Advantages of coal – Coal has been used for millennia to generate heat and electricity, and it is still a significant factor in today’s worldwide electrical supply. In this post, we’ll look at the pros and cons of using coal energy and some potential ways to mitigate those cons. The advantages of coal power are immense and can provide a great extent of energy.
Coal offers various benefits over other energy sources like oil and natural gas. Because of its low cost and ease of availability, coal is widely used as a fuel source across the globe. Coal burning results in lower carbon dioxide emissions, negatively affecting the environment less than specific alternative energy sources. Let’s discuss the primary advantages of coal in detail.
The Pros and Cons of Coal Power
However, there are also certain drawbacks to utilizing coal as an energy source. Coal combustion produces air pollution, including Sulphur dioxide and mercury, which is terrible for people and the environment. In addition, coal mining and processing may expose workers to dangerous substances, and accidents in coal-fired power plants can cause severe injury or death.
Fortunately, there are ways to lessen these dangers without sacrificing access to this precious resource. Implementing cleaner burning technologies like IGCC is one answer since it reduces emissions while still effectively generating electricity. More efficient manufacturing and utilization procedures may be possible with technology advancements in the future, further reducing emissions from coal use. Alternative energy sources that don’t depend only on limited resources, such as fossil fuels, are more sustainable if they use renewable forms like hydrogen fuel from coal.
Coal energy has several benefits.
Let’s have a look at the fundamental advantages of coal in detail.
- The world’s coal reserves are large enough to last several hundred years at present consumption rates, making it one of the most plentiful energy sources. It ensures that coal-dependent nations can count on a reliable and secure energy supply for the foreseeable future.
- Many nations seek coal to decrease energy prices since it is less expensive than other fossil fuels. In addition, because of the cheap manufacturing cost, electricity may be sent to developing nations without negatively impacting their economies.
- Consistent and regular production and supply make coal a trustworthy energy source. This consistency is crucial for nations that rely on electricity to run their government, economy, and society.
- Coal, unlike oil and natural gas, does not rely on the production of a single nation or area for its supply. In addition, coal’s global distribution makes it less susceptible to supply interruptions caused by war or other armed conflicts.
- Coal may be moved by rail, ship, or truck, making it convenient for governments to import and export the resource. In addition, coal can be moved rapidly from one site to another, lowering the possibility of supply shortages.
- Accessible: Many nations, particularly those in developing areas, have easy access to coal because of its abundance across the globe. As a result, governments may strengthen their energy security by investing in domestic energy production and reducing their reliance on foreign suppliers.
- Coal is readily available since it may be mined and extracted in many different locations. For nations that lack the means to develop other energy sources, this makes it an accessible energy option.
- Coal has a great deal of energy relative to its weight, making it an excellent energy source. Since less fuel is needed to produce the same amount of energy as any other source, this makes it an efficient energy option.
- The primary advantages of coal include being a cost-effective source of energy because of its low production costs. As a result, countries may receive energy at a fair price thanks to the cheap cost of production, which in turn helps to eliminate poverty and boost economic progress.
- Other advantages of coal include its versatility, which lies in the fact that it may be used in a wide range of contexts, from power generation and heat to several different industrial procedures. In addition, because of its adaptability, it is a valuable energy source that may be used to satisfy various demands.
- Coal gasification, Pulverized coal, and liquefied coal are all viable ways to burn coal. Because of this adaptability, several power plants may utilize coal as their primary energy source, and backup energy sources are available in case of an outage.
- Coal is mined and processed on a massive scale, allowing nations to harness much energy. Moreover, in areas where coal mining is an important sector, this massive output makes it feasible to generate employment and stimulate economic development.
- Coal is a reliable energy source since its production and supply are stable and predictable. Countries with reliable energy sources to run their homes, companies, and industries need this reliability.
- Coal deposits are dispersed extensively around the globe, so nations may continue to have access to energy regardless of geopolitical tensions or natural calamities.
- Last but not most, minor advantages of coal incur high net energy yield because it generates more power than is used in the mining and transport processes. As a result, it is more efficient than other energy sources since it produces more helpful heat per unit of fuel.
Cons of Coal Power
- Sulphur dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter are only some of the pollutants created when coal is burned. These pollutants contribute to acid rain and may harm human respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
- Burning coal for energy generation creates vast quantities of carbon dioxide, trapping the heat in the atmosphere and raising global temperatures, contributing considerably to climate change. In addition, it may increase the likelihood of droughts, floods, and severe storms.
- Dust, soot, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, nitrogen oxides (NOx), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbon monoxide (CO), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), and ash are just some of the airborne particles emitted when coal is burned. These particles harm human health and contribute to the formation of smog, which can hinder long-distance visibility.
- Toxic chemicals dumped into surface or groundwater by coal plants constitute water pollution, making it unfit for human consumption or use in recreational pursuits. Heavy metals and acids in mine site runoff may also contaminate waterways.
