Let us Rethink…. On Renewing the Thermal Power generation.

The other side is always Green… Green …Green everywhere and suddenly all of us are talking about the Green Energy in the entire Globe in the past few years.

We all follow like sheep without knowing where we are going towards a greener pasture which may be a Green Mirage.

Suddenly, overnight we found that the Greenhouse gases emitted by these Generating Units are affecting the planet that too after 8 decades of the simple, cheap, and easily possible power generation… If we take globally 31 % of greenhouse gases are from these sectors.

It means we have to contain pumping out these gases and at the same time generate electricity with the fossil fuels It calls for immediate actions and as the technology advances, we are nearing the solutions for absorbing these greenhouse gases at the generating units themselves which is very much possible. Nothing is beyond human endeavour.

Instead of thinking in these lines, we are vouching for closing down these humble generating units, probably due to strong commercial lobbying with apt support from all corners, because the entire world is revolving around commercial gains.

This article wants you all to rethink our strategy in handling the thermal power generation in a sustained way to have really ZERO DISCHARGE FOSSIL FUEL POWER GENERATION to compete with the Renewable power before converting all our lovely Thermal power plants into Malls.

1. Clean Air

Taking the bull by horn, our prime aim shall be to contain the CO2 and other gases which our stacks are pumping out. CO2 being a raw material used for many products like…baking soda, refrigerant, in fire extinguishers, for inflating life rafts and life jackets, blasting coal, foaming rubber and plastics, promoting the growth of plants in greenhouses, and in carbonated beverages. create fuels, polymers, fertilisers, proteins, foams and building blocks and the list is not yet over.

The process adopted by Tuticorin Alkali Chemical Plant by Carbon Clean Solutions is a novel idea of capturing all the CO2 generated by their own plant that too without any subsidy @ 30$per ton which is 50% of the present rate of absorption.

The CDRMax^TM   is the Tradename of this technology which is available and can be commercially used for CO2 absorption technology. If attempts are made towards this effort, it is bound to create results in few years, and we can turn around and ensure that the air is kept clean.

2. Clean land

Ash is the major and the biggest nuisance which comes to one’s mind, but there is gold in ash which we often do not take seriously. 100% ash utilisation and consumption is possible and we have to float around the ideas and enforce the same.

This will ensure that the land around is clean.

3. Clean Water

The zero-discharge concept is already existing in the Power Industry and is successfully and meticulously followed. The concept of cross flow cooling towers where ash is treated from the top was in vogue.

4. Clean Fuel

Coal washing is an existing concept and various methods like coal oil mix and coal water mix are not new to the Power Industry and only we should have the mind to go back and implement to reduce the level of the dirt we make while generating Electricity.

5. Clean Generation

The Ultra Super Critical Generation Systems are commercially available and are cost effective and all our plants can be replaced with the USC Plants. The Engineering Challenges can always be addressed to use the existing facilities to the maximum extent.

If we have the will to Generate Clean electricity with the so-called dirty Fuel coal and compete with the renewables, we have all the ways and means available to choose from and it is only the matter of time and the Efforts we need to convert the existing plants into cleaner entities.

Now it is time to open our thoughts in these lines and this brief article  is an eye opener for rethinking specially in our country where every paise matters now post Covid Years……