (US$12.8 billion) in high-speed rail and subways.

Iris Pang, an analyst with international financial services group ING, estimated in November that China would inject around 4 trillion yuan (US$600 billion) into the economy in 2019. Based on data on investment in fixed assets, she also predicted that infrastructure investment would be the main driver of economic growth in 2019. This means demand for metal products will continue to grow.

But as recently as last week, Premier Li Keqiang reiterated that there would be no “flooding” of the economy with stimulus.

Yuan Jiahai indicated that the macroeconomic growth outlook for 2019 is bound to be tougher than 2018, due to a global slowdown and the US–China trade war. He said the government has emphasised “infrastructure investments need to be stable... in sectors such as transportation and power.” But he added “I don't expect that economic stimulus will lead to significant incentives for energy-intensive industries.”

According to a document published on the National Development and Reform Commission’s website on February 26, this year will see increased “new-style infrastructure investment” in crucial technologies, high-end equipment, and key components and parts.” Liu Jia, a researcher with Renmu Consulting, said “In industry terms, the quality of China’s infrastructure construction is increasing. But it’s still not clear from the data how this construction will affect carbon emissions.”

Now more than ever…

chinadialogue is at the heart of the battle for truth on climate change and its challenges at this critical time.

Our readers are valued by us and now, for the first time, we are asking for your support to help maintain the rigorous, honest reporting and analysis on climate change that you value in a 'post-truth' era.

LINKY

[vtsnowedin]

The following appears close to the end of the article.

But nothing follows??

[Tanada]

China To Accelerate The Construction Of Coal-Fired Power Plants

China expects to add 70 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power generation this year, up from 40 GW of capacity from coal installed in 2022, a report from the power sector’s group, China Electricity Council, showed.

The coal additions, however, will not be the biggest capacity increases in China in 2023, per the report quoted by Bloomberg.

Solar and wind will see massive growth in capacity additions this year, too, with solar power expected to add a huge 100 GW of capacity and wind—another 65 GW, China Electricity Council said.

China’s electricity generation capacity from renewable sources is expected to jump above 50% for the first time this year. According to the power sector’s lobbying group, low-carbon electricity sources will account for over 52% of total power capacity in China by the end of 2023, up from 49.6% at the end of last year.

After the end of the ‘zero Covid’ policy, China’s power demand is expected to jump by 6% in 2023, up from the 3.6% growth seen last year, according to the China Electricity Council.

Although renewable energy installations are set to jump, coal-fired capacity additions in China will also surge this year as Beijing has put more emphasis on energy security since the autumn of 2021 when power shortages crippled its industry.

In 2022, China said it would continue to maximize the use of coal in the coming years as it caters to its energy security, despite pledges to contribute to global efforts to reduce emissions.

In recent months, China has significantly boosted its coal production, following government orders. 

China produced a record amount of coal last year, although output ended the year with a decline amid the latest surge in Covid infections. Total Chinese coal output for the year reached 4.496 billion tons, which was a 9-percent increase compared to 2021, according to official statistics data.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

LINKY

[theluckycountry]

Could this be behind the new coal plants?

China has the most hydropower dams in the world. But with the Sichuan drought going on for upwards of 60 years, it's posing a major problem to locals and businesses alike... This summer, the dam — which is usually rushing with white water — was incredibly quiet. Spanning the length of the Yangtze River, it's considered the largest plant of its kind, globally. But according to Brand Synario, harsh weather, heatwaves, and droughts, which have evaporated both rivers and reservoirs, is quashing energy production

https://www.greenmatters.com/renewables ... am-drought

[i]
Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and scant rainfall have led to its worst drought in more than a half century. Rainfall along the Yangtze River since July is 45% below normal.

While dam generation plunged by half in the region, a grueling heatwave has sent electricity demand surging by about a quarter.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newslett ... rty-crisis

[theluckycountry]

Most people think that dams are for Eternity, but they are like everything else mankind has built under the fossil fuel umbrella, of limited lifespan. The pressing issue is not degradation of the reinforced concrete, it's Siltation. I believe it's the main reason dam levels are measured from the surface (full pool) and not an outright declaration of water depth at the dam wall. That information would reveal the obvious truth.


World's dams to lose a quarter of storage capacity by 2050

Nearly 50,000 large dams worldwide could lose more than a quarter of their storage capacity by 2050 as a result of sedimentation build-ups, eroding global water and energy security, according to United Nations research on Wednesday.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... 919161.cms

2050 is less than 30 years away. Which sounds about right since my research shows that dams have a practical lifespan of around 100 years.

[Subjectivist]

Most people think that dams are for Eternity, but they are like everything else mankind has built under the fossil fuel umbrella, of limited lifespan. The pressing issue is not degradation of the reinforced concrete, it's Siltation. I believe it's the main reason dam levels are measured from the surface (full pool) and not an outright declaration of water depth at the dam wall. That information would reveal the obvious truth.


