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Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal and Things to Consider

– Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal – 

Get familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of coal. The 2016 US Presidential Election brought coal back into the public consciousness spotlight. The world has turned to renewable energy, such as wind and solar, but in recent years the focus has also been put on producing “clean coal.”

Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal

Coal is a fossil fuel derived from mining, and it is inexpensive and easy to use. Burning coal, on the other hand, may also have major implications for the local and global climates.

 

Is coal a power resource that we can still use as a primary energy source? The solution lies in coal’s benefits and inconveniences to our modern world.

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Advantages of Coal

1. Safety

Coal-fired facilities are usually considered cleaner than nuclear power plants. The failure of a coal-fired power plant would definitely not trigger disastrous events as a nuclear meltdown will.

Furthermore, the health and efficiency of workers in the coal industry have increased significantly over the years. In fact, in the past few years, accidents, time lost, and fatalities have fallen considerably.

2. Its Technologies are known.

The processing and use of coal as a fuel is well known, and the technology required to produce it is continuously advancing.

In addition, coal-mining techniques are constantly being improved to ensure a continuous supply of coal for power and energy production.

3. This provides People with Work.

It needs to be mined to get coal. Coal mining is one of the most common industries, as it provides employment for thousands of people, including miners, truck drivers, and laborers.

There are 52 coal mines in the U.S. alone that employ thousands of miners and there are many factories that use coal for their goods and need employees too.

4. Reliability

Reliability is one of the primary advantages of coal-fired power plant boilers. Coal’s capacity to provide power either as base power or as off-peak power during peak power demand is highly regarded as fuel for the power plant.

This is the reason advanced coal-fired power plants are built to help the grid network to prevent blackouts.

5. Surplus

Economic coal reserves are still accessible for over 300 years. With this immense quantity of coal available for use, coal-fired plants can be fuelled continuously in several years to come.

6. Availability

The energy produced from coal-fired plants is cheaper and more sustainable than other sources of energy. Since coal is abundant, power generation using this fuel is certainly cheap.

Processing and mining from coal deposits aren’t costly. As a result, its price remains small compared with other sources of fuel and electricity.

Disadvantages of Coal

7. It releases Toxic Substances.

Thermal plants, such as plants fired with coal release toxic substances into the atmosphere. Mercury, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, selenium, and arsenic are among others.

Such toxic substances cause not only acid rain but are also very harmful to humans.

8. Millon Tons of Waste Production

Millions of tons of waste products that can not be reused any longer are produced from coal-fired plants. Apart from the fact that these waste materials add to the issues of waste management, they also contain hazardous substances.

9. Emitting Greenhouse Gases

This can not be denied that after combustion coal leaves toxic by-products behind. Such by-products cause a significant amount of emissions and lead to global warming.

The increased carbon emissions from coal-fired plants have resulted in more global warming resulting in climate change.

10. Destroying mining.

Coal mining not only contributes to habitat and landscape destruction but also displaces people. Several people are displaced in large numbers in many countries where coal is heavily mined, leading to the pitting of the earth created by underground mining.

Locations in the vicinity of coal mines are dangerous for human living, as the land could cave in anytime

The advantages and disadvantages of coal warrants a balance between current power requirements and environmental protection.

Without coal, we will not be where we are today. The real question is this: can we get to where we need to be if the coal unexpectedly disappears tomorrow?

Coal reserves are estimated to be close to 1 trillion tons in over 70 nations throughout the world. Oil and gas are not projected to outlast the reserves.

This results in long-term price stability. Coal is also found in great quantities in major industrialized countries such as Russia, China, India, and the United States.

Coal, on the other hand, is a non-renewable fossil fuel with a finite supply that will eventually run out. Although it is expected to take at least 300 years for this to happen.

 

We hope this article has been helpful to you. Please share it with anyone you think will appreciate the information and kindly drop your comment below.

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