COAL
BY: YASMINE ALKEMA, DYLAN COMERFORD, AND TORI
DAVIS
HISTORY
Evidence dating back to 100AD tells us that Romans used coal in England during
the second and third centuries
Industrial Revolution
• During the first part of the 1800’s the Industrial Revolution moved it’s way to the United States of
America. During this time, coal was used to fuel the boilers of steamships as well as steampowered railroads
During the Civil War weapon producing factories started using coal to increase
efficiency
Around 1875, coke (made from coal) replaced charcoal which was the main fuel
source of iron furnaces that produced steel
• Steel was used to make weapons
The first time burning coal was used to generate electricity was in the the early
1880’s
• It was used for homes and factories and now it is used by America for almost half of it’s entire
electric sector
WHAT PART OF OUR ENERGY NEEDS DO
WE CURRENTLY DERIVE FROM COAL?
In 2012 the United States was the largest energy consumer
in the world
The majority of the United States energy consumption is
powered by fossil fuels
• In order from first to last the following sources of fuel are used
to keep the U.S running; petroleum 25%, coal 22%, natural
gas 22%, nuclear power 8.4%, and finally renewable energy
which is 8%
WHAT PART OF OUR ENERGY
NEEDS DO WE CURRENTLY
DERIVE FROM COAL?
In the United States 40% of the energy consumption comes from the electric
sector. Coal plays a substantial role in delivering electricity to the U.S.
92% of the coal that is consumed in the U.S is used for the generation of
electricity.
• 92% of the power coming to Americans televisions, radios, microwaves and so on is
made possible by the burning of coal to generate the required electricity.
In order to produce all of this electricity, the U.S currently has roughly 1400 coalfired electricity generating units in operation
• These electricity generating units are spread out across the country which total close
to 600 plants
• Together these coal-fired plants generate more than one third of the United States
electricity. In order to create this amount of electricity more than 800 million short
tons of coal is used during production.
HAS THIS BEEN CHANGING
OVER TIME?
The U.S holds the worlds largest estimated reserves of coal and is actually a net
exporter of it.
During 2012’s production analysis, more than one billion short tons of coal was
produced by the U.S. even though America has an abundance of coal and uses
coal for basically all of it’s electricity usage, BUT the usage of coal is actually
declining in the U.S.
For the last 60 years coal has been the largest source of the United States
electricity usage. To present day it still is, however, Americans are using coal less
and less
• Since the 1950’s the U.S has produced more coal than it was able to consume
almost every year, hints the fact that the U.S is a net exporter of the resource.
HAS THIS BEEN CHANGING
OVER TIME?
Since 1950 the United States consumption of coal
has been on the constant rise
From 1950-1975 the U.S consumption of coal
increased roughly by 100 million short tons.
From 1975-2000 U.S coal consumption increased a
substantial amount by 400 million short tons.
From 2000-2007 coal consumption increased a further 50
million, however, that is where the increase in consumption
started to slow down dramatically
From 2007-2012 consumption dropped roughly by 200
million short times, which is the highest drop in the past 62
years.
WHY HAS IT BEEN
CHANGING?
Coal consumption during the past 5 years in the U.S has declined for one main
reason: Power producers have substituted coal for a cheaper, lower priced
substitute called natural gas
Thanks to natural gas’s strong price competition the production of electricity
using coal has slowed down rapidly in recent years
Natural gas is cheaper than coal
• In the competitive price driven market in which these two resources lay, natural gas
has been winning the battle for the past 5 or so years.
Pound for pound natural gas uses less space to store than coal which keeps costs
down for producers
In the last couple years the value of many major energy producers stocks have
been falling
ADVANTAGES OF COAL
One of the most abundant sources of energy
Reliable to produce electricity
Reduces the dependence on using oil
Not dependent on weather comparing to other forms of renewable energy like
wind or solar power
Inexpensive compared to other fossil fuels
• Coal energy is an affordable energy source because of the coal’s stable price
compared to other fuel sources
ADVANTAGES OF COAL
Versatile enough to be used for recreational activities such as BBQ’s or a home
fireplace
Can be safely stored and can be drawn upon to create energy in time of
emergency
Transporting coal is relatively simple
• It does not require the upkeep of high-pressure pipelines and there is no need for
extra security when transporting it
SUPPLY FROM COAL
RESERVES
This graph shows that
the supply from coal
reserves is twice
better than from
natural gas and 3.5
times better than from
oil. Coal can
guarantee supply for
about 160 years.
