COAL TO HYDROGEN

A new idea for clean energy in Kern County; But some air activists object to projected pollution.
Mark Gross, September 18, 2010 (Fresno Bee)

"A $2 billion power plant in Kern County using notoriously dirty coal and petroleum coke conjures images of soot pouring into a brown skyline -- an idea seemingly dead on arrival in one of the nation's worst air basins…

"…Imagine 2,600-degree heat in a sealed chamber vaporizing coal and petroleum coke -- hard, black leftovers from refineries -- to extract a highly prized fuel: hydrogen…[T]his proposed project west of Bakersfield would be the state's first large, hydrogen-fired electricity project…[T]here is no similar project of this size anywhere in the nation."

The chemistry is sound...(click to enlarge)

"The main stumbling block: It would produce more ozone-making gas than comparable natural gas-fired plants, which would be a deal-breaker for many environmentalists…[P]roject owner Hydrogen Energy California of Long Beach says the problem would be cleared up in the first two years…{The] joint venture of global energy giants BP and Rio Tinto, put up nearly $700,000 to help reduce nearby farm and city pollution during that time. It hopes to open the plant in 2015...The California Energy Commission's initial report released this year was positive…Valley air quality officials think the company can control the ozone-making gas…

"Activists are not satisfied…[and] do they like the idea of the pollution coming from rail transportation of coal from Utah or trucking of the petroleum coke from Los Angeles or other areas…The nonprofit Association of Irritated Residents in Kern County is opposing the plant's state permit, which is the last major permitting hurdle…Kern is a good location, close to trucking and rail lines to bring in the coal and petroleum coke, Hydrogen Energy officials said. The established oil fields nearby provide a convenient and safe place to bury climate-warming carbon dioxide from the project…"

...the problem is that capturing the CO2 the process produces is too complicated and costly to make the chemistry worth doing. (click to enlarge)

"…The plant, proposed on 473 acres in an isolated place seven miles west of Bakersfield, would produce about 250 megawatts, funneled into California's electric grid. It could provide power for about 150,000 homes…The construction phase would create 1,500 jobs for three years…After construction, the plant would provide 100 to 150 skilled jobs…Hydrogen Energy also promises a lot of environmentally friendly features. Aside from extracting hydrogen cleanly from dirty fuels, it would capture 90% of the carbon dioxide produced in the process.

"The production of carbon dioxide is unavoidable, officials say. It occurs when the coal and petroleum coke are broken down with high heat in a process called "gasification" to harvest hydrogen…[It] is needed because hydrogen isn't readily available in pure form. It must be separated from such sources as coal and petroleum coke, both of which are rich in carbon…To dispose of carbon dioxide, industries around the globe have been injecting it into the ground. In the Kern project, the carbon dioxide will be converted to a liquid under high pressure and injected thousands of feet below the Valley floor."