Beefing up on planet-friendly energy doesn’t have to mean pulling the plug entirely on traditional resources such as coal.

In a state rich in renewable resources such as wind and less fashionable energy sources such as coal, the name of the game is keeping it clean.

Green, Clean-Coal Technology Research in Wyoming

Clean-coal technology is at the fore­front of the nationwide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the initiative is nowhere more front burner than in Wyoming. A multiple-pronged approach to the issue is taking shape across the state, bringing together players from the government, private industry and educational arenas.

One prominent clean coal partner­ship is the agreement between General Electric and the University of Wyoming to build a $100 million research facility to refine coal gasification technology, the process by which coal is converted to a product called synthesis gas. The synthesis gas can be burned in the same way as natural gas, and is a much more efficient use of the coal.

Both Wyoming and the nation are rich in low-grade, high-moisture coal that is currently unsuitable for the gasification process, and researchers would like to create technology that works beyond this limitation.

“It’s designed to benefit Wyoming, but it’s also a key component to utilizing coal as part of the solution to our energy-security needs,” says Mark Northam, who is the director of the School of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming. “It is the latest coal-based technology.”

DKRW Advanced Fuels is planning a facility in Medicine Bow that will utilize gasification technology to produce syngas, as well as use coal-to-liquid technology to churn out 15,000 to 20,000 barrels of environmentally sensitive liquid coal each year.

The state also recently passed legisla­tion creating regulations for the capture and underground storage of carbon dioxide and other emissions created by coal-fired power plants. This practice of carbon sequestration, which is garnering attention nationwide, is one of the state government’s efforts to become a leader in Wyoming’s clean coal movement. It's an effort that's sure to pay off, both in quality of life and in Wyoming's economic development.