Dick Storm's Thoughts on Energy, Education, Economic Prosperity & Environmental Blog Believer in Freedom to use of Energy for sustainable high quality lives

“Dick Storm's Thoughts on Energy, Education, Economic Prosperity & Environmental Blog”

Dick Storm's Thoughts on Energy, Education, Economic Prosperity & Environmental Blog

Believer in Freedom to use of Energy for sustainable high quality lives

Why is Western Civilization Self-Sabotaging the Primary Energy Sources that Provide 80% of the Fuel for IAmerica’s Life-Blood of Reliable Electricity with the War on Carbon?

Natural Gas, Petroleum and Coal. Coal is much more important than most Americans would think, thanks to the Popular, but wrong Demonization of carbon and especially, coal

These three sources of primary energy provide over 80% of the energy America (and every other Developed country) uses to power our lives. Including electricity generation, transportation, industrial production, heating, cooling, cooking and recreation. Yes, over 80%. In fact, according to the E.I.A. in 2023 it was 83%. A previous article is based on a 2011 presentation to the ASME on “America’s Treasure of Fossil Fuels”. The focus of the 2011 presentation was on coal fuel. In September 2024, I was one of five energy experts a panel at Liberty University’s CEO Summit. The title of our panel was, “Impacts of U.S. Self-Inflicted Electricity Crisis”. My notes are posted on LinkedIn.

The key word is “PRIMARY” energy. Why is this important? It is important for the American public to understand that primary energy is needed to produce the energy that we need for everyday living, including electricity, transportation, cooking, heating, industrial production and more.

There is a difference between Primary energy and Secondary energy!

Examples of Secondary energy are; electricity, hydrogen, ammonia and batteries. These are all being discussed as important energy carriers but, the energy that they provide must first be provided by Primary Energy. Therefore, the point of this article is to emphasize the fact that most of the energy each of us citizens uses and depends on, comes from conventional forms of energy. Yes, and including old hydroelectric plants and nuclear it is over 90% of it.

Electricity is secondary energy. It must be generated from primary energy which can be nuclear, coal, natural gas, wind, waste heat from municipal waste furnaces, hydro-electric power, landfill gas, wood, Biomass, sunshine or other. The pie chart shown above shows 9% of total Primary Energy being provided by renewables. This includes; hydro-electric, biomass, wood fuel, landfill gas, sunshine, geothermal and wind. Let’s get back to the reality of the importance of Primary energy for electric power generation. Electricity is the Life-Blood of the American Economy and most of our electricity is produced from conventional sources of natural gas, nuclear, coal and old hydroelectric power plants.

Primary Energy Consumed for Electricity Generation is About a Third of the Total

The energy end uses are reported by the EIA as shown on the chart below: Electricity generation requires 34% of total primary energy with Transportation, Industrial, Residential and Commercial using the balance of the total 93.6 Quadrillion BTUs of Primary energy.

Coal may seem very small when compared as the provider of only 8% of the total primary energy, however, for electric power generation, that 8% is very important! Take electricity generation on December 6, 2024 as an example…

Primary Energy Fuels for Electricity Generation December 6th, 2024

The chart below is the total 48 state Grid electricity generation by fuel. This is available to anyone at the EIA website, here.

In case the print is too small to read, here is a summary of the primary energy used on Dec. 6, 2024 to generate electricity for the lower 48 state grid. By the way. December 6th was the beginning of cold weather this winter. Not a Polar Vortex, but it was winter temperatures across the 48 states. The official start of winter is Dec. 21st, therefore January 2025 could provide even lower temperatures and the consequently higher electricity Demand. Back to Dec. 6th:

Natural Gas 47%

Coal 20%

Nuclear 17%

Old Hydro-Electric Plants 6%

The total electricity generation at this moment was 547,453 MW. Of that total, wind, solar and solar battery storage were as follows:

Wind 9%

Solar 0.01%

The total electricity generated at this moment on December 6th was 90% conventional sources of Primary Energy when old hydroelectric dams and nuclear are included in the category of “conventional” and I think they should be because hydro has been part of the Grid since the beginning and most hydroelectric plants are over 50 years old, most operating nuclear plants over 40 years.

So, What Part Does Coal Play?

