Site Recommendation - greater Good Philippines

For those who are constantly seeking news and updates on the environment, Greater Good Philippines provides quite a comprehensive site with articles of great interest for the public

Aside from the environment, the site also has articles relating to CSR, and other articles of great interest.

For more information, please visit http://greatergood.i.ph/

The Real (and dirty) Picture of Running a Coal Fired Power Plant

While it is agreeable that coal fired power plants produce a lot of carbon emissions, there are other, more sinister emissions from a coal fired power plant.

The following information is from http://www.howstuffworks.com/question481.htm

"The thermal energy content of coal is 6,150 kWh/ton. Although coal fired power generators are very efficient, they are still limited by the laws of thermodynamics. Only about 40 percent of the thermal energy in coal is converted to electricity. So the electricity generated per ton of coal is 0.4 x 6,150 kWh or 2,460 kWh/ton."

The emissions from a coal fired power plant is as follows (from Wikipedia)

"Of fossil fuels, coal combustion in thermal power stations result in greater amounts of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of electricity generated (2249 lbs/MWh^[14]) while oil produces less (1672 lb/(MW·h)^[15] or 211 kg/GJ) and natural gas produces the least 1135 lb/(MW·h) (143 kg/GJ).US EPA Clean Energy—Gas"

Other emissions from coal fired power plants (from how stuff works)

"A typical 500 megawatt coal power plant produces 3.5 billion kWh per year. That is enough energy for 4 million of our light bulbs to operate year round. To produce this amount of electrical energy, the plant burns 1.43 million tons of coal. It also produces:"

Pollutant	Total for Power Plant	One Light Bulb-Year's Worth
Sulfur Dioxide - Main cause of acid rain	10,000 Tons	5 pounds
Nitrogen Oxides - Causes smog and acid rain	10,200 Tons	5.1 pounds
Carbon Dioxide - Greenhouse gas suspected of causing global warming	3,700,000 Tons	1852 pounds

While the above may seem shocking, the most shocking information that no one has ever been told - Coal Fired Power Plants are also radioactive! (From Wikipedia)

"As most ores in the Earth's crust, coal also contains low levels of uranium, thorium, and other naturally-occurring radioactive isotopes whose release into the environment leads to radioactive contamination. While these substances are present as very small trace impurities, enough coal is burned that significant amounts of these substances are released. A 1,000 MW coal-burning power plant could have an uncontrolled release of as much as 5.2 metric tons per year of uranium (containing 74 pounds (34 kg) of uranium-235) and 12.8 metric tons per year of thorium.^[21] In comparison, a 1,000 MW nuclear plant will generate about 500 pounds of plutonium and 30 short tons of high-level radioactive controlled waste."

Mercury content is also a large threat from coal fired power plants. Some parts of mercury is now being recaptured in USA power plants, but emissions still exist. In many situations, mercury from coal fired power plants is the largest source of mercury in the current air pollution problem, which then gets into rain, water, and contaminates fish ponds and the local water supply.

It is thus vital that new power plants come from alternative energy as enough technology has been put in to make it economically viable. It is also just as important that we monitor and reduce energy consumption in our own households. Every watt counts.

Angat Dam Water Crisis Critical

There have been countless times when we watch TV and see ads on stopping water leaks, on becoming a more responsible water user, and better managing this exhaustible water supply. We incur the greatest problem of not being able to appreciate just how severe the issue has reached, and to what extent is the real situation that we are currently facing.


All the brown you see (soil face) is how much less water is now.


One vital example would be Angat Dam in the Philippines. This dam currently supplies water to 97% of Metro Manila, the largest metropolis in the Philippines with a population of 15 million. The dam is also designed to provide 240 megawatts of power (200 megawatts main, 40 megawatts auxiliary), and provide water to 30,000 farms. It is 65,000 hectares in size, with 2,200 hectares as the dam itself, and the rest, its watershed, collecting rain water, its only source of water, to provide the public with their need.


the water level has been so low for so long that grass is growing.


During summer the Dam has severely reduced in water, and this might have been happening for quite some time now. The dam, perhaps, was not designed for the population of the metropolis, but more importantly, the dam is suffering from a seeming water deficit, as it continually goes lower, waiting for rain.

And even in rain, there can only be so much water in the dam itself. The last disastrous rain volume, equivalent to 1 month worth of rain, only brought in 4 meters of water, which is not sufficient for the amount of water reduced in the dam already. The dam is no longer holding enough reserves, and yet everyone uses water as if there is an unlimited supply.


lots of areas that are so dry it is scary.


During summer, the dam was only running the auxiliary power supply of 40 megawatts instead of its designed capacity of 240 megawatts. Also as important of an issue is that to provide water for the entire metropolis, they had to stop supplying water to the 30,000 farms. This has meant empty rice husks, a disaster for farmers who needs irrigation most during summer.

The daily hidden areas of water waste lies in inefficient toilet systems, unguarded leaks, water consuming shower heads, and using potable water for cleaning cars and watering plants.

It is high time that everyone does their part in becoming more responsible on water use. Rain water harvesting need not be complicated and expensive, as one can buy large water barrels, and roof rainwater gutters to these barrels. Rainwater can be used to water plants and even for cleaning cars. Every small act counts. Do check your faucets and toilet for leaks. Remember that toilet flaps are the biggest culprit, and do use a lot of water. Also do check on your shower head. Ideal shower heads should use 1.2 gallons per minute up to a maximum of 2.5 gallons per minute.

What is now happening in the Philippines can happen to other countries in the world. Give value to water and respect this special resource. It has provided well and should not be taken for granted.

After all, it is a resource we share and borrow.