Jennifer Brock Grade 11J Geography Research Project
Topic: “Sustainable Energy for All”
Energy Type: Solar
Focus Question: “How Solar Energy impacts the coal industry”
Index:
Pg 1: Cover Page
Pg 2: Index
Pg 3: Introduction, Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar power
Pg 4: Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal power
Pg 5: Conclusion
Pg 6: References
Pg 7: References
Introduction: what is solar power?
Solar power is energy from the sun that is collected via solar panels that can sit on roofs of buildings or in large fields called solar fields. These panels will be placed at the angle where the sun will be able to reflect off it the most and the strongest. In this research how this solar power impacts the coal industry will be explored and explained.
Coal is the main source of creating energy in South Africa, however it is not a renewable source and with the growing population and the demand for energy the coal reserves will soon run out. South Africa in one way is
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Another disadvantage of using coal is that the amount of carbon emissions that is produced when it is burned is damaging the environment. The fine dust of the coal is also very dangerous to human health and many people that are near where the mines are situated and the miners and their families are the most effected. This is that the fine coal dust when inhaled causes respiratory issues and the person can develop asthma. Another disadvantage is that the mines take up large amounts of land, which destroys natural habitats and also decreases land values of places of close proximity to the mines. The power plants that are needed to convert the energy the coal produces into useable energy require fuel- the coal- and due to the energy demands growing due to a growing population, large amounts of coal is need to be brought in from other mines just to keep up with the
As the time goes on and the world population grows, our nonrenewable resources will become less prevalent. Coal powers a large portion of the world’s electricity. As the population increases, so will the level of electricity needed. When coal burns it pollutes the air, causing climate change. Mining coal can destroy the natural environment around the mines.
Coal mines are not as harmful as uranium mines at the same time coal mines are not ineffective. Bad coal mining practices can result in ignition of coal fires, which can burn for a long periods as well as releasing fly ash and smoke laden with greenhouse gasses and toxic chemicals. Furthermore coal mining releases methane gas, methane is a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, which increases global worming (Mining impacts,
Nowadays, coal is still one of the greatest used energy to generate power in so many countries. Using coal in electricity generation is 93% in South African, 87% in Poland, 79% in China, 78% in Australia, 45% in USA, 41% in Germany, 58% in Israel etc. (Coal & Electricity) From the data above, even the developed countries use coal to generate power as the main source. In many developed countries, energy generation is still based on coal as a long-term source. In recent years, although there is an increasing number of equipment using gas and wind to generate the power, it is still lower than the proportion of coal-fired power generation. The reason why most countries choose coal as a main source to generate electricity, is that there are many advantages in using coal to generate electricity. First of all, coal is the
As we go throughout life, we use various kinds of energy sources for our needs. Whether it be from solar energy to wind energy, there is a multitude of sources that allow us to do the things we do each and every day. Throughout the world, however, coal and nuclear power have risen to the
Coal power is the cheapest fuel to power the ever growing population with Australian mining industry still putting in billions of dollars into a vast amount of coal projects never the less coal power is a fossil fuel, a fuel which takes hundreds of year to form so the future of coal is undetermined. Coal is a reliable power source but one of the many concern with coal is the mining process used to remove it from the ground. Ecological effects are developing worries for the industry, with the carbon emissions possibly contributing to global warming.