Coal is important now (here in U.S. too) around the world and in 2023 more coal was used than ever in history and in 2024 the world will likely use even more coal than 2023. Of course, over 50% of the coal burned in the entire world, is burned by one country, China. That is a topic for another day. Coal has a favorable Energy Density and it can be burned efficiently and cleanly. America is the Saudi-Arabia of coal and we have the largest known coal reserves of the highest quality coal in the world. A treasure of energy given as a gift from God. We should continue to use this valuable domestic energy. America will likely continue to require 100 Quadrillion BTUs of primary energy each year.

Coal can and should provide at least 10% of the total for a Balanced Energy Portfolio

Advantages of Coal Power

Views from an unapologetic supporter of using America’s Treasure of Coal. I am also a supporter of nuclear power for the future, but that will take time to rebuild the nuclear components Supply-Chain.

From a practical viewpoint providing the 100 Quadrillion BTUs of energy America needs each year, should include coal fuel. Coal power has inherent advantages over gas. Natural gas currently provides about 40% of America’s primary energy for electricity generation and on Dec. 6th natural gas was 47%. Coal, in my opinion, should remain a larger provider of electric power generation fuel for a “Balanced Portfolio” of generation capacity.

Some of the Advantages of Coal Fuel:
1. Onsite energy storage for months is possible with a coal pile in a typical legacy U.S. coal power plant. Most Natural gas, although a clean and domestically produced fuel, is supplied “Just in Time” via pipelines. In severe weather or with nefarious actors within our borders, energy storage on site is important. Coal and nuclear are best for onsite energy storage.
2. Coal power plants have proven to be robust and reliable in all forms of weather 24/7. Providing they are properly maintained, as was done in the 1990’s.
3. Coal power is reasonable in cost and the fuel cost is less volatile than gas.
4. America has vast resources of coal reserves within our borders that will last until new nuclear and other technologies can be deployed.
5. National security is served well by an electricity generation portfolio that includes a significant portion of coal power generation capacity.
6. Coal power is especially important in the winter when domestic heating competes with power generation with limited pipeline capacity.

7. Coal fuel provides Dispatchable power when it is needed and needed the most! Coal energy is storable and when plants are properly maintained, Dispatchable when it is Demanded!

8. Much demonized coal ash is simply the same rock that is present in the environment.

The American Coal Ash Association used U.S. Geological Survey data to compare the levels of heavy metals in coal ash to the levels present in ordinary rocks and soil. The study showed the levels to be comparable — which shouldn’t surprise anyone because that’s what coal ash is: “the non-combustible mineral portion of coal.” It’s the dirt and rock that were mixed in with the coal. There’s nothing about burning it that causes more to appear. The study can be found here: https://acaa-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/free-publications/ACAA_CoalAshMaterialSafety_June2012.pdf
Other scientific studies of note: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted risk analysis of the use of various coal combustion products in concrete, wallboard, and agriculture and found them all to be safe:
https://acaa-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ccr_bu_eval.pdf

https://acaa-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FGD_Ben_Use_Eval_with_Appendices_March_2023_508.pdf

For a general overview of all of the ways millions of tons of coal ash are safely recycled in the U.S. each year, look here:

https://acaa-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/22-ACAA-Brochure_FINAL.pdf

There are lots more scientific reports, beneficial use case studies, and more on the publications tab of the ACAA:

https://acaa-usa.org

Here is a link to the American Coal Council Blog, “Count on Coal” In the latest edition NERC expresses their concerns of electricity concerns this winter.
I have expressed my concerns as well in previous articles on this blog and in various presentations to public groups. I know proponents for coal power, like me are a minority, but the facts are what they are……It is time to Wake up the 97% of Americans who do not understand basic physics, energy and electric power generation. Perhaps Rolling Blackouts will wake people up? Better late than never? The U.S. policy makers could look at Germany as an example of misguided energy policiesand the consequent De-Industrialization.

If Knowledgeable Energy Experts are For Carbon Based Fuels, Who Can Be Against Them?

The war on coal began in the 1990’s during the Clinton administration. Then it picked up steam during Obama and Biden administrations. The basis of the war on carbon is not protecting the environment, but government control of the people. Previous articles have listed some of the players in the “War on Coal”. Here are some of the past articles that I have written on this with many references at the end of each article. Respected scientists including: Dr. Richard Lindzen, Dr. Judith Curry, Dr. Roy Spencer, Dr, Willie Soon, Dr. John Clauser, Dr. William Happer and many others.

