Compare and Contrast Essay - Solar Power vs Coal Power

The energy we get from coal today comes from the energy that plants absorbed from the sun millions of years ago. When an area is to be mined, topsoil and subsoil are removed from the rock and so is another material, call overburden, to expose the bed of coal. All living plants give solar energy through photosynthesis. When plants die the energy gets out as the plants decay. The whole decaying process gets interrupted which prevents the release of the stored solar energy, then the energy stays locked in the coal. The plant material gets subjected to high temperatures and pressures which causes physical and chemical changes in the vegetation, transforming it into peat and then into coal. The formation of peat is the first step in the geological formation of fossil fuels such as coal. Peat plants is not only the first step for formation but they also capture CO2 itself. There are many effect to the environment when it comes to coal; an example is AMD which stands for Acid mine drainage; it includes the outflow of acidic water from coal mines or metal mines. Mines exposed rocks containing pyrite which reacts to water and air to form acid and dissolved iron and can easily wash into rivers and streams. Coal is a huge impact when it comes to hurting our

The article, “Coal and the Environment”, provides the readers will and understanding of how coal works and also how it is dangerous to our environment. Coal on its own is not dangerous to the environment but once the coal is burned, then pollutants are released into the air causing for less clean air. The government has taken a stand on the industries polluting the air we breathe in everyday with the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. These two acts put restrictions on industries that allow for safer and cleaner air.

For many years, energy has been a need for people everywhere. What has become of the world today is due to the revolution in energy use. There are two types of energy non-renewables and sources-renewables. An example of a non-renewable is coal and it is a great type of fossil fuel the reason being is because it is a reliable source of electricity. Examples of renewables are wind,water and solar power. Renewables can be recovered and reused while on another hand a non-renewables can not be used again. Coal has been used for thousands of years archaeologists discovered that coal was used even in the second and third centuries by the Romans. Solar power is a renewable source since it’s powered by the sun. It can be changed into other forms for example both heat and electricity can come directly from the sun. The sun’s power has been used for a lifetime to heat up our homes, water (to drink and bathe), and our food as well. Both energy sources-coal and solar-are quite reliable resources, and are used very much. As worldwide energy sources, coal and solar power share similarities and differences when it comes to having a huge impact on the environment the world's economic status within how much money we profit from them and human health such as increased lung cancer rates.

Emissions from coal fired power plants contribute to global warming, ozone smog, acid rain, regional haze, and perhaps most consequential of all from a public health standpoint, fine particle pollution.

Coal releases dozens of hazardous substances that can be harmful to human health. These are just four of the many things that coal releases: Mercury, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. Every one of these act on the nervous system to cause loss of intellectual capacity. Exposure to coal dust can lead to black lung disease, or pneumoconiosis, which took the lives of 10,000 miners worldwide over the last decade. Black lung disease is similar to diseases you can get from smoking tobacco for a long period of time. This disease is most common with coal miners, because they are constantly exposed to the dangers coal causes. Coal affects not only the human respiratory system, but also the cardiovascular and nervous system. This

In how many ways can coal impact the environment? Coal is a type of rock that consists of plant matter, and it is one of the two fossil fuels. It is transferred into energy by the powder being burned, then the heat turns the water into steam and the high pressure heat turns a turbine, which is connected to a generator. Coal energy impacts the environment by, providing jobs, a stable energy source, and the pollution it gives off.

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

Coal is not the most abundant fossil fuel, and should not be used in the future. There are three main reasons for this, the first being that the amount of coal in the world is very close to gone. Every year, humans consume 11 billion tons of coal a year, scientists predict that the coal supply will be gone in the next 50 years (Ecotricity, 2017). Another being that coal not being a major source of energy, it is a dirty and hazardous organic matter. Coal can cause black lung disease for the miners who are harvesting the coal (Chiras, 2016). The last major reason is that burning coal is a major source of pollution for the atmosphere. The impact that coal has on the environment is detrimental. When coal is being mined it is mined by using a technique

While technology has led the world into such an advanced setting with intelligent machinery and automated devices, coal has remained a loyal contributor of the energy needed by these various types of equipment to function properly. Almost half of the electricity in the United States is produced in coal plants where coal is burnt to produce this energy [1]. Both beneficial and detrimental factors come with this alternative source of energy, known by the world for centuries.

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

It is known as the “dirty fuel” because it causes air pollution. Which harms the environment and human health. Coal releases carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide and other pollutants. It causes acid rain, and it destroys forests. Even the U.S. has better regulations than other countries the lack of regulation causes climate change.

Coal burning for electrical power is a big industry, but it creates a lot of big problems. Coal is full of carbon dioxide and burning it releases the CO2 into the atmosphere (Overview of Greenhouse Gases). The coal mining process creates pollution as well. Rubble and debris can end up in streams and pollute the water (McQuaid)(Pond et al). However, this pollution can be lessened. Coal mining and burning is an industry that creates large amounts of air and water pollution, but with proper regulations such as cap and trade programs and Command and Control government regulations on mining, the damage created by the industry can be reduced.

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

Waste Generation: coal-fired power use causes several pollutant emissions in the atmosphere causing global climate change (Weaver, 2008). Also, it has large waste generation, which results in land and water resource depletion because it contaminates the very air and water we use every day. This causes public health and safety as well as animal health and safety (Worldcoal.org, 2016)

Coal causes local and state water supplies to become contaminated with acid. This is bad for all the fish. The fish in that water die due to the acid corroding their insides. Also the wildlife that drink that water may not survive. The gases coal gives off are highly polluted and not only that but, sulfur is included with coal and when that sulfur mixes with oxygen it creates sulfur dioxide which destroys the atmosphere and is one of the biggest causes of pollution. Coal also ruins ground and surface water causing permanent damage to local ecosystems that use that water