Is it possible to eliminate power plant pollution while still having electricity?

Answer 1

Eliminate? No. Drastically reduce? Yes.

Nuclear, solar, wind, can all do that. Conservation is also important.

Answer 2

In order to correctly answer the question, one would have to define what type of pollution we would eliminate... ALL types of power generation have SOME kind of pollution.

Power Generation from fossil fuels makes air, visual, and heat pollution, Wind Turbines require lots of space, and end up being visual pollution, simply due to the sheer amount of Turbines for the amount of energy you get.
Hydroelectric Dams can cause heat pollution in water, Nuclear power has high energy output for the amount of pollution it generate (both Heat Pollution and Nuclear waste)
Solar Power has alot of the same problems that Wind Turbines do... they require lots of mirrors or photovoltaic cells, taking lots of space and end up being visual pollution, and have relatively low and sporadic power ouput.


I gues there are 2 solutions to this problem... not blow the small disadvantages you get for having a modern lifestyle out of proportion, or go extremist and put ourselves in an agrarian setting with no power generation like we had in the17-1800s, but that would give you problems too.

I am for one a proponent of the former.
To answer your question, with the current technology level... no its is not possible to eliminate pollution and still have electricity.

Answer 3

It is possible if we were to switch to alternative sources of energy such as nuclear, wind, tidal, hydro, geothermal, solar etc. For the time being it's not practical as most of our energy comes from fossil fuel burning power plants.

Things are slowly changing and gradually the role that alternative energy plays is increasing. Several of the major oil and power companies are begining to explore alternative fuels and energy and with their resources we may see more rapid progress in the future.

For the time being we can clean up the existing power stations by removing more pollution from the exhaust gases before they're released into the atmosphere.

As individuals we can install our own energy supplies, usually wind and / or solar power, sometimes this isn't practical.

Answer 4

Electrical power from water, wind and solar are relatively non polluting. You still have some pollution associated with manufacturing and transportation at the front end, but that's true of any other electrical source I know about

Answer 5

Any renewable energy source, like hydroelectric, wind, solar, or biomass conversion will provide power without contributing much to Global Warming.

But nuclear power is the real answer with current technology. Nuclear power plants, with current technology, could be made much more efficient and safe then they have in the past. I think we should embark on a major construction project that will replace all existing fossil-fuel plants with nuclear plants. Unlike past nuclear power plants, the new plants should be highly standardized, with a continuous research and engineering effort to improve that standard design. The fuel disposal problem should also be standardized, and should also be a major, ongoing engineering effort.

Answer 6

Absolutely--its simply a matter of suing differnt technologies to produce the power. Solar, wind, even nuclear--there are plenty of options. The myth that we have to "do without" is just that--a myth created by the oil and coal companies to scare people.

What they are doing is running scared. Even without the environmental isue, the simple fact is that producing energy by using coal and oil is a 19th century technology that is fast becoming obsolete. Solar energy is rapidly becoming CHEAPER than coal-fired power. We now know how to design nuclear plants that won't release radiation even with a Chernobyl-type meltdown. And power storage technologies that will enable us to store solar and wind power (as well as geothermal and dital) are close to becoming cost effective.

All this means new industries, new jobs--cheaper enrgy in the long run. Its time to junk fossil fueltechnology, global warming or no global warming. Its day is done.

Answer 7

I don't believe we have anything other than Nuclear that could replace all of it, and that may be impractical. We can reduce it to lower more acceptable levels by a combination of the following:

Conservation (CFE bulbs, Smaller Cars, Smaller more eff. homes, etc.)
Build more Nuclear Plants
Use Solar and Wind everywhere it is practical.

Answer 8

Certainly. There are many forms of clean energy to fuel electricity.

Solar
Wind
Tidal influence

Answer 9

There are turbines, wind things, solar power, and other natural power that converts natural energy into electric energy.

Answer 10

Wind power generators.