The Use of Coal for Power Should Continue

In the United States, 42 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated by burning coal as coal is cheap and plentiful.

Energy is an important part of life producing the power of movement, heat, and production of electricity in many different ways. Therefore, choosing the correct source of energy is important for the environment and humans. Renewable energy that produces electricity never runs out, causing a lower environmental impact. Solar, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal, and Hydropower energy should be used globally to produce electricity. On the other hand, producing electricity from nonrenewable energy sources can be very harmful to humans and the environment. Humans can easily be dependent on it, which may not be the best option when it comes to finance, efficiency, sustainability and more. Approximately 52% of the US electricity comes from polluting sources like natural gas, oil, nuclear, and hydropower that have a lot of disadvantages effecting the environment in a negative way.

America should pursue alternative energy sources because “With only 5 percent of the worlds population, the United States consumes almost one-quarter (22.5%) of global energy”. (((Josef Bram, 15))) With such a small percentage of the world’s population and still one of the largest consumers of energy the U.S should be looking for new and better ways to generate energy. Currently The U.S’s energy is supplied using traditional sources. According to Canadian scientist and policy analyst Vaclav Smil “Todays energy 29% from coal, 33% from oil and gas, and 33% from soft-energy (alternative sources)” (((Smil, 47))) Most of the energy we use on a daily basis is not produced using clean methods. Some alternative energy sources that are already in place within the United Stats are wind, solar, and hydraulic.

The pollution is leaving our footprint rate out of control! Knowing that they have gotten rid of all the coal generators is a big reduction of the ecological footprint. Without the generators burning off the coal, the pollution will stay at a lower rate causing the footprint to decrease. It is more sustainable now than before because our city doesn't have to worry about trying to maintain the pollution levels as much as we used to and we can focus on more of the major projects.

When I go to my home where I grew up it is all electrical produced and the main producer of that electricity is from coal a fossil fuel. In that area coal is one of the primary exports of that area. (Administration,

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

Topic Disclosure: Today the primary source of fuel for the generation of electricity are fossil fuels such as coal, natural gases, and petroleum.

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.

Examples of renewable energy sources are, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, and wind. Renewable energy is expensive to produce but due to the high price of oil and natural gas, it has become cost-effective. Additionally the federal government has offered tax credits to encourage the development of more renewable energy sources. The Energy Information Administration (2008) states that the United States is the second largest country to produce renewable electricity. Specifically hydroelectric power is the most abundant renewable source of energy at this time. Wind turbine technology has improved in the past few years. Wind turbines produce electricity to be sent to people’s homes. In 2006 wind produced 4% of the United States energy supply (Energy Information Administration, 2008). As more and more wind farms are constructed that percentage will go up. The more energy that can be produced by renewable sources, will allow the United States to use natural gas for transportation rather than powering the homes of the American people. Every energy source the United States can use will help with the dependence on foreign oil.

Most of the electricity around the world comes from burning fossil fuel such as coal, natural gas and oil. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nearly half of the electricity used in the U.S comes from burning coal; in America, coal is mined in 26 out 50 states making coal the most abundant and cost the lowest to generate electricity. Although cheap, it is controversial to keep mining coal because it is destroying about environment. Mining coal disrupts the surround land, contaminates the water, and pollutes the air.

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

The Industrial Revolution sparked a need for large sources of energy. Human and animal labor could not provide the power necessary to power industrial machinery, railroads, and ships. The steam engine and later the internal combustion engine provided the bulk of the energy required by the industrial age. Today most nations are still heavily reliant on energy that comes from combustion. Usually coal, petrolium, and natural gas are used. Some hydroelectric, wind power, and nuclear fission sources are used, but in the US they accounted for less than 20% of the total energy consumption in 1997 (1). Many experts are worried that natural resources such as coal and petrolium are being depleted faster than they are being replenished, which could

CO2 is the most significant greenhouse gas, which mainly comes from the use of fossil fuels. Many people feel that content of CO2 in the atmosphere is the main reason for manmade global warming. The main sources of CO2 emissions involve electricity generation, industrial processes, fumes from transportation and commercial buildings and use. Emissions of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, to the atmosphere are expected to cause even more of a significant change in global climate (Davison, 2007). The main focus to try to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is to reduce the amount that is released from coal-fired power plants. Greenhouse gas emissions that involve the productions of electricity come from natural gas production and coal-fired power plant operations. Natural gas production accounts for twenty-four percent and coal-fired power plant operations accounts for seventy-five percent, while the other one percent is caused by other electricity generation operations. The main reason why coal-fired power plants have a higher percentage of emissions is because the sulfur content of coal is much higher than that of other fossil fuels (Jarmaillo et al., 2007). This proves that there is a great need to find an alternative fossil fuel to use instead of coal. Although coal is easy to mine, transport and process for the electricity generation process, it is also the

Figure above shows the percentage of electric energy in the U.S. Over 50% of the energy is from coal. This year nuclear energy use was increasing; however, it creates radioactive. Natural gas will pollute the air and caused global warming. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wind is the fastest growing energy resource. It increased by 46.6 percent by 2005.

In India, 80% of mining is done in coal and the rest balance 20% is done in various metals and other raw materials such as gold, iron, lead, copper, zinc and uranium. Coal has been a major contributor in ensuring energy security during the last century. But it is not a renewable energy resource. Coal is the most important and abundant fossil fuel in India and accounts for approximately 55% of India 's total energy need. India 's industrial heritage was based upon indigenous coal, largely mined in the eastern and the central regions of the country. Coal has been recognized as the single most important source of energy for electricity generation in India. About 75% of the total coal produced is consumed in the power sector. In addition, several industries like steel, cement, paper, fertilizers, chemicals and thousands of medium and small scale industries are dependent on coal for their energy requirements. In the transport sector, the energy requirement for electric traction is still dependent on coal converted into electric power.