So, we all know coal is bad, from an environmental standpoint. It contributes to global warming, and it kills fish. This so-called "clean coal" is more or less non-existent; you've all see the commercials. So why do we still use it?
Well, the obvious answer is "the oil companies are run by people who care more about money than the environment," and that would be true. But as it turns out, the story is more complicated than that.
As much as we don't like coal, it has one major advantage over renewable energy: it's consistent. If you burn one ton of coal, you're going to get the same number of megawatt-hours from it every time. With solar and wind, we're at the mercy of weather. If it's a cloudy day, a solar panel array could operate at 75% or 50% or 25% of its capacity, and we'd be left in the dark (literally). If we rely too heavily on wind power, what happens when it's just not a windy day in Kansas? Believe it or not, that actually happens sometimes.
The problem is that the supply of energy changes over time. Luckily, there are companies like EnerNOC, dealing in demand response. Offically, we call our service Demand Response, but it could be Supply Response as well. When a power plant goes down, we call an event, just like we would any other time (see earlier posts for an explanation of what EnerNOC does).
So, another reason I like EnerNOC? They're making a grid that relies more and more on unstable sources of energy like wind and solar a possibility. We couldn't just build solar panels and hope things work out, but by coupling solar/wind and demand response, we have a solution that's truly sustainable.
The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily the views of the company (EnerNOC, Inc). If you thought otherwise, I'm totally putting coal in your stocking this Christmas.
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