The Use of Coal for Electrical Energy Generation

    Coal for Electrical Energy Generation

Modern life is unimaginable without electricity Electrical Energy. It lights houses, buildings, streets, provides domestic and industrial heat, and powers most equipment used in homes, offices and machinery in factories. Improving access to electricity worldwide is critical to alleviating poverty.

Coal plays a vital role in electricity generation worldwide. Coal-fuelled power plants currently fuel 38% of global electricity and, in some countries, coal fuels a higher percentage of electricity.

Coal accounted for nearly 25 % of OECD Europe’s net electricity generation in 2008,
5 % lower than in 2007, but concerns about the contribution of CO2 emissions to climate
change could reduce that share in the future. Coal is the predominant fuel used for
electricity generation worldwide. In 2010, coal-fired generation accounted for 40 % of
overall worldwide electricity generation and it is expected to grow at a 1.8 % annual rate
from 2010 to2 040. In 2040, total world electricity generation from coal ise xpected to be
73 % higher than the 2010 level, although coal’s share of the electricity market is
expected to fall to 36 % in 2040; this represents a 4 % decrease during the next 30 years.
The OECD nations will reduce their reliance on coal-fired electricity generation due to
environmental factors, particularly in OECD Europe, playing a sizable role in the
reduction (IEA 2013). According to the IEO (2010) report, it is expected that electricity
from coal slowly loses its prominence in OECD Europe and ultimately falling behind
renewables, natural gas and, in some countries, nuclear energy as a source of electricity.
 . In OECD America, the use of coal for electricity generation will slightly decrease: Coal is, and it is expected to continue to be, the fossil fuel with the highest participation in the world electricity
generation until at least 2040, followed by the use of different renewable energy in the European region, switching towards natural gas (against coal) was apparent in the first half of 2010, particularly in some large markets in the North West of the region such as the
Netherlands, the UK, France, and even Germany, while the picture was relatively
different in Southern Europe where the electricity produced from natural gas was at 2009 levels in Italy and even lower in Spain due to increase hydro and wind electricity generation.
However, a strong shift from coal to the use of natural gas for electricity generation within the EU will have a significant negative consequences for the security of energy supply, Europe, after 2015 the use of renewable energy sources is expected to be the type of energy fuel with the highest participation in electricity generation at least until 2040, followed by natural gas, nuclear power, coal and liquid fuels.

U.S list of electricity generation by source

The U.S. fleet of electric power generators is undergoing transformational change  electricity generation from coal-fired resources little decreased , while electricity generation from natural gas‒fired and non-hydro renewable resources increased. But not all technologies or regions are experiencing changes equally.Nuclear and hydroelectric generation outputs are relatively flat,


Fossil fuels are the largest sources of energy for electricity generation

1.Natural gas was the largest source—about 35%—of U.S. electricity generation in 2018. Natural gas is used in steam turbines and gas turbines to generate electricity.

2.Coal was the second-largest energy source for U.S. electricity generation in 2018—about 27%. Nearly all coal-fired power plants use steam turbines. A few coal-fired power plants convert coal to a gas for use in a gas turbine to generate electricity.

3.Petroleum was the source of less than 1% of U.S. electricity generation in 2018. Residual fuel oil and petroleum coke are used in steam turbines. Distillate—or diesel—fuel oil is used in diesel-engine generators. Residual fuel oil and distillates can also be burned in gas turbines.
Nuclear energy provides one-fifth of U.S. electricity

Nuclear energy was the source of about 19% of U.S. electricity generation in 2018. Nuclear power plants use steam turbines to produce electricity from nuclear fission.
Renewable energy sources provide nearly 20% of U.S. electricity

A variety of renewable energy sources are used to generate electricity and were the source of about 17% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2018.

1.Hydropower plants produced about 7% of total U.S. electricity generation and about 41% of electricity generation from renewable energy in 2018. Hydropower plants use flowing water to spin a turbine connected to a generator.

2.Wind energy was the source of about 7% of total U.S. electricity generation and about 39% of electricity generation from renewable energy in 2018. Wind turbines convert wind energy into electricity.

3.Biomass, the source of about 2% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2018, is burned directly in steam-electric power plants, or it can be converted to a gas that can be burned in steam generators, gas turbines, or internal combustion engine generators.

4.Solar energy provided about 2% of total U.S. electricity in 2018. Photovoltaic (PV) and solar-thermal power are the two main types of solar electricity generation technologies. PV conversion produces electricity directly from sunlight in a photovoltaic cell. Most solar-thermal power systems use steam turbines to generate electricity.

5.Geothermal power plants produced less than 1% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2018. Geothermal power plants use steam turbines to generate electricity.


source:https://www.eia.gov