Welcome back! For today’s blog I will be discussing coal power: how it’s produced, its pros and cons, and the different way it is handled in the United States vs in Germany.
How Does Coal Power work?
The main concept of energy generation from coal is similar to that of other sources. Initially, the coal is broken down into pieces the size of a powder. This allows the coal to be burned more completely in order to produce the most heat. Once a powder, the coal is then burned and water that rests in pipes inside of the boiler is turned into steam. The pressure from this steam is used to turn a turbine which is connected to a generator within the energy production station. After the steam is used to turn the generator, it is then collected within more pipes and sent to an underground chamber to cool. Once the steam cools and turns back to water, it can be reused and the process repeats.
Pros and Cons of Coal Power
Coal is a heavily debated energy source- and for good reason. This option for producing energy has many pros and cons that need to be considered in its usage. Coal’s benefits mainly stem from its widespread availability. Since coal is widely available to be mined, it is a reliable form of energy that does not look to be running out any time soon. The large resource of coal makes it relatively cheap to purchase as a form of energy, since there is so much of it available. The mining of coal is also a positive, because it creates a large number of jobs in the energy industry. Furthermore, in contrast with renewable resources such as wind and solar, coal is available at all times without lag as it is not at all dependent on the weather or time of day. The last benefit of coal is that there is research currently underway to find cleaner ways to burn coal which would be more environmentally friendly.
Despite these benefits, however, coal also has many drawbacks, which mostly stem from its environmentally un-friendliness. Coal produces a high amount of carbon dioxide emissions and radiation when it is burnt in a coal power plant, which are both extremely harmful to the environment. Aside from the negative impact from burning coal, the mining of coal itself often destroys the natural habitats of plants and animals. This mining could even cause mine fires where it is taking place, and also leaves behind many deadly toxins such as “sulfur dioxide, arsenic, selenium, and mercury”. Lastly, even though newer, cleaner ways of burning coal are being developed, it is estimated that the high cost of converting current coal plants into “clean coal” plants could increase the cost of coal energy by up to 75%.
Coal Power in the USA vs Germany
Currently, coal makes up about 30% of United States’ electricity consumption. Although such a large section of the American energy usage, this amount is projected to decline in the future as renewable energy makes way. However, the US is also currently the world leader in “clean coal” production methods. This method is called Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), and it captures the carbon dioxide emissions produced by burning coal before they are released into the atmosphere. Being on the forefront of this technology has led some restrictions to be lifted on coal companies under the Trump administration, in order to hopefully allow for further development to be used in countries such as India and China who have an even higher percentage of coal usage and therefore a much higher amount of pollution.
Although Germany is often seen as the world’s strongest proponent of clean energy and fighting climate change, an alternative view is received when you look at their statistics relating to coal usage. Coal accounts for about 40% of Germany’s electricity production. This is a higher percentage than in the United States, and a higher percent in Germany than any of its other energy sources. As I have previously discussed on this blog, Germany has declared a plan to phase out all fossil fuels by 2020, but reports indicate that they are very behind on this due to their coal usage. Although Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, has been dubbed the “climate chancellor,” it is actually often reported that she does not deserve this title, as Germany is one of the largest producers of carbon dioxide emissions in Europe.
In conclusion, it is clear that coal plays a large role in the energy consumption of both the United States and Germany. This fossil fuel is still one of the most important producers of electricity in the world. Though this type of energy is similarly important in both countries, it is clear that each nation has a different approach to the producer of carbon dioxide, with the United States focusing on methods to produce “clean coal” and Germany supposedly trying to phase out their usage, though their coal emission numbers are ever rising. These multiple approaches to coal power show that there is no one size fits all solution to energy production in the world, but rather a multi-sided issue which needs to take many factors into account to deal with.
While I understand that coal is a vital piece of our infrastructure, it is time for coal to be phased out. Unfortunately, especially living in Pennsylvania in today’s political climate, this can be a rather unfavorable opinion. Most of the push back against keeping coal stems from the millions of American job connected to the coal industry. People argue that phasing out coal is also phasing out these relatively unskilled job positions and leaving mining towns behind as the world continues to move forward. But I would argue that these people are still vital to the energy industry, and with training can be replaced into the new plants of involving clean energy. While this is a gross oversimplification, I think it is something that with the right plan could be feasible. And I know it would be worth it in the end because of the environmental effects.
To be completely honest, I’m not a huge energy/environmental person, but I love reading your posts! You explain new concepts and terms very well, and I am able to follow what you’re trying to say most of the time. It’s interesting how Germany is trying to use less coal emissions, yet they are emitting more and more. It never really occurred to me (maybe because I never thought about it before lol) that different countries focus on different energy production methods. It makes complete sense, though.
Coal was and continues to be a critical natural resource for power and energy production. Even if we had a method that could generate unlimited clean energy now we could have never got here without the stepping stone of coal. For various reasons, but chiefly among them environmental concerns, coal is getting phased out of developed first world countries. I think this is overall a fine plan provided we can provide a suitable source to replace it.
I think the larger question revolves around developing countries in the global south. Can and should we get these countries to skip the coal phase of industrialization and transition them straight to renewables or other cleaner sources? I don’t know the answer, but it is a question worth pondering.