World's dams to lose a quarter of storage capacity by 2050

Nearly 50,000 large dams worldwide could lose more than a quarter of their storage capacity by 2050 as a result of sedimentation build-ups, eroding global water and energy security, according to United Nations research on Wednesday.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... 919161.cms

2050 is less than 30 years away. Which sounds about right since my research shows that dams have a practical lifespan of around 100 years.

Another disaster theory that doesn't hold water!
Desilting a reservoir is not difficult, a properly designed dam with a flood gate simply opens the gate and flushes the silt down stream. If the dam lacks such a gate then dredging, a 6000 year old technique, is used. People who make these claims assume people who want the benefits of a reservoir are both too stupid and lazy to rectify a well known phenomenon.

[Tanada]

China Develops Powerful Machine for Mining Ultra-Thin Coal Beds

China has successfully developed a powerful coal seam shearer that can extract ultra-thin coal beds, achieving record output levels. The machine, developed by the Shanghai Research Institute of China Coal Technology and Engineering Group Corporation (CCTEG), can be used on coal beds as thin as 1.3 meters. More than 70 of these machines have been deployed by major coal mining companies in mainland China.

At a mine run by China’s National Energy Group, the device achieved an unprecedented annual output of 2.6 million tonnes. The coal seam shearer has a designed annual capacity of 3 million tonnes, three times higher than similar machines. It is also more powerful, with an installed power of 1,200 kilowatts, and can adjust its orientation and height.

China has been focusing on mining thinner coal seams as locations with thicker coal deposits become depleted. This is driven by the country’s need to sustain its coal consumption and ensure energy security. However, while China has been making efforts to transition to cleaner energy sources, coal mining activities will still need to be phased out in the medium to long term to achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

Thin coal beds account for about 20% of China’s total coal reserves, but they only yield about 7% of the nation’s coal output due to poor mining conditions and low profitability. China is the world’s largest producer and user of coal and remains heavily reliant on the fossil fuel. Its dependence on coal has been driven by concerns about energy security, the reliability of renewable energy sources, and its economic recovery.

China’s commitment to reducing emissions and reaching carbon neutrality is crucial for global efforts to tackle the climate crisis. However, the country’s coal demand continues to grow, with an estimated 3.5% increase expected this year. Efforts to secure coal supply and low prices have resulted in a glut of the resource, which could impact China’s emissions reduction commitments. President Xi Jinping has emphasized that China’s commitments to reducing emissions and achieving carbon neutrality remain steadfast.

LINK

The continued claims that China gives a lot of concern to global CO2 emissions looks more and more hypocritical as time goes on.

[Newfie]

There is a technical museum in Munich. Excellent BTW.

In the basement they have a coal mine mock up, some full scale. They show miners working in shallow seams. They would work the seam bottom to top,on their bellies, the coal would fall behind them as they progressed.

Sydney, NS has a full scale mine mock up, quite large. The docents are all exminers from the Sydney Mines. None can stand up straight as none of the seams were tall enough for them.

Gruesome work, but the miners loved it, or the comoradare anyway.

[yellowcanoe]

The continued claims that China gives a lot of concern to global CO2 emissions looks more and more hypocritical as time goes on.

They are well ahead of everyone else in regards to new nuclear construction. Scaling up nuclear capacity is a much slower process than building additional thermal coal generation. One factor contributing to the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 and other less serious incidents in the USA in the same time period was that the reactor industry was expanding too quickly and there were an insufficient number of experienced people to manage, build and operate the large number of reactors that were being built and put into service in a relatively short period of time.

[theluckycountry]

Most people think that dams are for Eternity, but they are like everything else mankind has built under the fossil fuel umbrella, of limited lifespan.

Another disaster theory that doesn't hold water!
Desilting a reservoir is not difficult,

Really? So can you link to any articles about this being done at the Hoover dam? Or any large Hydro dam? Here is video where some whiny cow talks of us needing better technology and a hydro engineer that basically dismisses the idea of desilting as too expensive and too disrupting to downstream waterways. Your hopium is shared by many, but it's just hopium. In some dams they are pulling out a little silt near the dam wall but it's like holding your finger in a leaking dike. In the real world the dams are left to silt up and are then abandoned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v2o6tEIz-E

Chinese scientists and experts are working around the clock to ponder over the problem of potential accumulation of sediment, or silt, in the Three Gorges Dam. Silt accumulation has always been an obstacle in the construction of water dams or reservoirs, and China is a leader in this area of research

http://www.china.org.cn/english/environment/47587.htm

Working around the clock? This is a relatively new dam, they had like, 100 years of data to draw on before they built it, so why not simply build it with silt-removal technology from the outset? The answer, like most such answers, is obvious. Build the dam and I will receive accolades for my great achievement. then, "après moi le déluge"

...the idea for the Three Gorges Dam was given new impetus in 1953 when Chinese leader Mao Zedong ordered feasibility studies of a number of sites. ...In 1992 Premier Li Peng, who had himself trained as an engineer, was finally able to persuade the National People’s Congress to ratify the decision to build the dam, though almost a third of its members abstained or voted against the project—an unprecedented sign of resistance from a normally acquiescent body....

