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    COAL 2010 Boleneus2010 - Infomin - Com

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    Les Vadnai
    Coal remains a key source of electrical power in the United States, providing 48% of electricity in 2008. While renewable sources like wind and solar are growing, they currently only provide about 3% of total electricity and their intermittent nature means they cannot replace coal as a baseline source. Meeting a renewable energy target of 25% by 2025 through wind and solar alone would require over 710,000 large wind turbines occupying an area larger than many U.S. states combined. Due to coal's low cost and the United States' large coal reserves, coal and other fossil fuels will likely remain dominant sources of electricity for the foreseeable future unless nuclear power is expanded massively.

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    COAL 2010 Boleneus2010 - Infomin - Com

    Uploaded by

    Les Vadnai
    51 views2 pages
    Coal remains a key source of electrical power in the United States, providing 48% of electricity in 2008. While renewable sources like wind and solar are growing, they currently only provide about 3% of total electricity and their intermittent nature means they cannot replace coal as a baseline source. Meeting a renewable energy target of 25% by 2025 through wind and solar alone would require over 710,000 large wind turbines occupying an area larger than many U.S. states combined. Due to coal's low cost and the United States' large coal reserves, coal and other fossil fuels will likely remain dominant sources of electricity for the foreseeable future unless nuclear power is expanded massively.

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    COAL 2010 Boleneus2010 _infomin_com_

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    Coal remains a key source of electrical power in the United States, providing 48% of electricity in 2008. While renewable sources like wind and solar are growing, they currently only provide about 3% of total electricity and their intermittent nature means they cannot replace coal as a baseline source. Meeting a renewable energy target of 25% by 2025 through wind and solar alone would require over 710,000 large wind turbines occupying an area larger than many U.S. states combined. Due to coal's low cost and the United States' large coal reserves, coal and other fossil fuels will likely remain dominant sources of electricity for the foreseeable future unless nuclear power is expanded massively.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    51 views2 pages

    COAL 2010 Boleneus2010 - Infomin - Com

    Uploaded by

    Les Vadnai
    Coal remains a key source of electrical power in the United States, providing 48% of electricity in 2008. While renewable sources like wind and solar are growing, they currently only provide about 3% of total electricity and their intermittent nature means they cannot replace coal as a baseline source. Meeting a renewable energy target of 25% by 2025 through wind and solar alone would require over 710,000 large wind turbines occupying an area larger than many U.S. states combined. Due to coal's low cost and the United States' large coal reserves, coal and other fossil fuels will likely remain dominant sources of electricity for the foreseeable future unless nuclear power is expanded massively.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Coal to Remain Key U.S.

    Source of wind and solar electrical generation cannot keep pace


    with demands. Iowa’s wind generating efficiency is the
    Electrical Power lowest of any state at 16.7 percent of its installed
    by David Boleneus InfoMine USA Inc. capacity of 2,791 MWv,vi yet it generated 7 percent of
    its power from wind in 2008, a 148 percent increase
    Politicians warn that the U.S. must “wean” itself from since 2005. However, from 2005 to 2008, Iowa added
    coal and other hydrocarbon-based fuels and convert to 6.1 million megawatt-hours from coal while wind
    “green” energy. Al Gorei challenged “…our nation to added only 2.4 million megawatt-hours. The Danish,
    commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from Spanish, and Germanvii, like Iowa’s experiences
    renewable energy from carbon-free sources within 10 confirm that (1) wind cannot adequately provide the
    years”. Despite this, coal provides 48 percent of U.S. power demanded by economic or population growth,
    electrical power needs, a one percent increase since (2) permanent electrical generation backup sources
    2000. Natural gas and nuclear combined provide another must provide significant fill-in power to compensate
    41 percent and hydroelectric provides 6 percent. Given for wind’s intermittency, (3) wind cannot add base-
    the wide use of coal, this prompts many to ask: Is this load supply, and (4) wind energy cannot be stored.
    political puffery or is “green” energy realistic? And how Such defects continue despite the distorted federal
    important is coal for generating electricity in the U.S. supportviii that wind and solar receive at $53/MWHr
    and can “green” power replace coal power generation? versus $1/MWHr subsidy to other fuels.
    Knowing North America contains the world’s largest
    coal resource endowment, the following examines coal, To meet the U.S. Renewable Energy Standard (RES)
    wind, and solar as sources for U.S. electrical power. that wind and solar provide 25 percent of power by
    2025 requires construction of over 710,000 2.5-MW,
    The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information or large-size, wind turbines occupying 109 million
    Agencyii says there are 586 coal-fired electrical acresix, a 940 percent larger area than DOE considers
    generating plants in the U.S. Of these, 347 plants are as “good wind turbine sites”, and larger than all of
    located in 13 mid-western and eastern states that are the Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New
    largest users of coal power. These states are, in Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont,
    decreasing order of power generated from coal, Texas, Maryland, West Virginia, and Maine for towers and
    Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, West transmission facilities. To accomplish this feat, total
    Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Missouri, wind nameplate capacity must exceed all U.S. power
    Michigan, and Florida. Total electrical power generated generating capacity installed today (coal, oil, natural
    in these states in 2008 ranged from 65 to 147 million gas, nuclear, etc.) and Canada’s too. Raw materials
    megawatt-hours, for a 13-state total of 1,239 million required for wind generators are 131 million yards3 of
    megawatt-hours (1,238,944,955 MW-hrs) (black and concrete and 127 million tons of steelx, or more than
    darkest gray shading on Figure 1). Coal-fired generation two times larger than all U.S. iron and steel consumed
    in these states is more than 62 percent of all U.S. power in 2009xi. For nuclear to accomplish the 25 percent
    generated from coal while exceeding 30 percent of the RES requires only an area one-third the size of
    electricity generated from all U.S. fuel sources. Poughkeepsie, NY for all plants.
    Now let’s look at renewablesiii. Renewable sourcesiv,
    wind, solar, geothermal, pumped storage, and biomass The pie chartsxii (Figure 1) indicate available sources of
    contributed 131 million megawatt-hours, or 3 percent of electrical power. Thirty-four states require coal for
    all U.S, electricity generation. Wind and solar more than 30 percent of their electrical generation and
    contributed less than one-half of this amount (indicated 25 states required coal for more than 50 percent of
    by pie charts, Figure 1) although wind power has grown their electrical generation. Generation in the 34 states
    206 percent since 2005. Texas boasts nearly one-third of provided 1,924 million megawatt-hours in 2008, or 97
    this wind and solar percentage, or about 16 million percent of all U.S. coal-fired electrical generation.
    megawatt-hours generated in 2008. The next five largest Since 2005, coal-fired generating growth has slowed
    generators of wind and solar in California, Minnesota, while electrical generation from natural gas increased
    Iowa, Washington, and Colorado, contributed another 21 15 percent. These are clear statements that, short of a
    million megawatt-hours in 2008. massive construction of nuclear power plants, coal and
    hydrocarbon sources will remain as mainstays of U.S.
    Wind has substantial disadvantages. It only blows power generation for the long term.
    intermittently. An analysis of Iowa’s wind energy, the
    fourth largest wind generator, shows that the additional
    Figure 1. Electric power sources in the U.S. and quantity of power generated by coal.

