ENERGY RESOURCES CONVENTIONAL COAL A FOSSIL FUEL FOSSIL

ENERGY RESOURCES CONVENTIONAL – COAL (A FOSSIL FUEL)

FOSSIL FUEL – REMNANTS OF ANCIENT PLANTS (COAL) OR SINGLE-CELL ORGANISMS (PETROLEUM) MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO PETROLEUM – REMAINS OF SINGLE-CELL ORGANISMS LAID DOWN IN SHALLOW SEAS COAL – REMAINS OF PLANTS LAID DOWN IN SWAMPS NATURAL GAS – FORMED WHEN PETROLEUM IS HEATED TO HIGH TEMPERATURES DEEP UNDERGROUND

COAL IS FROM PLANT ORIGIN – OLD PEAT BOGS.

COAL A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE OF THE WORLD COAL RESERVE IS 10 TRILLION TONS. THE U. S. HAS ABOUT 25% OF THE WORLD’S COAL – ABOUT 10, 000 BILLION BARRELS OF OIL EQUIVALENT.

OLD STYLE TUNNEL MINING

NEW APPROACH - STRIP MINING

SOURCES OF ELECTRICAL POWER IN U. S. IN 2005

COAL IS A VERY DIRTY FUEL. IT IS HIGH IN SULFUR. WHEN YOU BURN COAL, YOU CONVERT THE SULFUR TO SULFUR DIOXIDE WHICH IS A SOURCE OF ACID RAIN. IT CONTAINS HEAVY METALS SUCH AS MERCURY. BURNING COAL ALSO GENERATES CARBON DIOXIDE.

LIQUID FUELS CAN BE MADE FROM COAL, BUT IT WOULD TAKE 2 ENERGY EQUIVALENTS OF COAL TO MAKE 1 ENERGY EQUIVALENT OF LIQUID FUEL. YOU WOULD MAKE TWICE THE AMOUNT OF CARBON DIOXIDE. THE COAL INDUSTRY IS PUSHING THE IDEA OF CARBON DIOXIDE SEQUESTRATION. IN THIS PROCESS, THE CO 2 WOULD BE CAPTURED AND LIQUFIED. THEN, IT WOULD BE PUMPED UNDERGROUND.

A quick look at coal CARBON SEQUESTRATION - NOT PROVEN CANNOT DO IN OCEAN AS HAS BEEN SUGGESTED LOOK AT LAKE NYOS - 26 AUGUST 1986 - 1700 PEOPLE KILLED

THE U. S. HAS TO COME UP WITH ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY. POLITICS KEEPS GETTING IN THE WAY. POSSIBILITIES ARE: WIND SOLAR HYDROGEN GEOTHERMAL ALTERNATIVE WATER (WAVE, TIDAL CURRENTS)