http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429682/coal-eating-microbes-might-c…

Microbes can be used to generate natural gas from inaccessable coal beds ,  at pretty good cost effectiveness.

Or coal that has been mined can be crushed , add some moisture to it and get the right temperature in a reactor vat, and then use the microbes to generate methane for a methane power plant with turbines.

This is far more efficient and clean burning than a convential coal plant.  And much cheaper without the super toxic waste going to the environment.

The output of the turbines,  Co2, water vapour and nitrous oxides can go directly to a large greenhouse containing algae, which can absorb the Co2 and nitrous oxides in a beneficial way.  older algae can be harvested to produce oil from pyrolysis reactions or it can be partly dried to create food for farm animals.

Nuclear power is not understood by the public,  and there is a lot of fear, cost overruns, and problems turning it on or off, and dangers to the public that are not being disclosed openly.  A lot of secrecy surrounds nuclear power, and still would even for thorium.  After three mile island, the quake that caused a tsunami and wrecked the nuclear reactor in Japan, Chernobyl, and the threat of weaponization of nuclear materials and possible terror threats make nuclear power really a no go solution.

Walking in woodlands after a misty rainshower does wonders for ones health.  It feels terrific.  We need to get back to basic non-nuclear clean and safe electrical power that is decentralized and safe for the public.  Listening to Yo Yo Ma’s bach cello concertos feels really good.  Listen to ‘the essential yo yo ma’ for inspiration.

Super clean coal and methane meets these requirements,  while nuclear does not.  It is also far more economical.

Special care must be taken to manage safely the groundwater impact of any coal or methane based solution  right from extraction from the ground all the way to disposing of the waste from the crushed coal microbe laden vat constituents once all the methane has been extracted from the crushed coal.

www.solinst.com

Best wishes,

Richard