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Three- ... Gorges-Dam

I read somewhere Biden was going to fund infrastructure repair across the US, how's that going? In Australia they don't talk about funding it, they just do it.

[theluckycountry]

...Windmills and nuclear power plants are being build around the clock, but most of all solar panels.
Made in China of course.

...Solar panels and windmills made in China are being installed in record time,
which helps China create even more windmills and solar panels for themselves.

Actually it's the coal that's doing it. The cornucopian dream that soon we will stop burning coal because we have enough solar panels is one of the basic fallacies of this whole re-buildable dream. Solar and wind are like nuclear power plants, they have a limited lifespan (a short one) and at the end of it a massive cleanup and replacement effort is required.

Here is a typical bullshit graph assuming China will stop using coal. Of course they have slowed down a bit recently with the covid collapse and the subsequent slump. And probably because a lot of that Gas they used to warm homes in the EU is now going into the Chinese power grid. But at the end of the day they use mountains of coal to produce electricity and steel and cement.



The BS chart comes from this BS 'study'

China Can Cut Cord on Coal (Mostly) by 2050

From a climate change perspective, China’s carbon footprint is huge: It consumes nearly as much coal as every other country in the world combined. And it’s the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter.

But it may be possible for China to shake most of its reliance on fossil fuels, in part by producing more than 85 percent of its electricity and more than 60 percent of its total energy needs from renewables by 2050, according to a study published Monday.

Showing that it’s feasible for China to fully embrace renewables to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions... Blah Blah Blah

https://www.climatecentral.org/news/chi ... 2050-18903

[Tanada]

...Windmills and nuclear power plants are being build around the clock, but most of all solar panels.
Made in China of course.

...Solar panels and windmills made in China are being installed in record time,
which helps China create even more windmills and solar panels for themselves.

Actually it's the coal that's doing it. The cornucopian dream that soon we will stop burning coal because we have enough solar panels is one of the basic fallacies of this whole re-buildable dream. Solar and wind are like nuclear power plants, they have a limited lifespan (a short one) and at the end of it a massive cleanup and replacement effort is required.

Here is a typical bullshit graph assuming China will stop using coal. Of course they have slowed down a bit recently with the covid collapse and the subsequent slump. And probably because a lot of that Gas they used to warm homes in the EU is now going into the Chinese power grid. But at the end of the day they use mountains of coal to produce electricity and steel and cement.



The BS chart comes from this BS 'study'

China Can Cut Cord on Coal (Mostly) by 2050

From a climate change perspective, China’s carbon footprint is huge: It consumes nearly as much coal as every other country in the world combined. And it’s the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter.

But it may be possible for China to shake most of its reliance on fossil fuels, in part by producing more than 85 percent of its electricity and more than 60 percent of its total energy needs from renewables by 2050, according to a study published Monday.

Showing that it’s feasible for China to fully embrace renewables to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions... Blah Blah Blah

https://www.climatecentral.org/news/chi ... 2050-18903

Yes, as it typical in these sunshine and lollipops scenarios they completely ignore the sunk cost in the thousands of coal burning power stations now scattered over the PRC landscape. A typical modern coal plant, which everything built by the PRC in the last twenty years is for a variety of reasons, is designed to operate for 40-60 years. That locks in burning something, mostly cheap coal, for at least that period of time. China's "economic miracle" took off in October 2000 when they achieved "Most Favored Nation Trade Status" which removed all trade barriers with the USA and hence western Europe.

North American companies immediately began exploring moving their production to the PRC with its extremely low cost labor supply. Once they were convinced the Bush Administration was fully onboard with this "globalization initiative" the flood gates opened and by 2005 many USA/Canadian manufacturers were eagerly seeking "partnerships" with PRC firms to build new industrial plants in China and shift production eliminating manufacturing jobs in the USA. Pseudo-environmentalists in the USA/Canada touted the reduction in the USA CO2 emissions as wonderful while completely ignoring the fact that in China CO2 emissions were shooting through the roof.

The bulk as in 80 percent plus of the Chinese coal infrastructure is less than 20 year old with a 60 year lifespan without major upgrades. With those upgrades it can go another 40 years for a grand total of 100, into the next century. Climate change in eastern Asia will push the Gobi desert north into Siberia turning northern China and weak Mongolia into new crop land. Sure they will lose some sea coast land but the area of exchange is very much in favor of new land worth development compared to coastal land lost. China sees burning coal as a net plus, first it is an abundant native resource they can exploit cheaply. Second all those power stations and infrastructure employ a horde of well paid well trained workers that stimulate the economy. Third any land they will lose is more than made up for by value gain in land they already posses and potential land in Mongolia which is virtually defenseless against their encroachment.Forth in the modern world money is power and the PRC is now the financial industrial powerhouse of the world because the west willingly surrendered its industrial base to them. Heck it wasn't just willing, it was eagerly!

So yeah, Sunshine and Lollipops for the social elites with fewer brains than a goldfish in the whole lot of them.