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Fossil Fuel: Coal
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The United States has abundant coal resources, and coal is the least expensive fossil fuel on an energy-per-Btu basis. But environmental issues related to coal-fired power-generating plants could limit its effectiveness. New clean coal technologies will allow coal to meet emission requirements established by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
RESOURCE
Coal is a solid fossil fuel mined in several parts of the United States from open pits (59%) and underground mines (41%). Bituminous/sub-bituminous coal provides 89% of domestic demonstrated reserves.
Mining of western U.S. coal--typically low-sulfur coal from open pits--is projected to increase from 41% in 1992 to 47% in 2010.
Annual domestic coal production is about 1 billion tons, with about 100 million tons exported to Canada, Japan, and Italy.
Domestic in-the-ground coal resources are estimated at 4 trillion tons. Estimated recoverable-coal reserves total 261 billion tons--more than 200 years supply at current production rates.
ADVANTAGES
Coal is an abundant domestic resource that strongly supports the mining industry and provides numerous jobs.
Coal is the least expensive electrical energy source.
Coal provides a dependable resource and technology for baseload electrical generation.
CURRENT USE AND COST
The principal use of coal is electricity generation by utility companies (87% in 1992); industrial use (11%) is declining. Since 1984, coal has been the largest source of domestic energy (33%, or 22 quadrillion Btu in 1992).
Coal provides more than half the energy consumed by utilities to produce electricity (55% of total energy, 81% of fossil fuel energy, or 16 quadrillion Btu in 1992). Coal is the least expensive fossil fuel on energy-per-Btu basis ($1.42/million Btu in 1992).
PROJECTED USE AND COST
Coal production is projected to increase to 1.2 billion tons in 2010, providing 35% of domestic energy production. Coal's cost per Btu is expected to rise by less than 2% until 2010, thus maintaining its price advantage over other fossil fuels.
ISSUES
Coal is not well suited to peaking electrical generation.
With today's technology, coal is a major source of air pollution (66% of total U.S. sulfur dioxide emissions) and greenhouse gases (36% of total man-made carbon emissions).
OPPORTUNITIES
Large-scale retirement of coal and nuclear baseload electric plants will begin around 2000; these plants could be replaced with clean coal technology. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 place new requirements on future power generation; these could be met affordably with clean coal technology.
The worldwide market for clean power technologies will range between $270 billion and $750 billion during the next 20 years; this is a tremendous opportunity for U.S. industry and jobs.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Dramatically improved coal liquefaction technologies--to replace imported oil--have cut projected costs in half to $35 per barrel, matching the peak 1981 cost for crude oil (recent costs have been around $20 per barrel).
Today's coal-fired power plants average 33% efficiency (energy conversion to electricity); new technologies are projected to greatly improve efficiency while reducing air pollution per amount of coal:
- Low-emission boiler systems (43% efficiency)
- Pressurized fluidized-bed combustion (50% efficiency)
- Integrated gasification combined cycle (52% efficiency)
- Indirectly fired cycles (55% efficiency)
- Gasification/fuel-cell combinations (60% efficiency, or 85% with cogeneration)
REFERENCES
Annual Energy Review 1992, Energy Information Agency, DOE, 1992.
Annual Energy Outlook 1994, Energy Information Agency, DOE, 1994.
Clean Power Systems--Program Profile, Office of Fossil Energy, DOE, 1994.
Clean Coal Technology--Program Profile, Office of Fossil Energy, DOE, 1994.
Energy Information Sheets, Energy Information Agency, DOE, 1993.
Footnotes
This document is Contract DE-AC36-83CH10093, a series of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
2. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is managed and operated by Midwest Research Institute for the United States Department of Energy.
NREL-authored documents are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC36-83CH10093.
Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or Midwest Research Institute. The views and opinions of authors expressed in the available or referenced documents do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or Midwest Research Institute.
Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences /
University of Florida / Christine Taylor Waddill, Dean
Disclaimer
The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific
information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to
them in this publication does not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of
suitable composition.
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