Coal: Sustainability & Issues
Non Renewable Energy

Coal plants are abundant in the United States. According to the Department of Energy they produce around 49% of the energy that we use.......<---Click to Read Full Article

Investment needed for Clean Coal and Sequestration

A new report concluded that not enough is being done worldwide to support clean coal technology. While the promise of the technology is strong, there is a lot of resistence. What is left are the same old pollutingplants and very little progress. While money does not solve every problem, it could make a serious dent in this one.

Issues with Coal Power

There are many issues when dealing with coal power plants. The burning and mining of coal releases harmful materials into the air. Standard coal burning power plants are the single biggest air polluter in the United States. Pace University finds that 87 percent of coal in the western world is farmed through strip mining, which is extremely harmful to the environment.

Coal plants produce 93 percent of the sulfur oxide and 80 percent of the nitrogen oxide which pollute our air. Even if nitrogen oxide can be dealt with, there are many other toxic bi-products created by the burning of coal. The idea of sequestration is an interesting idea.

One aspect of sequestration begs the question; is there room for that much disposal of the gasses? Power companies have not addressed that particular issue. Another point to consider is that nuclear waste is formed and found in coal sludge. How do you deal with the sludge in a safe manner.

Coal Resources
• Coming Clean: Breaking America's Addiction to Oil and Coal
• The Energy Construct: Achieving a Clean, Domestic, and Economical Energy Future
• 21st Century Essential Guide to Clean Coal Technology: FutureGen Power Plant, Pollution Control, Gasification, Hydrogen Production, Carbon Dioxide and Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Two CD-ROM Set)
• Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future