- Degradation of the land occurs when open pit miners remove vast amounts of topsoil and flora, which may harm ecosystems by destroying essential animal homes. The removal also exposes underlying rock strata, which might unleash dust clouds and potentially dangerous pollutants into the air over adjacent settlements due to erosion.
- Trees are often cut down to clear land for coal mines, which results in the loss of forest complexity and the failure of wildlife habitats, which in turn affects the conditions necessary for the survival of species, such as the loss of food sources or the loss of shelter provided by trees and shrubs.
- Natural resource depletion: Coal is a nonrenewable energy source, meaning it does not replenish at the same rate it is mined from the ground. Eventually, when all the coal sources are depleted, there will only be enough resources available if new ones are discovered through technological advancements in unearthed areas where reserves remain untouched. Coal mining also uses a lot of water, which might lead to shortages if the situation needs to be more closely monitored.
- Exposure to toxic chemicals that releases from burning coal can cause respiratory illnesses like asthma or cancer, depending on the levels breathed in over time; workers at plants are affected due to proximity, but communities located close to these establishments can suffer as well, with increased risks linked directly to higher proximity levels.
- Emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere: Coal combustion is a significant source of this gas. Coal combustion is blamed for around a quarter of all carbon emissions worldwide.
- When Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from coal combustion react with water vapour in the atmosphere, acid rain is the result. Damage to crops, land, water supplies, buildings, and infrastructure is possible.
- Toxic levels of mercury, a heavy metal, are released when coal is burned. Mercury accumulates in fish and may be harmful to people.
- Coal may pollute surrounding water sources if its radioactive waste needs to be adequately handled or cleaned. Coal includes traces of radioactive elements, including uranium and thorium.
- Soil erosion: when soil is exposed during mining operations, it is easily blown away or washed away with rainfall, which causes dust storms in the area and a decrease in soil fertility over time which causes nutrient loss, reducing arable land that is important for farming activities, and thus impacting food security in the area.
- Mining activities destroy natural ecosystems, leading to a loss of biodiversity in the regions they operate in. Consequences locally (such as the loss of pollinators due to a lack of food sources) could be even more severe if this trend continued, as it could lead to local extinctions of species and a dramatic reduction in biodiversity among ecosystems.
- Oil spills: Depending on the amount of spilt and the environmental circumstances at the spill location (for example, temperature), oil spills produced by tankers transporting fuel from coal power plants may cause substantial harm to aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, depending on the complexity (e.g. currents), they may lead to beach closures or limits to swimming activities until clean-up efforts have successfully finished.
- Dust Pollution: Mining sites produce large amounts of dust, which travels through the windy downwind communities where people suffer from respiratory illnesses due to high levels of dust in the air; this poses not only health risks but also economic ones as businesses close down due to inability to operate safely, with increased levels of pollution affecting sales and customer satisfaction over time, leading them to exit the market sooner than later if the government does not take action.
- Coal combustion releases tiny particles into the air, known as particulate matter. These particles are of a size that they may float through the air and enter the lungs, causing a wide range of severe respiratory diseases and other health problems.
- They are burning coal for electricity results in massive carbon dioxide emissions, making it one of the major causes of global warming and climate change. In addition, coal combustion raises greenhouse gas concentrations, which raises temperatures, causes sea levels to rise, and exacerbates severe weather.
- Coal ash dumped in landfills or surface ponds may contaminate the groundwater with arsenic, cadmium, and lead if allowed to drain into neighbouring aquifers.
- Coal power stations often employ noisy gear for their large-scale operations, which may contribute to noise pollution. Because of the potential for sleep disturbance, this may have a significant impact on the quality of life for those living nearby.
- Coal power plants generate several types of hazardous waste that must be disposed of safely. These wastes include ash and solids containing heavy metals and wastewater contaminated with toxins. Consequently, businesses must take appropriate measures to limit the likelihood of these dangers, including often funding extensive research studies to lessen their impact in this area.
Concluding Ideas
Air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmental problems are all exacerbated by coal burning for electricity. In addition, natural resources, already in short supply in many regions of the globe, are also depleted in enormous amounts during manufacture.
Despite the continued advantage of coal energy due to its low cost and broad availability, its impact on the environment and the next generation must be considered. Governments should invest in alternative energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal to lessen their reliance on coal. Meanwhile, businesses should work to curb hazardous emissions using cutting-edge tools and streamlined procedures. It is everything removal also exposes underlying rock strata you should know about the advantages of coal in detail.
Faqs
Is coal renewable?
On the other hand, forming fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas may take hundreds of millions of years or more. In addition, greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burnt to generate electricity.
What is coal used for?
Metallurgical coal refers to coal that has been screened to fulfil these requirements. Cement, carbon fibres and foams, medications, tars, synthetic petroleum-based fuels, and residential and commercial heating are just some of the many additional places you might find coal put to use.
