At the Power Systems Development Facility in Wilsonville, Ala., researchers have successfully tested a technology that turns coal into gas, which then would be used to produce electricity more cleanly than traditional power plants. Our goal is to make coal both cost competitive and environmentally comparable to natural gas, and we're almost there. An advanced pressurized combustor is different from traditional coal-based power generation because it operates at high pressures instead of normal, atmospheric conditions. A gasifier converts coal into a combustible gas that advanced power plants can use to power gas turbines or run fuel cells. The transport reactor and associated equipment significantly reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.
Researchers anticipate that the technology can be applied to both new and existing generation.
We're now trying to optimize the process of converting coal into gas. More Coal in U.S. Than Oil in Saudi Arabia Goodman said Southern Company is on track to make a decision as early as next year whether to build a commercial power plant using this technology. More than half of the nation's electricity comes from coal, and the United States has more coal than Saudi Arabia has oil. The Wilsonville facility is a test center for U.S. companies to evaluate new technologies that would dramatically improve the environmental performance of coal. We are pleased to report that we are making huge progress in our clean coal research at the Power Systems Development Facility.