coal

Eight years after merging with Time Warner, AOL has finally been given a date for when it's being spun off to once again be its own company. We also talk about clean coal in China, the next versions of Adobe's Flash and AIR platforms, as well as the news that Microsoft's next version of Internet Explorer isn't quite ready for a public peek just yet.

Two small housekeeping notes: Thanks to everyone who wrote in last week to provide feedback on the CNET News Podcast. It's much appreciated. Also, there was a problem with Monday'… Read more

General Electric on Tuesday said that it has reached an agreement to deploy its coal gasification technology in China, a move the company says will advance underground storage of carbon dioxide.

The energy giant announced a set of agreements in a ceremony in Beijing, including deals for GE's high-speed rail and hybrid locomotive engines. The activity comes the same day that China and the U.S. announced a number of energy-related research initiatives in coal, electric vehicles, and smart-grid technologies.

GE and coal power plant operator Shenhua Group signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint venture to … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--How will a shift in carbon reduction play out with the world's poor? This is an issue The World Bank is grappling with as it prepares for the international climate change summit in Copenhagen this December.

Katherine Sierra, the vice president for sustainable development at The World Bank, and Awais Khan, the director of KPMG's Clean Tech Venture Capital Practice, spoke on this topic Tuesday here at the Commonwealth Club.

Along with higher temperatures, climate change is causing rising sea levels, shifts in rain/snow patterns, and an increase in weather-related natural disasters. Although the impact is … Read more

The future of our climate might be summed up in one question: what do we do about coal?

Coal generates nearly half the electricity in the United States and the world. But it's the dirtiest fuel of all when it comes to carbon dioxide, or CO2, the leading greenhouse gas.

Last week, the Obama administration declared, for the first time, that CO2 is a threat to human health and it plans to impose limits. But making coal safe will come at an astronomical cost.

After the economy, this could be the biggest debate in Washington. One of the most … Read more

LAGUNA, NIGUEL, Calif.--What do you get when you put the CEO of a coal-dependent utility on stage with two environmental advocates to discuss whether coal can be clean? A surprisingly civil discussion with more than just straight "pro" and "con" positions.

The CEO of American Electric Power, Michael Morris, spoke on the same panel with Michael Brune, the executive director of the Rainforest Action Network, and David Hawkins, the director of climate programs at the Environmental Defense Council on Tuesday at the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference here.

AEP is the second-largest electricity generator in the … Read more

GreatPoint Energy wants to convert coal to cleaner natural gas for electricity production, while burying carbon dioxide underground. CNET News reporter Martin LaMonica recently visited GreatPoint Energy's huge demonstration plant in Southern Massachusetts. He joins today's show to share his impressions.

Also in this podcast: internal e-mails hint at possible Palm Pre launch dates; Amazon gets criticized for deranking "adult" books, then backtracks; Yahoo shares jump on news of talk with Microsoft over a potential ad deal; and a Brooklyn teen takes responsibility for Twitter worms.

Today's stories:

Yahoo shares up on news of Microsoft ad deal talks… Read more

SOMERSET, Mass.--When it comes to covering green technologies, the color can sometimes be black as coal.

On Monday I drove to Southern Massachusetts to visit GreatPoint Energy's $37 million Mayflower Clean Energy Center, a demonstration plant for converting coal to natural gas. Built down the road from the state's largest coal plant at the mouth of the Taunton River, the plant started producing natural gas last month and is now gathering data to optimize the operation.

As a technology reporter, it's fascinating to see the energy industry's version of "hardware"--a 200-foot-high reactor, … Read more

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is optimistic about the potential of wind power to help wean the U.S. from dependence on foreign oil.

"The idea that wind energy has the potential to replace most of our coal-burning power today is a very real possibility," he said. "It is not technology that is pie-in-the-sky; it is here and now," Salazar said, according to an AP report, at a meeting in Atlantic City, N.J., Monday.

Salazar is hosting four regional public meetings in April to discuss the future of offshore energy development on the nation'… Read more

If your mission is to make coal less polluting, China is a good place to start.

GreatPoint Energy, a start-up with technology to convert coal to cleaner-burning natural gas, expects to open a demonstration plant in China in three years.

The plant would cost between $100 million and $200 million and be located at a coal-fired power plant operated by Datang Huanyin Electric Power. Most of the financing for the plant will come from Datang, one of the biggest single polluters on the planet, according to GreatPoint Energy CEO Andrew Perlman.

Although GreatPoint Energy's business is focused on fossil … Read more