Is carbon capture, hydrogen, nuclear part of Pennsylvania’s energy future?

• Scott LaMar
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Scott LaMar has worked in both radio and television for more than four decades.
  
  Currently, LaMar is the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on WITF-FM, 89.5 & 93.3 in Harrisburg, Pa.
  
  Previously, LaMar was WITF TV’s Sr. Public Affairs producer and produced the station’s award-winning weekly public affairs TV program, Smart Talk.
  
  In addition to his on-air duties, LaMar has moderated political candidate debates, including those for candidates running for Pennsylvania governor and the U.S. Senate and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
  
  LaMar often emcees or moderates local events and has gone as far as California to emcee a national event.
  
  The American Society of Civil Engineers honored LaMar with their national Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. He has been nominated for five Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
  
  LaMar and The Spark have been recognized throughout the Central Pennsylvania community including ADVOZ Lancaster’s “Dignity in Dialogue Award”, the South-Central Assembly’s “Regional Citizen Award” and was named a “Humanitarian Hero” by The Humane Society of the United States/Pennsylvania.
  
  A native of Coatesville, Pa., LaMar has also worked as a broadcast news anchor, sports play-by-play announcer and manager.

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Airdate: Thursday, June 29, 2023

Many think renewable energies like solar and wind will play a large part in combating the climate crisis, by replacing fossil fuels.

However, Pennsylvania is one of the leading fossil fuel suppliers on the East Coast for natural gas, coal, and petroleum. Can both be used in order to create a more sustainable energy future for Pennsylvania?

Energy Future PA is touting carbon free energy sources like carbon capture, hydrogen and nuclear as transition fuels for Pennsylvania.

Appearing The Spark Thursday, Penn State University Energy and Mineral Engineering Professor Sanjay Srinivasan, who is one of the founders of Energy Future PA described what their goal is,”The transition I’m talking about takes the current landscape of energy production using fossil fuels, managing that, reducing the carbon footprint associated with that. Couple that with hydrogen, hydrogen production and carbon and carbon storage technologies. At the same time, promoting advanced nuclear technologies so that we can eventually transition to a renewable future with solar, wind and all the other renewable sources contributing to the entirely to the energy landscape of the state.”

Environmentalists often criticize the use of natural gas or other fossil fuels as transitional. Kate Harper, co-chair of Energy Future PA and former Republican legislator who was a prime backer of the Growing Greener II initiative in Pennsylvania said,”I think that’s not looking at reality. I think what we’re trying to do here is make sure we have enough energy so that Pennsylvanians can live and work and play. You know, they expect the lights to go on when they hit the switch. They expect that. And they’re they’re deserving of that. And we really we need the energy. We’re not yet there with renewables. And it’s not like you do one or the other.”

There is a growing movement to use hydrogen as an energy source, especially in transportation.

There are more hurdles though with carbon capture which has storage and land use issues.

Nuclear energy is used throughout the world but the Three Mile Island nuclear plant closed because it couldn’t compete financially with other forms of energy.

Srinivsan and Harper said technologies are being developed to make carbon capture and nuclear viable.