Here is a list of 73 References on the exposing of the fallacies or misguidance of the War on Carbon and some references on the collusion and conspiracy of the perpetrators of the War on Carbon:

1. “The War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”, Oct. 16, 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/

2. The Green Energy Crisis, Part 2, “Meet Some of the People that Caused it”, June 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/06/14/green-energy-crisis-part-2-meet-the-policy-makers-that-caused-it/

3. Dick Storm Blog post, “Wake Up Americans!” Sept. 21, 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/20/please-wake-up-america-your-energy-and-electricity-generation-reliability-are-at-risk/

4. American Mind article by Dr. Richard Lindzen on “Manufacturing Consensus on Climate Change” November 2024: https://americanmind.org/salvo/manufacturing-consensus-on-climate-change/

5. Daily Signal on U.N. Policy to eliminate Fossil Fuels, Sept 25, 2024: https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/09/25/phasing-out-fossil-fuels-will-leave-the-globe-poor-hungry-and-sick/?mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGVzwC2snGpCwRuOHknHfpRIFPOT9z9DhiF_eQKLAb1xS_HNzu7STzSDhmBuh7cjCzNe3e2II7BQWjjGL4vOXGzhnJNcrXMFMVNeAAMr0SDSSR0o1g

6. CEI- “50 Years of Failed Predictions of Environmental Extremists”: https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-of-failed-eco-pocalyptic-predictions/

7. You-Tube Presentation on the False claims of Climate Alarmists by Yong, “Caught Red-Handed: Dr Clauser vs Dr Stephens and Sabine Hossenfelder” | Independent Research :

1. Capital Research Center, History of the Climate Polices, by Ken Haapala: Capital Research Center, Report on Climate Dollars https://www.climatedollars.org/full-study/a-short-history-of-global-warming-fears/

2. Liberty Energy’s Chris Wright Testimony to Congress on the “Climate Policies” April 2024: https://docs.house.gov/meetings/BA/BA00/20240410/117092/HHRG-118-BA00-Wstate-WrightC-20240410.pdf

3. A Short History of Climate Dollars, CRC, 2017: https://www.climatedollars.org/app/uploads/2017/05/CRC_ClimateDollars_Study_finalv3.pdf

4. Daily Skeptic on sea Level rise, April 2024: https://dailysceptic.org/2024/04/06/islands-that-climate-alarmists-said-would-soon-disappear-due-to-rising-sea-found-to-have-grown-in-size/

5. The Honest Story of Climate Change, Part1, by Andy May, April 11, 2024: https://andymaypetrophysicist.com/2024/04/11/the-honest-story-of-climate-change-part-i-weighed-down-by-fear-and-intimidation/

6. Environmental NGO’s Funding by Billionaires, Foundations and some by Foreign investments, 114^thCongress Report, 2014: http://stillwatertechservices.com/files/tms/EAC-HAVA-CARES/The_Chain_of_Command_-_How_Billionaires_and_Foundations_Control_Environmental_Movement_US_Senate_Report_July_30_2014.pdf

7. Climate, The Movie: https://x.com/wideawake_media/status/1770552312710217954

8. Phyics.org Article, Ice age climate analysis reduces worst-case warming expected from rising CO₂: https://phys.org/news/2024-04-ice-age-climate-analysis-worst.html

9. Firebreak: When Journalists Drop the Ball, Exposing NGO’s and special interests in forming government policy, April 22, 2024:

When Journalists Drop the Ball

1. Alberta Government Report on Energy Opposition organizations, April 2024: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/public-inquiry-into-anti-alberta-energy-campaigns-report

2. WUWT Disclosure of Billionaire Climate Extremists influencing state and Federal Climate policy, good links within the document, May 22, 2024: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/05/22/more-billionaire-climate-machinations/

3. WUWT on “Who are the Science Deniers that Threaten Future Prosperity, Trump or Others?”: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/05/24/claim-trumps-anti-science-climate-denial-threatens-the-foundations-of-prosperity/

4. WUWT “Environmental Reporting, Failed Predictions Timeline, 1966 to 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/failed-prediction-timeline/

5. Vaclav Smil, “Net Zero is Not Going to Happen”, Fraser Institute, June 2024: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/halfway-between-kyoto-and-2050.pdf

6. CO2 is NOT a Pollutant and Humans Cannot Regulate It, by Professor Murray Salby, 2016: https://expose-news.com/2024/06/08/carbon-isnt-a-pollutant-humans-cannot-regulate-it/

