以21世纪的煤炭为未来提供燃料Fueling the Future with 21 st Century Coal

国际能源署和国家/地区能源机构预测，煤炭在未来将继续是能源结构的关键组成部分。事实上，预计煤炭最快将在2017年取代石油，成为最常用的一次能源形式（或据其他估计更早）。尽管未来煤炭的使用可能不会受到质疑，但这对那些在当今煤炭价格较低的世界上竞争的生产企业来说，并没有什么缓解作用。北美的页岩气现象、最近的全球金融衰退，或许最重要的是，中国经济增长放缓，对许多煤炭生产商造成了重大打击。此外，在确认Ernest Moniz为新能源部长、提名Gina McCarthy为美国环境保护署署长、以及最近奥巴马政府公布一套气候变化倡议的公告后，现有发电厂的CO 2条例很有可能成为可能。在欧盟，需要对能源基础设施进行大量投资，但面对紧缩措施和ETS的不确定性，这将从何而来？在世界各国领导人努力寻找减少能源贫困和同时实现气候和可持续性目标的方法之际，煤炭行业面临着相当大的挑战和许多未知因素。技术，例如使用煤炭/生物质液体燃料减少运输部门的温室气体排放，可以发挥重要作用，但政府对推动技术进步至关重要。Cornerstone第二期的几篇文章探讨了煤炭行业的这些变化和挑战。

T he International Energy Agency as well as national/regional energy agencies have projected that coal will continue to be a key component of the energy mix well into the future. In fact, it is expected that coal will overtake oil as the most used form of primary energy as soon as 2017 (or even sooner by other estimates). Although the future use of coal may not be in question, that will give little relief to production companies that compete in a world with today’s lower coal prices. The shale gas phenomena in North America, the recent global financial downturn, and, perhaps most importantly, the slowing of growth in China have dealt a major blow to many coal producers. In addition, with the confirmation of Ernest Moniz as the new Secretary of Energy, nomination of Gina McCarthy as the EPA Administrator in the U.S., and recent announcements from the Obama administration laying out a suite of climate change initiatives, CO 2 regulations for existing power plants are quickly becoming more likely. In the EU, considerable investment in energy infrastructure is needed, but where will it come from in the face of austerity measures and the uncertainty of the ETS? There are considerable challenges and many unknowns facing the coal industry at a time when world leaders struggle to find ways to reduce energy poverty and meet climate and sustainability goals simultaneously. Technology, such as using coal/biomass liquid fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, can play an important role, but government will be critical to moving technologies forward. Several articles in the second issue of Cornerstonelook at these changes and challenges to the coal industry.