Research suggests that coal is an energy source for the future because it is stable and reliable with abundant reserves. Coal is the most affordable and efficient fuel source used to produce power, and because of new technologies, coal can be extracted and used to produce energy more efficiently and cleaner for decades to
Unfortunately, there are many disadvantages associated with the combustion of coal energy. For example coal releases a tremendous amount of carbon emissions that negatively contribute to climate change and global warming. Coal burning is considered not environmentally friendly due to the large production of harmful by-products such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. This pollution can lead to other major problems for example acidic rain, as well as hazardous health risks to our eco-systems. Globally, scientists agree that the release of greenhouse gases are contributing to the earths rise in temperature, which leads to rising sea levels, disappearing glaciers and change in annual weather patterns. The main problem associated with
As far back as the Roman Empire, and indeed probably long before then, coal has been used by humans as a source of heat, providing many advantages over wood, charcoal and other fuels. However, it wasn 't until the introduction of the steam engine that coal became a major part of shaping the world. Fueling the industrial revolution, the high energy concentration of coal made it the standard source of everything from trains to power plants. Coal companies claim that coal, though not perfect, is the best source of energy at this moment, and the negative effects are being mitigated even as we speak. Consumers have a high demand of energy, that cannot be sated by other sources. To this very day, coal continues to drive forward the world, but
The coal industry is a market that over the years has decreased in size. “Cheaper natural gas and tougher environmental regulations” as told by The New York Times, has depleted the need for coal companies and made it extremely hard for them accomplish the necessary tasks needed to get coal. The problem with coal is the amount of damage it does to the environment. Coal is a very dirty job that does a lot of damage to the environment and costs millions to cleanup. Recently, many coal companies have gone bankrupt from from having to meet regulations and clean up their mines. A recent uproar has come about over Alpha Natural Resources. “Once a high-flying coal company that borrowed millions” now is in extreme debt and is closing down many of its
Coal has been one of the main and most used resources of energy, although it is a non-renewable resource and is a fossil fuel. Most countries depend on the combustion of coal when it comes to generating electricity. Burning coal has its advantages, like efficiently releasing energy in the form of heat, but it also has its disadvantages. The combustion of coal contributes to many environmental issues like climate change and acid rain, which lead to many health problems. One of the main polluting products of coal combustion is
Most countries focus on surface mining because it allows for easy access to coal and it is more cost effective. It is providing cheap energy for countries like China, India, and other growing economies, especially third world nations. This will access to cheap fuel is a strong catalysts for these countries to emerge as first world nations (U.S Department of Energy 1). Even the UN who is working to decrease the global emissions of the planet is still open to allowing third world countries to take the opportunity to use coal and other fossil fuels. Since there are so many emerging and 3rd world countries, the likelihood is that coal may decrease in some areas, but have new markets to enter and be used in. Even with renewables, solar and wind, hitting record lows in expenses is still no match for coal plants in the long run. Especially since there is a strong need for coal to continue as the base load in these emerging economies. Due to this momentum, we see a strong movement in the coal industry as it continues to progress.
With that being said here are some environmental impacts of coal you may not know about. The air pollutants cause acid rain, smog ,respiratory illnesses, cancers and toxins in the environment. Coal miners can get respiratory illnesses from the coal dust while mining. If an abandoned coal mine catches fire it puts tons of mercury into the atmosphere, this happens every year and is responsible for three percent of carbon dioxide emissions globally. The second largest contributor to
The world depends immensely on coal let go for power but for other sorts. It's additionally dependable and copious. That is the thing that makes it troublesome for renewable alternatives, for example, wind and sun oriented, to contend in simply money related term. (Originenergy.com.au)
Coal is a nonrenewable energy source, meaning that there is a limited supply of it and therefore if too much is expended the source will eventually run out. There are three primary advantages associated with the production and use of coal energy, abundance, affordability, and capital maintenance. Coal is a relatively inexpensive fossil fuel; this may be because of the great abundance of it with it being a fairly predictable and a reliable source. This abundance leads to low and stable prices, with a relative simplistic conversion of coal to energy, resulting in power generation plants being built using less governmental faculties compared to many other competing energy sources. Such advantages make coal a popular energy source globally, especially
In order for one to further understand the importance of solar energy, the problem of global warming must be explained. As defined by Webster’s Dictionary, “Global Warming” is an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. With an average increase in atmospheric temperatures, our planet is slowly deteriorating. In order to stall or halt this global destruction, countries must turn to solar energy as a cleaner alternative to the depletion of fossil fuels. Solar energy creates a homeostasis for the climate. Due to its ability to decrease global climate changes, solar power can address global warming in several ways.