Coal Burning: 200 Million Tons and Counting

This'll give you an idea of how much coal Americans are burning: Peabody Energy, the world's largest private-sector coal company, has a ticker showing its estimated 2007 coal sales. The ticker goes up by seven or eight tons every second.

Peabody says its coal products fuel approximately 10 percent of all U.S. electricity generation and more than 2 percent worldwide. Which means we're burning roughly 70 to 80 tons per second in this country alone. A large power plant operating in peak season may burn as many as 500 train cars' worth of coal in a single day.

Coal is relatively cheap, and we have lots of it. But despite constant references within the industry to "clean coal," nobody has yet come up with a cost-effective way to burn large amounts of coal without releasing heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere.—Dawn Stover

Image: Peabody Energy

Comments

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The coal mines just damage our planet we need a more eco-friendly options seriously.

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The use of sophisticated software systems for coal mining (thermal coal, steam coal and metallurgical coal) that is mostly burnt for power generation and steel production and adds to the greenhouse effect is valid for western countries who may allocate resources and funds to alternative and more greener sources of power. Some of the alternatives may be "safer" than the traditional mines. Unfortunately, coal reports and coal statistics show developing economies are more likely to increase their use of thermal coal & metallurgical coal in coming years because of its affordability and to meet increasing demands for electricity and steel. Whether they will embrace and utilise sophisticated software systems that no doubt add to the cost of production is yet to be seen. Cherry of www.coalportal.com

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it is impressive. that can explain why we have problem with climate change. we need to do something and find alternative way to decrease coal burning.

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Coal is one of the most needed mineral and the cheapest to produce but it is impressive how much energy you can get it from it.