7. Excellent Presentation on Climate and Energy for the General Public : https://rumble.com/v2l3sqy-climate-and-energy.html

8. You Tube Presentation on the Influence of the Sun on Earth’s Climate, also at 3 minutes 10 seconds into the video, the recent excellent paper on Net Zero Carbon by William Happer, Richard Lindzen and W. A. van Wijngaarden is discussed, (link below) June 12, 2024:

1. CO2 Coalition Paper. Net Zero Averted Temperature Increase: https://co2coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Net-Zero-Averted-Temperature-Increase-2024-06-11.pdf

2. WUWT-August 2024, “Anthropogenic Warming is Political Science, Not Physical Science” : https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/08/13/anthropogenic-global-warming-is-political-not-physical-science/

3. Climatism Blog, Background of the Global Warming Scare: https://climatism.blog/2018/12/19/draconian-un-climate-agenda-exposed-global-warming-fears-are-a-tool-for-political-and-economic-change-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-actual-climate/

4. WUWT on Sea Level Rise using 19^th century photos of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/08/06/despite-alarmists-denials-statue-of-liberty-photos-expose-sea-level-rise-acceleration-failed-projections/

5. MIT Climate Page, Tons of CO2 on Planet Earth: https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/how-much-carbon-dioxide-does-earth-naturally-absorb#:~:text=Altogether%20the%20planet%20absorbs%20and,billion%20tons%20of%20CO2.

6. Our World in Data on CO2 Emissions Data: https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions

7. CO2 Coalition on the Importance of CO2 to the Senate: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/FC7C4946-11A3-4967-BF28-8D0386608D3E

8. New Scientist tally of 1.85 Billion Tonnes of carbon on planet earth: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2218180-weve-totted-up-all-earths-carbon-and-99-per-cent-is-underground/

9. Global Energy Monitor on CO2: https://www.gem.wiki/Carbon_dioxide

10. British Geological Service: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/climate-change/the-carbon-story/

11. The World Counts on total CO2 emissions since 1850, From 1850 to 2019, 2,400 gigatons of CO2 were emitted by human activity. Around 950 gigatons went into the Climate Deniers, Unite atmosphere. The rest has been absorbed by oceans and land.: https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/climate-change/global-warming/global-co2-emissions

12. Britannica, How Much Does Atmosphere Weigh? About The total mass of Earth’s atmosphere is about 5.5 quadrillion tons, or roughly one millionth of Earth’s mass.:https://www.britannica.com/story/how-much-does-earths-atmosphere-weigh

13. Columbia University Climate Center CO2 History: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/12/07/a-new-66-million-year-history-of-carbon-dioxide-offers-little-comfort-for-today/

14. Science News.org on Total Weight of CO2 on earth: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/where-earth-stores-its-carbon

15. Science Direct, Dr. Judith Curry Et Al: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666496823000456

16. WUWT “Climate Deniers of the World Unite”, 2024: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/08/16/climate-deniers-of-the-world-unite/

17. Excellent Paper by PA Pundits, “Climate Fraud, Groupthink and Pal-Review” Jan. 2021: https://papundits.wordpress.com/2021/01/13/groupthink-pal-review-and-climate-fraud/

18. Influencers of U.S. Energy Policy, January 3, 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/04/influencers-of-american-energy-policy/

19. Environmental Activists involved in Michigan Government: https://open.substack.com/pub/stephenheins/p/michigan-government-agencies-staffed?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&comments=true

20. Finland’s GTK Outstanding Website on the limits of Materials. Also, the Future and Challenges/Futility or Impossibility of the Free Western World government’s “Net-Zero Carbon Path” by Simon P. Michaux. This is outstandingly accurate and practical: https://www.gtk.fi/en/research/time-to-wake-up/
    https://www.gtk.fi/en/research/time-to-wake-up/downloads/

21. Anthony Watts on the Polar Vortex Weather Pattern: https://climaterealism.com/2024/01/false-axios-climate-change-isnt-altering-the-polar-vortex/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Heartland+Weekly%3A+Heartland+Friend+Willie+Soon+KILLS+IT+on+Tucker+Carlson+s+New+Show+on+Elon+Musk+s+X+Platform&utm_campaign=HW+%2801-12-23%29