DISADVANTAGES OF COAL
Nonrenewable energy source
• Coal cannot be recycled so it will eventually run out in the future because we consume
too much of it
Burning coal is not environmentally friendly
• Coal releases harmful byproducts and gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen.
• Nitrogen is a powerful greenhouse gas, which causes pollution and contributes to global
warming and climate change
• Toxins that are released by the burning of coal and the transformation into electricity
produces 25% of United states global warming emissions
• The burning of coal is also responsible for almost 80% of all carbon emissions produced
by the U.S
Coal mining ruins the environment and puts the lives/health of people (specifically the
coal miners) in danger
DISADVANTAGES OF COAL
Storage cost is high
• Costs are especially high if required to have enough in stock for multiple years to
assure power production availability
Has the lowest energy density per unit volume
• The amount of energy generated per cubic meter is lower than any other fossil fuel
CURRENT ISSUES WITH COAL
Negative effect on the environment
• The process of burning coal results in a chemical reactions with oxygen in the air.
For the most part, the carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide.
The production of carbon dioxide adds to the supply already in the atmosphere,
increasing the greenhouse effect and thereby increasing the temperature of the
Earth
This change in temperature leads global warming
Health and safety dangers of coal mining
GLOBAL WARMING
Affects every sector of the economy
Ex. Agriculture
• A report from the Environmental Protection Agency stated that live stock problems
will increase due to global warming. Heat stress will reduce breeding and some of
the live stock diseases that now plague the South will shift northward.
• New tropical diseases will also invade the South.
• Problems with agricultural pests will multiply as well. More pests will survive over the
warmer winters, and they will breed more generations over the longer summers.
COAL MINING
Unpleasant occupation
• Idealists have called it a job unfit
for humans
Constant contact with dirt,
often without room to stand up
Although there have been
many improvements in recent
years, it is still one of the most
dangerous occupations,
regularly killing over 100 men
per year in the United States
Health Issues
HEALTH ISSUES
Black Lung disease
• Miners are exceptionally
susceptible to emphysema and a
variety of other lung diseases
Have more than 20 times the
normal risk of death from
silicosis or pneumoconiosis
Have about 2.5 times the
normal risk of dying from
bronchitis, pneumonia, or
tuberculosis
Die an average of 3 years
younger than the rest of the
population
ARE WE CURRENTLY MAKING
EFFICIENT USE COAL?
The use of coal to fuel Americans energy needs is extremely inefficient
A typical coal plant in the United States is only 33% efficient, which results in a lot
of wasted resources which impact the cost factor as well as the environment
• There is nothing clean about coal-burning plants; however, the burning of coal still
remains the largest source of the United States electricity.
WHAT POLICIES MIGHT CORRECT
COAL’S INEFFICIENCY?
Rome as not built in a day and America is not going to stop using coal by
tomorrow.
• There are steps that the U.S can take in order to achieve a more efficient and clean
future:
• A healthy energy future relies on smart/ efficient solutions
• Many states across America have invested in efficient renewable energy.
• Currently at least 34 states receive some part of their energy from wind power. Clean
energy is not only helpful to the environment but contributes to the well being of the
U.S economy too.
• The cost of natural gas and wind power is competitively priced and is cheaper than
coal. A study by the Apollo Alliance recently found that renewable energy can
generate 40% more jobs per dollar invested than coal.
THE FUTURE OF COAL
No future; the market has decided that coal is no longer competitive
• Most of the industries already try to multiply the utility scale of the solar power and
adding wind power
Will no longer be the main source of energy in the future because of its high costs
and its costs associated with those environmental concerns
• No new coal plants are being built, but renewable energy sources like solar and wind
plants are being developed around the world