What are “new coal technologies”?
Conventional U.S. coal-fired power plants burn coal to boil water into steam. The steam turns a turbine to produce electricity. More than 35 new or expanded coal plants are under consideration in the interior West. A handful of the proposed plants might incorporate advanced technologies that reduce emissions of certain pollutants. The most promising new coal technology is integrated gasification combined cycle or IGCC. An IGCC or “clean coal” plant actually combines three distinct technologies – a gasifier, a combustion turbine and a steam turbine. In the first phase, gasification, coal is heated to produce a gas. In phase two the gas turns a turbine (similar to a high-powered airplane engine) to make electricity. In phase three the excess heat from the turbine is captured and used to boil water to make steam, which is then used to make electricity.
