????筆者在上一篇關(guān)于全球能源競(jìng)賽的文章中引用了世界資源研究所（World Resources Institute）的一份最新報(bào)告。報(bào)告稱，全球約有1,199座燃煤發(fā)電廠正在籌建當(dāng)中，其中大部分將建在中國(guó)和印度。我認(rèn)為，這論煤炭消費(fèi)的狂歡肯定會(huì)使溫室氣體減排所取得的成就大打折扣。

????當(dāng)時(shí)我引用了這篇報(bào)告的悲觀結(jié)論，但不久之后便有亮點(diǎn)顯現(xiàn)。去年十二月，在距離首都北京90英里的天津市，由華能集團(tuán)（Huangneng Gruop）自主研建的中國(guó)首座潔凈煤電站正式投產(chǎn)。這座電站使用一項(xiàng)名為“整體煤氣化聯(lián)合循環(huán)”（Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle，IGCC）技術(shù)，即將煤在燃燒之前轉(zhuǎn)換成燃?xì)猓p少轉(zhuǎn)換過(guò)程中的污染物。這座電站所產(chǎn)生的污染物，如硫和一氧化氮等，僅為傳統(tǒng)燃煤發(fā)電廠污染物排放量的10%。未來(lái)一至兩年內(nèi)，通過(guò)增加碳捕獲技術(shù)，電站可實(shí)現(xiàn)二氧化碳零排放。

????世界其他地區(qū)的潔凈煤項(xiàng)目包括正在密西西比州肯珀縣建設(shè)當(dāng)中的南方公司（Southern Company）IGCC電站，以及在印第安納州愛(ài)德華斯波特的杜克能源（Duke Energy）電站，后者計(jì)劃于今年投產(chǎn)。但如果我們想要解決氣候變化問(wèn)題，同時(shí)改善亞洲地區(qū)的空氣質(zhì)量，那么就需要中國(guó)掌握潔凈煤技術(shù)。畢竟，中國(guó)的電力約80%依賴煤炭，且國(guó)內(nèi)擁有巨大的煤炭?jī)?chǔ)備。

????按工業(yè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來(lái)看，天津電站規(guī)模很小，其裝機(jī)容量約為250兆瓦，相當(dāng)于一座核電站產(chǎn)能的四分之一，但它的象征意義更為重要。它首次證明，北京2005年提出的綠色煤電計(jì)劃，即在2015年之前建造接近零排放的燃煤電站的計(jì)劃，已經(jīng)走上正軌。

????雖然好處很多，但仍然存在一個(gè)棘手的問(wèn)題。這次的問(wèn)題是價(jià)格。結(jié)合ICGG與碳捕獲技術(shù)可能將燃煤發(fā)電的價(jià)格推高60%。希望隨著行業(yè)壯大，建造與管理水平的提高，成本能有所下降。可問(wèn)題是，沒(méi)有人知道這一天會(huì)在多久之后才能到來(lái)。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：劉進(jìn)龍/汪皓

????In my last article focused on the global energy race, I cited a new World Resources Institute report that found that some 1,199 coal-fired plants are currently on the drawing board worldwide, with the lion's share being built-in India and China. This coal-buying binge, I argued, could seriously dent any progress made on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

????Soon after I cited the gloomy conclusion of this report, one bright spot appeared. In December, the Huaneng Group flicked the switch on the country's first clean coal plant in Tianjin, China, about 90 miles from Beijing. The plant, which uses a technology called Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), turns coal into gas before burning and, in the process, reduces pollutants. The Tianjin facility produces only 10% of a conventional coal-fired power station's pollutants such as sulfur and nitrogen oxide. Within the next year or two -- thanks to the addition of carbon capture technology -- it should achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions.

????Other clean coal projects exist around the world including the Southern Company's IGCC plant under construction in Kemper County Mississippi and Duke Energy's plant in Edwardsport, Indiana scheduled to open this year. But the world needs China more than anyone else to master clean coal technology if we are to address climate change seriously and at the same time clean up the air quality for Asia's citizens. After all, China depends on coal for about 80% of its electricity and has vast reserves of the fuel.

????The Tianjin plant is small by industry standards -- about 250 megawatts or about one-quarter the capacity of a nuclear power plant -- but is important symbolically. It is the first evidence that Beijing's 2005 GreenGen program to build a coal-fired power plant with near-zero emissions by 2015 is on track.

????With all good things, there's a catch. This time it's price. By one estimate, the combination of ICGG and carbon capture technology could raise the price of burning coal by as much as 60%. The hope is that as the industry gets better at building and managing the technology, the costs will drop. The trouble is, no one knows how soon.