Coal has pollution problems such as air, water, and solid waste associated with its use. This is in addition to the thermal (via cooling water) and carbon dioxide pollution that result from its use in power generation. Like oil, it may eventually become more valuable to use as a feed stock. FIGURE 5 Simplified Schematic of Time Required for Energy Substitutions Hydro-electric power is renewable but in many countries it is facing opposition because of it's environmental impacts. These impacts range from the loss of scenic wilderness to the lost of downstream soil fertility and increased potential for earthquakes due to the mass of the stored water. There are still a number of areas in the world where massive hydro-electric projects are technically feasible but the current barrier is one of transmission. Either wireless power transmission or the implementation of a hydrogen economy is required for these sources to be come economically viable. Also while hydro-electric is a renewable resource it is a resource subject to vagaries of the weather as Southern Africa recently found out during a prolonged drought. Nuclear power is an option being pursued by many industrialized countries with France and Japan being two countries with heavy reliance on it It has similar problems to coal in that it has both waste and thermal pollution associated with it. Small systems coupled with hydrogen production have been proposed for power production and district heating for settlements located in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Except for the small, autonomous systems nuclear power generation stations requires the existence of a very well educated cadre of operators and supporting infrastructure. Maintenance and surveillance requirements are extremely high and are hard to maintain even in technologically advanced cultures. As with coal and hydro-electric, nuclear will remain
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