[TheRealThing]

Bingo. Try replacing that monster in a unit. :biggrin: Powerplant units do, in fact, wear out, and outlive their usefulness.

Repeating the obvious, there is nothing in a power plant that cannot be replaced waaaaay more cheaply than shutting down the whole unit to repace it with---what? RV, it's a smoke screen. It is the unfolding of Obama's war on coal. You said yourself you install scrubbers that enable coal fired stations to burn coal which is high in pollutants like sulfur. How much cleaner then would it be to use our own locally high quality coal reserves? Modern technology has neutralized the threat coal poses to the environment. In my mind there is absolutely no justification for a nation blessed with abundant natural resources to run amok expecting the sky to fall.

We have the coal, it burns clean under the right circumstances, and it is abundant. Why put millions out of work and run utility prices through the roof for the sake of a largely unsubstantiated and therefore highly suspect global warming conspiracy? I mean, we've managed to bring our nation to it's knees dodging shadows.