Coal vs. Natural Gas as a Fuel Choice
Natural gas and coal – there are many ongoing debates about the sustainability of the two for future fuel sources. Coal mining has had a negative connotation for many years. Many people have worked their entire lives in the coal mining industry - only to end up in debt and be diagnosed with black lung. With natural gas, there is concern over having enough supply, or are the switching costs from coal to natural gas power plants or from gasoline to natural gas fueled automobiles worth the investment? In ways, coal and natural gas are almost competing fuels, in a race to find which one will take the winner in the future energy market for electricity generation. Which one is more sustainable and economically
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In 2013, the U.S. produced 24.3 trillion cubic feet and used 26.0 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2013 (importing the difference to meet demand). (EIA, 2014) The U.S. NG reserves as the end of 2003 was 1,338 trillion cubic feet. (Agency, Natural Gas - Clean Energy, 2013) Many end-use appliances use natural gas, including hot water heaters, ovens, stove tops, HVAC, and fireplaces. Not only does NG fuel appliance - the automotive industry has begun incorporating natural gas as an alternative to gasoline. Natural gas benefits from an in-place transmission/transportation system (pipelines), and the NG industry employs over 1.2 million …show more content…
electricity generation, which accounts for 90 percent of its total usage. The U.S. is the second largest producer of coal, falling behind China. At the end of 2003, there was an estimated 268 billion tons of coal reserves in the U.S. (Agency, Coal - Clean Energy, 2013) The U.S. produced 948 million short tons of coal in 2013, with now over 10 trillion short tons in reserve. U.S. mining operations support over 500 coal burning power plants, supplied by U.S. rail systems. (EIA, 2014) Coal is currently gaining ground in terms of demand. Despite the negative associations given to coal, it has many positives. There is an abundance of coal in large quantities that is readily available on-hand locally in the United States. This can save on importation fees. It is safer than natural gas to transport; however, mining can still be somewhat dangerous. Above all, it is the cheapest source of energy that is available at this time. (Nersesian, 2010) Coal is relatively inexpensive and in thriving in a mature industry. It is very abundant in highly industrialized countries, and can be transformed into a liquid or gas which burns cleaner. (Association, 2014)
Global Demand
Current projections show that in the next 20 years, natural gas consumption will increase by 23.4 percent, and coal by 9.9 percent, and together both will supply 80 percent of the U.S energy supply by
Coal is by far the most abundant of fossil fuels, and will be available for much longer than oil. Having been harvested and burned since the 13th century, a massive infrastructure has been formed to quickly and efficiently mine, deliver, and burn coal. Coal is also the cheapest of fossil fuels (The Futurist, 1997)
Coal production had become a driving force behind the United States industrial revolution. Coal was used for a variety of purposes including powering steam engines, iron manufacturing, and the heat in homes and towns. One of the largest users of coal in southern Colorado was the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I). Their furnaces were heated with coal from, he Culebra Mountain range in the southern part of Colorado was known for having some of the richest coal in the state. The coal is glossy black bituminous coal the second highest grade of coal available.
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.
use across all sectors. Natural gas is the second most used energy source in industry, trailing
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...
Natural gas extraction and consumption has risen over the past thirty years. Also known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, a tremendous amount of uproar is being made in the environmental and political communities. Natural gas use is a great source of energy worldwide, only in America have we had a gold rush affect when it comes to extraction. Natural gas provides less dependence on foreign oil, less need for coal plants, and a more affordable energy source worldwide. There are many advantages to using natural gas but the way in which it is being extracted has caused many people to become sick. The detrimental environmental impacts caused by hydraulic fracturing continue to rise. Not to mention the political pull on big corporations and water quality standards. Currently in the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and the Barnett shale in Texas, the air and water quality have diminished over the past years since drilling sites ran rampant. Natural gas is natural in terms of how it came to be, but not natural in how they extract it and the problems it is causing everyone involved. To make aware the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, environmental impacts, water quality and air emissions, must be considered.
The dependency on fossil fuels is a pressing issue for not only America, but the whole world. People everywhere continue to search for solutions to the growing problem by taking steps to create a cleaner environment, reduce the price of fuel consumers pay and most importantly, protect the nation’s security from foreigners. America, being one of the leading consuming nations of fossil fuels, is negatively affecting the environmental, economic and political aspects pertaining to its dependency on non-renewable resources.
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
From the 1970s to the 1990s, pipelines became far more versatile than before. More pipelines were being used to transport natural gas, such as carbon dioxide for oil recovery and other natural gas liquids for a growing heating industry. Pipelines were being constructed to gather oil and gases more than a mile beneath the bottom of the
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.
I’ve long been familiar with the concept of coal mines, but a common occurrence I was unfamiliar with previous to this class was the concept of coal mine fires, but it is a huge problem, both economically and environmentally.
The use of fossil fuels on a large scale, specifically coal, began with the Industrial Revolution in England. Industries/corporations first used coal as a main source of energy to fuel their factories, and it became even more popular when railroads started. According to the United States Energy Department, "...by the early 20th century coal had become the major fuel in the United States, accounting for nearly 75% of the nation's energy requirements." Soon after, newer and cheaper fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, were high in demand. Energy Supplies, Sustainability, and Costs, by Sandra Alters, states oil was used as the main source of fuel to heat homes and offices, and gas powered the growing number of cars (57). "Oil shoved aside coal as the world's primary fuel, just as coal had replaced wood", says Tom Mast in Over a Barrel: A Simple Guide to the Oil Shortage (15). Most Americans were not concerned wit...
Burning and mining coal for fuel is harmful to the environment but because how cheap and easy it is to find many people are unwilling to give it up as a fuel source. One of the problems with coal is that they are limited and are non-renewable so once it has been used we won’t be able to use it again.
The world that we live into today affords us the expectation that the flip a switch will turn the lights on. As populations increase and developing nations undergo dramatic economic growth, this energy demand will only continue to grow. The International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that “the world’s energy needs could be 50% higher in 2030 than they are today” (ElBaradei). Given this projected growth, it is necessary for world leaders must take action to secure the energy supply. Meaning that world leaders need to start seriously considering an alternative to non-renewable energy sources. “In 2012, the United States generated about 4,054 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. About 68% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), with 37% attributed from coal” (U.S. Energy Information Administration). The fossil fuels that are used to supply over half of our country’s energy are in finite supply and are increasing in price to astronomical heights.
Fuels like coal, and oil that once were a fine innovation in creating energy are now rapidly deleting and one day will be gone forever; energy that won’t last is often referred to as non-renewable energy. Besides being set up to fail and become inefficient in the future, fossil fuel energy is not clean to use and poses several environmental complications. Coal, for instance is “the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. Coal combustion not only produces sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides that contribute to acid rain and snow, it generates millions of tons of particulates that cause asthma and other respiratory diseases.” As with all usage of fossil fuels, it creates enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, which contributes to greenhouse gas. Not only are fossil fuels dirty, they also pose as a security risk and unforgiving on the American wallet. (Saini)