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Steam and Electricity from Coal |
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Coal is an ore
which is harvested from the earth by mining. Mining has progressed
substantially from the early days when the environmental impact of
their operation was not taken into consideration. Now, mining operations
are required by the Environmental Protection Agency to restore the
property to it's "original condition."
Coal fired power plants produce roughly 30% of the electrical energy used worldwide. Though the market share has dropped over 48% since 1933, the world is now consuming more coal than ever before as a result of our rapidly increasing energy needs. |
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| Coal fired power plants use coal to fuel a boiler to produce steam. This steam is piped into a turbine which is connected to a generator. Depending on the size of the power plant, the coal fired boilers can consume anywhere from a few hundred pounds of coal an hour to several tons of coal a minute! Think about that!! With each passing minute, coal fired power plants are consuming countless tons of coal! "How will we keep up," you may ask? We won't. The solution to the impending energy problems is to seek alternative sources. |
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addition to the alarming rate of consumption, the environmental impact
of coal fired power plants is discouraging. When burned, coal produces
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and particulate matter.
Even with the use of scrubbers, devices used to clean the exhaust fumes,
coal fired power plants are responsible for between 30% and 40% of the
greenhouse gases emitted globally. |
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