Coal’s Role for Today and Beyond

The research conducted for this project cross examined coal mining and electricity production in the United States. Sources gathered from the internet range from government websites to news articles to scholarly journals. The above Prezi provides a creative look at coal itself and the function it plays in electricity production in the U.S.

Since 1882 coal has been used to generate electricity in the U.S. During the second half of the twentieth century and into the start of the twenty-first century, coal dominated electricity as the number one source. While it is widely known that the Appalachian mountain range is a major region for coal mining, it is less understood that Appalachia is not the leader in coal production in the U.S. In fact, the largest portion of coal is mined by a process called Strip Mining in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. However, despite being the leader in coal production, this area generates coal of marginally less quality than Appalachia. Coal from the Powder River Basin has a rating of 8,800 Btu per pound while coal from Northen Appalachia is the highest quality at 13,000 Btu per pound. This simply means that Appalachian coal will burn hotter for a longer period of time, in effect generating more electricity than its Western counterpart.

Interestingly enough, the regions that mine the most coal are also the most reliant on that coal for electricity. In 2015 West Virginia was the most reliant state with 95.6% of its electricity generated by coal. Kentucky closely followed with 92%, while Wyoming came in third with 87.3% of electricity generated by the burning of coal. While coal has seemingly continued its dominant role well into the twenty-first century, it has actually been surpassed by another fuel and is being challenged by multiple sources.

As of 2017 natural gas accounted for 32% of electricity generation while coal can be credited for 30%. This rise of natural gas can be attributed to a recent discovery of vast reservoirs of shale gas thanks to modern technology. This rapid increased in natural gas reserves has lowered the cost of natural gas making it a cheaper option than coal. On top of being cheaper, natural gas from shale produces almost half the CO2 that coal does, making it a more friendly option for the environment. On top of natural gas, technology advancements in solar and wind power have increased the viability of renewable resources for electricity production.

Looking forward, it is likely that the use of coal in electricity generation will continue to decline. As natural gas is more economically sustainable and environmentally friendly, research and technology advancements are likely to aid in its long term use. While renewables are not yet as cheap of an option, continued interest in them will drive technology to enable this down the road. However, for the immediate future, technology from more efficient coal burning countries in Europe as well as Japan can aid in increasing the average efficiency rate of U.S. coal from 33% to 40%.

Sources:

Ahmed, Ghada, et al. “What Role Can Coal Play in the United States’ Energy Future?” The Electricity Journal, vol. 27, no. 3, 2014, pp. 87–95., doi:10.1016/j.tej.2014.03.008.
-Berkowitz, Bonnie, and Tim Meko. “Appalachia Comes up Small in Era of Giant Coal Mines.” The Washington Post, 5 May 2017.
-“Electricity in the United States.” U.S. Energy Information Administration, www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=electricity_in_the_united_states.
-Middleton, Richard S., et al. “The Shale Gas Revolution: Barriers, Sustainability, and Emerging Opportunities.” Applied Energy, 9 May 2017, pp. 88–95., doi:10.2172/1356118.
-Misachi, John. “10 US States Most Dependent On Coal Power.” WorldAtlas, 24 Nov. 2017, www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-us-states-most-dependent-on-coal-power.html.
-Perry, Mark. “The Future of Coal.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 27 Apr. 2017, www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2017-04-27/the-future-of-coal-technology-is-promising.
-Samaras, Constantine, et al. “The Role of Coal-Fired Power in the U.S. Electricity Sector.” Characterizing the U.S. Industrial Base for Coal-Powered Electricity, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA; Arlington, VA; Pittsburgh, PA, 2011, pp. 11–22. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.7249/mg1147netl.10.