Energy Resources

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Coal is a black or brown rock that can be lit and burned to make energy by warmth. Coal is also one of the most used fossil fuels. There are many different varieties of coal, it includes lignite, subbituminous, bituminous and anthracite. It is said that lignite is the youngest out of all of them.(Kentucky Educational Television 2013) Coal is made up of once living organisms, making it a fossil fuel. (Illinois Coal Association 2013)
Coal mining is the separation of deposits from the surface of the Earth and from the crust. (Encyclopedia Britannica 2013) Coal is mined by underground and surface mining. Underground mining is mining in shafts and tunnels to get to the coal. Surface mining is mining on the ground down to the coal also called strip mining. (RRC Kids World, School House, How is coal mined? 2013)
According to New Century Coal the average price of coal in 2009 was around $44.47. Coal can vary in price depending on the type of coal used because some coals produce more energy and burn hotter. The coal used to help make iron and steel is more expensive because the coal used for the making is harder to find.(New Century Coal 2013)
Coal is used mainly because it’s the cheapest out of all of the fossil fuels. We use it because we have a great abundance of it in America so we don’t have to import it. We use it also because it has a steady amount of it so there won’t be a major decrease in coal soon. We use coal because it will last long enough for us to make a secondary source of energy to replace it. (Kentucky Foundation 1996-2007)
It is formed from the plants that have been found to be up to 400 million years old. The energy coal gets form mostly is carbon. Most of our coal comes from swampy areas. The remains of plants and tr...

... middle of paper ...

...oal, A. (2013, October 21). Illinois coal association. Retrieved from http://www.ilcoalassn.com/whatiscoal.html
RRC Kids, W. (2013, October 23). School house. Retrieved from http://www.kids.rrc.state.tx.us/school/classroom/coal/coalmined.html‎
New Century, C. (2013, October 24). New century coal. Retrieved from http://www.newcenturycoal.com/newscentre/coalinfo.php
Kentucky Coal, E. (2013, October 24). Kentucky coal education. Retrieved from http://www.coaleducation.org/q&a/10_reasons_why_coal.htm
Kentucky, T. (2013, October 24). How is coal formed. Retrieved from http://www.ket.org/trips/coal/agsmm/agsmmhow.html
CPS, E. (2013, October 25). Cps energy. Retrieved from https://www.cpsenergy.com/Services/Generate_Deliver_Energy/Coal/coal_generation.asp
Exxon, M. (2013, October 25). Coal. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/rhschem3harperle/why-is-coal-important

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