When America entered the 1900s, coal was the energy mainstay for the nation’s businesses and industries. Coal stayed America’s number one energy source until the demand for petroleum products pushed petroleum to the front. Automobiles needed gasoline. Trains switched from coal power to diesel fuel.

Americans had made iron before coal using charcoal—wood burned in the absence of oxygen. But charcoal required lots of wood, and this limited its total supply. With coal, iron production could expand enormously, giving rise to further industries that, in turn, used more coal, such as steam engines.

Coal is called a fossil fuel because it was made from plants that were once alive! Since coal comes from plants, and plants get their energy from the sun, the energy in coal also came from the sun. The coal we use today took millions of years to form. We can’t make more in a short time.

Coal was one of man’s earliest sources of heat and light. The Chinese were known to have used it more than 3,000 years ago. The first recorded discovery of coal in this country was by French explorers on the Illinois River in 1679, and the earliest recorded commercial mining occurred near Richmond, Virginia, in 1748.

Coal is very old. The formation of coal spans the geologic ages and is still being formed today, just very slowly. Below, a coal slab shows the footprints of a dinosaur (the footprints where made during the peat stage but were preserved during the coalification process).

The top five countries with the largest proven coal reserves

1. United States – 249 billion tonnes.
2. Russia – 162 billion tonnes.
3. Australia – 149 billion tonnes.
4. China – 142 billion tonnes.
5. India – 106 billion tonnes.

Australia

Coal Consumption by Country

China

Energy

Coal prices for electric power generation in the United States are expected to fall to 1.94 U.S. dollars per million British thermal unit in 2020. This is a decrease of 0.7 U.S. dollars when compared to the previous year….

The EIA in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook forecasted that coal prices will increase to $56.7/mt in 2021 from $53.9/mt in 2020.

In 2019, the national average sales price of bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite coal at coal mines was $30.93 per short ton, and the average delivered coal price to the electric power sector was $38.53 per short ton.

Coal

Coal is only considered cheap because coal plants do not have to pay for the full social and environmental costs of coal burning on people’s health, the natural environment, and our climate.

Coal, the dirtiest and usually the cheapest option for energy, is now the world’s most expensive fossil fuel.

Results may vary, but the average burn time between loads ranges from 8-24 hours. These burn times may exceed the averages, depending on the situation as every situation is different. How many BTU’s are in Anthracite Coal? There are around 13,500 BTU per pound of Anthracite Coal.

The major disadvantage of coal is its negative impact on the environment. Coal-burning energy plants are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to carbon monoxide and heavy metals like mercury, the use of coal releases sulfur dioxide, a harmful substance linked to acid rain.

Here Are the Advantages of Coal

• Huge global coal reserves.
• Coal is not an intermittent energy source.
• Coal is compatible with other energy sources.
• Coal is convertible to various formats.
• Coal is simple to store.
• Low capital investments for coal.
• Minimal wastes, coal byproducts can be used.
• Coal output is controllable.

Here Are the Advantages of Coal

• It is available in an abundant supply.
• It has a high load factor.
• Coal offers a rather low capital investment.
• Carbon capture and storage technologies can reduce potential emissions.
• It can be converted into different formats.
• Coal can be used with renewables to reduce emissions.

Coal and Air Pollution Air pollution from coal-fired power plants is linked with asthma, cancer, heart and lung ailments, neurological problems, acid rain, global warming, and other severe environmental and public health impacts.

Based on U.S. coal production in 2019, of about 0.706 billion short tons, the recoverable coal reserves would last about 357 years, and recoverable reserves at producing mines would last about 20 years. The actual number of years that those reserves will last depends on changes in production and reserves estimates.

Coal is the single biggest contributor to anthropogenic climate change. The burning of coal is responsible for 46% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide and accounts for 72% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the electricity sector.

Coal is classified into four main types, or ranks: anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite.

The combustion of lignite produces less heat for the amount of carbon dioxide and sulfur released than other ranks of coal. As a result, environmental advocates have characterized lignite as the most harmful coal to human health.

Bituminous house coal is mined all over the world but Columbian coal is considered to be the best house coal available for domestic use.

Lignite coal