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Positive and negative impacts of using coal to generate electricity
Alternative fuels essay of a student
Essay on alternative fuels
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The development of science and technology has led to people considering using alternative fuels to generate electricity. There are many alternative fuels that can generate electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy, wind energy, hydraulic power and so on (Fossil Fuels Used to Generate Electricity Power Plant Emissions of North America). According to the statistics by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2009, the usage of coal was still the largest source to generate the power. Sources of electricity in the United States were generated by 44.9% of coal, 20.3% of nuclear, 23.4% of natural gas, 1% of petroleum, 6.9% of hydroelectric conventional and 3.6% of others (Electric Power Monthly with Data for February 2014). Coal is the main source of electricity in many parts of the world, including the United States. One of the reason why most countries prefer to use coal to generate the electricity is that the cost of using coal is cheaper than other sources but powerful. The coal power stations are much easier to set up than other power station. There are many advantages in generating power from coal. Coal as a source of electricity is economic, safe, effective and it is easy to eliminate the secondary pollutions and so on. As a result, the usage of coal should remain its status and cannot be replaced by other fuels.
Using coal is one of the most historical ways to generate electricity around worldwide. According to the book Your World in Motion: The Story of Energy by George Barrow, the author stated that the first time people used thermal power by coal was at north train station Paris in 1875. The technology of the generators, the manufacturing of steam turbines and the power transmissions has been improved step...
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...hquake Revised to 8.0." Magnitude of SW China Earthquake Revised to 8.0. Xinhua, 18 May 2008. Web.
Mussatti, Daniel. Fabric Filter: Reverse-air Cleaned Type, Reverse-air Cleaned Type with Sonic Horn Enhancement, Reverse-jet Cleaned Type (also Referred to as Baghouses). S.l.: S.n., 2003. Print.
"The Economics of Nuclear Power." Nuclear Power Economics. World Nuclear Association, Feb. 2014. Web.
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"Timeline: Nuclear Plant Accidents." BBC News, 12 Sept. 2011. Web.
“U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." Electric Power Monthly. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Apr. 2014. Web.
Wilson, Robert. "Why Germany's Nuclear Phase Out Is Leading to More Coal Burning." RSS. N.p., 20 Jan. 2014. 68
Carbon, Max W. Nuclear Power: Villain or Victim?: Our Most Misunderstood Source of Electricity. Second ed. Madison, WI: Pebble Beach, 1997.
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.
“Face it. Nukes are the most climate-friendly industrial-scale form of energy” (Power, Reiss, Pearlstein, 655). This statement is what I’m trying to promote through my argument. It also ties Inconvenient Truths: 10 Green Heresies by Matt Powers, Spencer Reiss, and Jonanna Pearlstein and Nuclear Power is Best Energy Source: Potchef Stroom together by bring out the main point all authors are trying to get across. Global warming has been a big concern for years now and one of the biggest causes for it, is the burning of fossil fuels to get energy. People that live in the United States of America use a huge amount of energy in their daily lives and that amount continues to grow with our population growing with it. My purpose of this piece is to persuade people to switch to nuclear power for a cleaner energy source because it’s the cleanest energy source.
Meeting rising demand for clean, reliable and affordable electricity will require the use of coal for the foreseeable future, which in turn will require the development and demonstration of new, environmentally-sound technologies for coal-based electricity generation.
As the world is literally heating up, so is the pressing, controversial topic of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) publishes a climate change report every 5 years; the 2014 report is the most alarming report thus far. The long report is the collaborative work of more than 800 climate scientists and governmental representatives. The report is shocking, and it should be. The IPCC concludes that human activity is the cause of climate change, just as smoking causes cancer. The increasing living standards of industrialized nations are resulting in an increased use of coal energy. Along with the growing population, coal is being used at extravagant rates and increasing. Unfortunately, coal poses a threat to the future of humanity, and we are the direct cause (Richardson, 2014).
The price of coal remains stable unlike the prices of other fuel and energy sources. Coal is also one of the most abundant energy sources among all energy and fuel sources. Coal is also easy to burn and produces high amounts of energy upon combustion. Coal mining is also responsible for employing over 134,000 people in the United States alone. Coal is also independent of weather conditions, unlike other energy sources. If it happens to raining or strong winds occur, that is not an issue. Power Plants will continue to operate and people will continue to work. This also means that the supply of electricity from these sources is continuous and more consistent than electricity produces by solar panels or wind
Coal is very important because it is used to make electricity. This is true however coal has many other uses which will be outlined in this report. This report will also explain what coal is, what coal is used for, how coal is formed. It will also detail how coal is located through to the process of how coal is mined in particular open-cut mining. I am also going to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of coal usage and mining.
In March of 2011, Japan suffered one of the largest most powerful earthquakes to hit Honshu, Japan. (“Facts about Japan”) The earthquake registered 8.9 and was the fifth largest most powerful earthquake in the world.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Most of america does not know but two out of twelve percent of the united states coal will be shut down by or in 2025.(Jeff Spross) This is terrible because coal is what the world runs on. People in america are happy because it is going to make the environment better, but when it comes down to it they will complain when electric prices go up because it cost more to make energy. Coal is what powers phones, houses, schools, restaurants, gas stations, it is what powers the tools to build the houses that keep us warm at night, and the cities and towns we all call home across America.
What comes to mind when you think of coal mining? If you're like me, coal mining means living in darkness and a cold hearted industry. Other words that come to mind are poverty and oppression. Coal mining is not a job that you dream about or get a degree for. People who are coal miners do not chose a life full of danger and repression, they get stuck with it. There are many dangers that come along with coal mining, not only for the workers, but for the environment. Coal mining and the coal industry have caused irreversible damage to our environment and has killed innocent miners.
United States. Energy Information Administration. “Electric Power Monthly with Data for February 2014” eia.gov. US Energy Information Administration, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 8 May 2014.
In addition to the fact that solar, wind, and hydro power are local resources, they are also emission free resources. Emissions and pollution are a key concern with traditional power sources. The coal-fired plants that dominate U.S. energy production also produce more emissions than any other energy source. “Em...
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. .
Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel produced in the United States. Hundreds of millions of years ago swamps occurred in areas where coal is now existing. Coal is one of the world’s most significant sources of energy, fuelling almost 40% of electricity worldwide. Coal has been the world’s fastest growing energy source in recent years – faster than gas, oil, nuclear, hydro and renewables.
Neubacher, Alexander, and Catalina Schröder. "The Move to Renewables: German'ys Nuclear Phase-Out Brings Unexpected Costs." Der Spiegel, June 06, 2012. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-s-nuclear-phase-out-brings-unexpected-costs-to-consumers-a-837007.html (accessed March 27, 2014).