There are numerous reasons to transfer to coal gasification now, for instance:
- Coal gasification is CO2 neutral: produced Hydrogen (H2) and Carbondioxide (CO2) are harvested as pure gasses; the pure H2 can be used for power generation and/or other purposes; the pure CO2 is not waste either, so should be stored temporarily (with the Porthos project in Rotterdam), to be used later in biobased production facilities: hardly any CO2 will be emitted as waste into the atmosphere.
- CO2 emission of coal gasification is extremely low and can be compared to solar, wind or nuclear power generation.
- Coal gasification is the perfect transition technology that can bring us smoothly into a sustainable economy, solely based on solar, wind and hydrogen based power generation/storage.
- Coal gasifiction is Proven Technology with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 9, the highest possible level. Full scale gasification plants (around 12) are in operation in China, to produce fertilizers, but not in the rest of the world yet.
- Coal is available abundantly all over the world at competitive prices, so no dependancy will be created onto dubious regimes.
- The produced hydrogen with coal gasification is Blue (when produced CO2 is stored for eternity) or Turqoise (when produced CO2 is used later for biobased production).
- Coal gasification is cheap: it produces the cheapest Blue or Turqoise hydrogen possible.
- Coal gasification plants can easily replace coal firing plants, leading to the quickest and cheapest transition to CO2 neutral power generation. For instance, Germany would be able to quickly transform their lignite fired power plants into coal gasification plants, since permits and logistics are already there. This would lead to a quick and dramatic reduction of CO2-emissions in Germany (which are of the highest in Europe). The same goes for Poland.
- Next, the Netherlands would be able to easily transform their modern coal fired plants into coal gasification plants, thereby decimating their CO2-emission as well.
- If capacities of all plants would be doubled, even industrial power plants and natural gas fired power plants can be fuelled with hydrogen from coal gasification, leading to a further reduction of CO2 emissions ànd a huge economic boost.
- Since blue/turqoise hydrogen will become rather cheap by using coal gasification, the produced hydrogen could even be taxed, while subsidising and promoting green hydrogen production projects. This would lead to a dramatic rise of production of green hydrogen as well, partly paid by the production of blue/turqoise hydrogen. This way, the commercial transformation into a sustainable hydrogen based economy can and will take place in the fastest possible way.
- With coal gasification large amounts of pure water can be produced: a 1,000 MW power plant produces enough water for a modern ecobased city of 100,000 inhabitants. This could tremendously benefit the creation of business/jobs/prosperity in Africa.