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Everything on Earth revolves around energy. Whether it involves plants, animals, or humans. The activities we do every day in our households, and the tasks that occur worldwide, use energy, that will eventually run out. That is why we need to conserve the energy resources we have, and search to find an alternate resource.
Coal is one the three main fossil fuels. It is composed of living materials, which classifies it as a fossil fuel. It is also classified by its hardness, moisture, and heat content. There are several types of coal, but three main types of coal make up most of the world’s supply. Anthracite is the hardest coal, containing the most BTU content. Bituminous coal has the medium hardness. Lignite is the softest coal. Coal’s chemical composition is a mix of many elements including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen. (Illinois Coal Association, 2013)
Coal is formed on the ocean and sea floors. When plants die, they fall to the bottom of the ocean and become pressurized into peat. More and more layers of dead plants cover the peat and get dried into coal. (Illinois Coal Association, 2013) This process is called coalification, which is when peat is altered physically and chemically. Peat deposits are generally formed in waterlogged environments. (University of Kentucky, 2012)
Coal can be mined many different ways, but there are two main types that produce the highest percentage of coal; surface and underground mining. Almost 60 percent of coal is mined from surface mines. Most underground mines are located east of the Mississippi River. About 20 percent of coal mined in the U.S comes from longwall mining. Longwall mining is an underground mine that cuts coal of a wall in slices. (National Energy Foundation, ...
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9. Nuclear Energy Institute. (2013, October 24). Costs of nuclear energy. Retrieved from http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/Costs-Fuel,-Operation,-Waste-Disposal-Life-Cycle
10. Conserve-Energy-Future. (2013, October 24). Disadvantages of nuclear energy. Retrieved from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Disadvantages_NuclearEnergy.php
11. NC State University. (2013, October 25). International politics - nuclear energy. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/nuclear-energy/politics/foreign
12. Business Insider. (2013). Reasons to lower your driving time. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/13-reasons-you-should-bike-to-work-2012-10
13. Kentucky Coal Association. (2007). 10 reasons why coal is a good energy source. Retrieved from http://www.coaleducation.org/q&a/10_reasons_why_coal.htm
We are dependent on energy for almost everything in our lives. When the outside temperature rises a little, we immediately switch on the air conditioner to keep our house cool. This is using up of energy. We have starting taking things for granted and we have started wasting energy unnecessarily. Energy is limited and hence to maintain the quality of life, it is important that we use our energy resources wisely. If we do not conserve energy, the energy will exhaust and we will have nothing to use.
Coal mining in the United States is a major industry. In 2012, the coal mining industry employed nearly 90,000 people [1]. The Black Mesa Complex in Northern Arizona consists of two seperate coal mines, the Kayenta mine and the Black Mesa coal mines. Both mines are owned and operated by Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC). The mines are located 10 miles southwest of Kayenta, AZ. The Kayenta mine is 40,000 acres (62.5 square miles), employs 430 workers [2], and is the 27th largest mine in the United States, producing nearly 7.5 million short tons of coal per year [1]. The Black Mesa mine is located a few miles to the west of the Kayenta Mine. Operations at the Black Mesa coal mine haulted in 2005 when a court order shut down the powerplant that the coal from the mine fed. While the mine was active it produced 5 million tons of coal per year [3] and employed 360 workers [4].
Coal is considerably one of the most important sources of energy in nature and is one the most significant sources for power generation worldwide. The excavation and importance of coal became mainstream and apparent during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The myths must be dispelled. First of all, coal is not a bountiful. It is a nonrenewable resource and, according to a United States Geologic Survey, it is only expected...
Coal is one of the world’s most abundant fossil fuels. Coal was formed during the Carboniferous Period when dead plant material was buried and subjected to high pressure and heat. Coal is classified by moisture content and composition. There are four d...