22. CO2 Coalition home page:

https://co2coalition.org

1. Dr. Richard Lindzen on Temperature of the Earth:

https://climateactiontracker.org

1. Clintel Declaration (European Scientists): https://clintel.org/world-climate-declaration/

2. WUWT Timeline of Failed Climate Doomsday Predictions: https://wattsupwiththat.com/failed-prediction-timeline/

3. Roy Spencer Web site:

https://www.drroyspencer.com

1. Heartland Institute:

http://climatechangereconsidered.org

1. Real Clear Wire, “Here’s the Climate Dissent You’re Not Hearing About Because it is Muffled by Society’s Top Institutions” : https://realclearwire.com/articles/2023/09/13/heres_the_climate_dissent_youre_not_hearing_about_because_its_muffled_by_societys_top_institutions_978511.html?utm_medium=email&utm_content=iJgazUr_XAtMm8bXcO-NbIzld7XNG9xSjxbQsPeA5uyvxxlevtyy6INEIV4bUTj x

2. Professor Richard Lindzen, MIT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lindzen#Views_on_climate_change

3. Prof. Lindzen article in Tablet Magazine on China and his views on AGW: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/china-warming-richard-lindzen

4. Professor Judith Curry Interview January 30, 2021 on AGW: https://judithcurry.com/2021/01/30/interview-climate-change-a-different-perspective-with-judith-curry/

5. Professor Willliams Happer and Professor Richard Lindzen Testimony to SEC June 2022: https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-10-22/s71022-20132171-302668.pdf

6. The Right Stuff Climate Team (Retired NASA Engineers):

https://www.therightclimatestuff.com

What about Nuclear? Shouldn’t it be Included in a Balanced Electricity Generation Portfolio?

We should continue using coal until a better source of primary energy is proven to be commercially available, such as nuclear. Nuclear is proven and over 12 states receive more than 30% of their electricity from (old) nuclear plants. The three leading states are Illinois, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. My state of SC leads in nuclear generation proportions at 56%. However, it should be pointed out, the great record of nuclear electricity production has been accomplished with a nuclear fleet with an average age of over 40 years. The new nuclear plant supply chain will take time to rebuild. It took about 40 years from the time President Eisenhower launched the “Atoms for Peace” initiative in 1953 until commercial nuclear plants in the U.S. were delivering about 20% of the electricity Demand. Most of the skilled craftsmen, engineering talent, manufacturing capacity that built the first generation light water reactors has been lost. Rebuilding the supply-chains, begins with Public Education to rebuild the craft skills and engineering talent that built the first generation nuclear power plants, most of which are still providing reliable power today, as mentioned above. This is as daunting as President Kennedy’s Leadership in motivating the U.S. to “Choose to go to the moon” in 1961. America has used right at 100 Quadrillion BTUs of primary energy for over 20 years. Coal should remain in the energy mix. Yes, we should adapt but we should not create energy euthanasia by sabotaging the existing energy Life-Blood of our country that took over 120 years to build.

Replacing Coal and Natural Gas with Wind and Solar is NOT Possible and NOT Practical.

As wind and solar are forced onto the Grid it has raised the costs of electricity and impaired reliability. After billions of dollars of investment the contribution of wind and solar is almost insignificant and causes more harm than good. Worse yet, over 125,000 MW of reliable coal power generation capacity has been shut down since 2010 without replacement of new coal units. The last coal plants in the U.S. started up in 2013. The chart below by Our World in Data is a factual summary of wind and solar electricity generation in the world as of 2023, compared to the reality of use of all forms of primary energy:

Overview of Electricity Generation in the World

The leader of our panel discussion at Liberty University was Dave Walsh. Here is Dave’s presentation on an overview of electricity generation in the U.S. and the world. The slide below shows the impact on electricity cost as renewables exceed 30% of the total generation portfolio. There is a distinct correlation of electricity cost rises with increasing wind and solar generation.

Do Not Despair! There is Hope for the Future!

I am confident that President Trump, Chris Wright and the Trump team will seek a rational path forward with regard to energy policy. I am thankful for President Trump and the Patriots in his Cabinet that all are serving at a severe pay cut or no pay at all to help get our country back on track. The report by Chris Wright’s company, Liberty Energy offers a glimpse of hope and common sense. The title of the report: “Bettering Human Lives” Yes, energy does improve the quality of life for everyone and energy is in fact, the Life-Blood of the economy. May God Bless President Trump and his Cabinet.

Dick Storm, December 14, 2024I’m