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Pros for Coal Energy

Coal is an instrumental part of the U.S. energy supply. In fact, America produces more coal domestically than any other country in the world. It is also a large export product, with shipments to over 40 countries worldwide. Coal is also starting to overcome its image as a dirty pollutant with new sequestration technologies in place to dramatically reduce the polluting emissions. In all, there are many benefits to the power of coal.

  1. Price

    • Coal is by far the cheapest form of energy. Based on a scale of British thermal units (Btus), oil costs about $4.45 per million Btus, natural gas costs $4.35 per million Btus and coal costs only $1.20 per million Btus. This disparity makes coal an easy choice for many power plants around the country. It is also the reason why third-world countries such as China continue to produce coal power plants.

    Availability

    • If used at the present rate, the United States has a 300-year supply of coal. This amounts to a demonstrated reserve of 475 billion tons. Well before it runs out, scientists assume that new energy sources or methods will be discovered that will make present fossil fuel obsolete. The tremendous amount of coal also restricts the need for the U.S. to import large amounts of it from unstable parts of the world as we do with oil.

    Cleaning Coal

    • Despite its reputation, coal is much less harmful to the environment than it used to be. Clean Coal Technology (CCT) is a general term that encompasses a range of technologies. However, the overall concept is to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides that is emitted from coal after burning. These molecules typically cause smog and high particulate matter in the air. However, CCT can sequestrate the emissions and recycle them into the energy production process, greatly reducing the smog effect.

    Domestic Production

    • Coal is available in strategically advantageous regions of the U.S. One major region for coal production is in Appalachia, including West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. From this region, it is easy to extend power to the booming East Coast. Another major region of coal production is the Illinois basin. From this deposit, it is easy to connect the the large Midwest cities such as Chicago. Such proximate domestic production reduces the need to import coal or oil from abroad.

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