Roughly 68 percent of the electricity generated in the United States of America is produced by fossil fuels. That includes petroleum, natural gases and coal. Although coal contributes around 37 percent to the factor, it is by far not the cleanest of them all. Some might argue that it is good for the economy because it is cheap and it creates jobs.. But the other side of the story portrays coal mining as a process that kills thousands of coal miners a year and that it practically destroys the environment around the mining with soot and air pollution. Mining now days is a big part of urbanization; due to how cheap the process is. There are different ways that coal mining is done. Mainly mountain top removal is done but there are many other
Lower quality coal is used for generating electricity. To generate electricity they burn the coal in a power plant to produce steam. The steam then travels through a turbine and generates power. The higher quality coal is used for making iron and steel. Coal is retrieved from nature by mining, either from an underground mine or from an aboveground mine. Due to the difficulty of underground mining coal from underground mines sells for more money. After the coal is mined it is processed to remove impurities from it. Lastly it is transported, “The cost of shipping coal can be more than the cost of mining it.” (US Energy Information Administration, 2013). Transportation methods include, truck, barge, train, and pipeline.
We depend on energy; nothing in our daily lives could be possible without it. Electricity primarily comes from burning fossil fuels or using nuclear reactors. But the plain truth is, we are running out of fossil fuels. Our known oil deposits will run out in approximately 35 years, and if we increase the use of natural gas and coal to make up for the energy loss, our natural gas will last for 45 years and coal deposits will deplete in 75 years.
When coal gets burned they start to release harmful dangerous toxins such as mercury, lead and arsenic that will then escape into the air. It also releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. These emissions increase the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and lead to global warming.
The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. While the price of natural gas per barrel continues to plummet, the United States is constantly seeking new sources of renewable energy. Renewable energy consists of any type of natural resource (solar power, ocean power, wind power, rain, snow, etc.). that naturally and automatically replenishes itself. Renewable energy is important because it is infinite and everlasting, meaning our children and our children’s children will be able to utilize these resources long after we are gone.
There are three types of fossil fuels- coal, crude oil, and natural gas. Coal was formed very slowly. Even the “newest” coal we use today was formed a million years ago. Most of the coal we use was formed 300 million years ago, when the Earth was covered with swamps. When plants and trees died, they sank to the bottoms of the swamps. These plants and trees were layered on top of each other, forming a substance called peat. Peat is considered the first stage in coal formation. It is a mixture of water, leaves, braches, and other plant debris. Over time, the Earth changed, and deposits of sand, clay, and other minerals were formed, burying the peat. Sedimentary rock...
Why do we need to rely on renewable sources? Most of the energy that we use today comes from fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, and oil. All of these resources are non-renewable, so you can finish one day. In order to have a better world and a healthy environment for the future, people are trying to obtain energy from natural resources instead of non-renewable sources. In the lecture “Renewable energy resources” (2014), Mistry focuses on some advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy.
With the depletion of fossil fuel resources comes speculations and debates about alternative energy sources. The world, including the Philippines, is practically dependent on a dwindling non-renewable source of energy. Today, experts are debating about and considering three options: Nuclear, Solar, or Wind Energy. Everyone has been accustomed to the bad image of nuclear energy as a result of the Chernobyl and Fukushima incidents above all others. The popular belief is that radiation from a nuclear meltdown is very harmful to humans and other living things—which is true—and that nuclear power plants are very dangerous and not ideal—which is not. According to Smith, et. al (n.d), all the nuclear disasters that ever occurred were caused by human error and natural disasters like tsunamis, not one because of system failure. Putting the false beliefs aside, with proper engineering and adequate maintenance by experts, a nuclear power plant is a very ideal and viable source of energy for the following reasons:
For years man has relied on energy in order to be successful in life. The industrial revolution relied on coal for the new inventions brought into the world. Life as has never been the same since then. However since that time, there has been little done to improve on energy efficiency and humans still primarily rely on fossil fuels for energy. For over a hundred years the Earth has become more polluted and dirtier than ever before. Now, with new, innovative technology there is an opportunity to change that and to rely on renewable, cleaner sources of energy. The main source of energy for the world should be alternative energy instead of energy from fossil fuels.
Imagine a life without lights, televisions, computers, trains, washing machine, refrigerators and microwaves. Imagine a planet so polluted that smog is in the air so bad that one cannot see very far, lakes and streams are poisoned, and land so badly scarred from people trying to find more energy sources. This may become reality in nearly future as a result of abuse of our energy resources. That reveals that energy is most important in our life, while a planet where we live is important too, a planet which effected by both generate the energy to meet our demands, and our use of energy.