Posts: 1,930
Threads: 71
Joined: Jun 2012
This news is mainly about the Honolulu plant but it confirms the Shipman plant is already shut down.
http://www.khon2.com/2013/07/01/heco-shu...wer-plant/
HECO shutting down Honolulu Power Plant
Oahu has been paying an electric rate around 25% less than Hawaii county rate for quite awhile. Their waste-to-energy plant has been in operation for several years, and expanded with non-ACC rates, while Hawaii county has been bickering about it for well over a decade. Oahu also has two old coal plants with industry rates of about 20 cents per kw-hr. Anyway, this is a historic era for Hawaii, to see the bunker oil burning plants going idle, one by one.
"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
Posts: 182
Threads: 35
Joined: Sep 2012
Time to push for more solar and hydro. Mini Hydro can be done at a reasonable cost now.
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick
Posts: 6,214
Threads: 354
Joined: Feb 2006
I do believe in wise use of waste to energy - but the problem is our human element - I truly doubt all the people of this island would be convinced to PROPERLY dispose of their waste...
But that said, at least waste to energy systems to have multiple protections.... unlike the old Kona landfill that has been burning, unregulated, for the past few decades... With nary a complaint from the populace about the hazardous conditions that creates!
Posts: 14,145
Threads: 424
Joined: Aug 2012
quote:
Originally posted by Carey
I do believe in wise use of waste to energy - but the problem is our human element - I truly doubt all the people of this island would be convinced to PROPERLY dispose of their waste...
I'd have to agree; people around here tend to use the "private" roads as their personal dump spot -- not just cars and appliances, household garbage too.
Posts: 358
Threads: 8
Joined: Jul 2012
quote:
Originally posted by Carey
I do believe in wise use of waste to energy - but the problem is our human element - I truly doubt all the people of this island would be convinced to PROPERLY dispose of their waste...
But that said, at least waste to energy systems to have multiple protections.... unlike the old Kona landfill that has been burning, unregulated, for the past few decades... With nary a complaint from the populace about the hazardous conditions that creates!
Somebody please correct me if I am mistaken but isnt waste to energy a big incinerator? My experience with those on the mainland is that they emit pollution in the form of dangerous particulate matter. Especially when plastic is burned, creating dioxin! Has this byproduct of progress been addressed/solved yet?
Nothing left to do but
Smile
Smile
Smile
Posts: 14,145
Threads: 424
Joined: Aug 2012
quote:
Originally posted by dragon2k
Somebody please correct me if I am mistaken but isnt waste to energy a big incinerator? My experience with those on the mainland is that they emit pollution in the form of dangerous particulate matter. Especially when plastic is burned, creating dioxin! Has this byproduct of progress been addressed/solved yet?
Isn't an active volcano just a big incinerator? My experience is that these emit dangerous particulate matter and toxic gases...
Posts: 1,779
Threads: 73
Joined: Aug 2006
Yes, 'waste to energy' (WTE) is an incinerator, and for it to be economically viable requires it to be big.
Pollution? Track record is not good. Typical is the expensive equipment to curb pollution is installed and then (to cut operator costs) is not well maintained, resulting in releases of toxins -- dioxin and others. A fine is paid (by he operator), some repairs are done (at the expense of the local government). So, EPA regulations turn out to be a punitive rather than a protective measure.
Cost? Very high. Especially in a place like this island where the amount of usable material is relatively low. Where WTE has had best success is in larger metropolitan areas with dense populations.
For a recent case, look up Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which went bankrupt in late 2011 because of WTE.
EPA data shows that the number of WTE facilities and the total amount of material burned in WTE facilities has been on a steady decline for more than a decade -- even while recycling and composting have been on a steady increase.
Posts: 1,930
Threads: 71
Joined: Jun 2012
quote:
Originally posted by dragon2k
Somebody please correct me if I am mistaken but isnt waste to energy a big incinerator? My experience with those on the mainland is that they emit pollution in the form of dangerous particulate matter. Especially when plastic is burned, creating dioxin! Has this byproduct of progress been addressed/solved yet?
Not necessarily. Plasma converter W2E don't burn, therefore they do not incinerate.
Hpower over in Oahu is an incinerator system. They filter and recover the incinerator exhaust so that by the time it leaves the smoke stack, it is mostly water vapor, some slight fly ash, and emissions far below safety levels, in the parts per million or billion. Typical incinerator system showing APC (air pollution control) required scrubbing, filtering, and reclaiming.
http://www.sswm.info/sites/default/files...eaning.jpg
"Incineration systems must have complex air pollution control (APC) systems in order to meet the required limits for protecting the quality of the ambient air and human health. Therefore, the institutional framework and policies are crucial in order to enforce that environmental and health standards are met. The complexity is a result of the fact that modern APC systems include provisions for controlling a number of pollutants to very low concentrations (e.g., parts per million or per billion). The provisions include control and manipulation of the combustion process itself within the combustion chamber and the use of post-combustion techniques, including the use of chemical reagents and of special mechanical and electrical systems to process the combustion gases (UNEP 2005)."
The difference with a plasma converter W2E is that it can accept a much wider range of feed stock, so there is more feed stock flow. In addition, if regular land fill flow becomes too slow, it can take the existing landfill and use that as more feed stock.
"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