    PIE CHARTS: A pie chart for each state shows its current sources of electrical power by state. Wyoming, for example with 10 coal plants
    provides a total capacity of 6,408 MW, generates 94% of its power with coal, and with 2% each contributed from natural gas, hydroelectric,
    and wind. For example, Washington State’s one 1,460-MW-capacity coal plant, generated 8.7 million megawatt-hours from coal in 2008
    although its power use is contributed 70% by hydroelectric, 8% from nuclear, 8% from coal, 9% by natural gas, 3% from wind, and 1% from
    biomass.

    GRAY SHADE PATTERNS: Shown by the white-gray-black shaded pattern is the relative quantity of power generated by coal in each state
    in 2008. The largest generators of electric power from coal are, in decreasing order: Texas-147 million megawatt-hours, Ohio-130 million
    megawatt-hours, followed by Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. Rhode Island and Vermont use no coal for electrical generation. Texas has
    18 coal-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 21,015 MW. A few of the smallest users are, in increasing order: Idaho, Maine,
    Alaska, Hawaii, and California. Although not shown, Hawaii has one 203 MW coal generating plant that provided 1.6 million megawatt-
    hours in 2008. Hawaii’s power is by crude oil (76%), coal (14%), biomass (4%), hydroelectric (1%), wind, solar (2%), and geothermal (2%).

    i
    AlGore.com July 17, 2008
    ii
    EIA, 2009 Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," - Generator File
    iii
    EIA, 2009 http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table1_1.html
    iv
    Hydro power, like nuclear power, is not considered among the “new renewables.” However, conventional hydroelectric contributed over 6 percent of all electricity
    generation from all sources amounting to 254 million megawatt-hours in 2008. Washington, Oregon, New York, and California, the largest sources, generate 3.9 percent
    of U.S. power needs from hydroelectric
    v
    Electrical Energy: Sound Scientific Solutions, by John Droz http://www.slideshare.net/JohnDroz/energy-presentationkey-presentation
    vi
    American Wind Energy Association http://www.awea.org
    vii
    “The Problem with Wind Power” http://www.aweo.org/ProblemWithWind.html#II
    viii
    Federal financial interventions and subsidies in energy markets, 2007 http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/subsidy2/pdf/execsum.pdf
    ix
    Wind calculation assumptions: generating efficiency-16.7%, transmission efficiency-93%, area 60 acres per MW, total US 2009 generating capacity -1.1 million MW,
    181 yd3 concrete and 176 tons steel for tower, turbine and reinforcement bar
    x
    “A Problem with Wind Power” by Eric Rosenbloom http://www.aweo.org/ProblemWithWind.html#models
    xi
    USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2010 http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/
    xii
    EIA, 2009 http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table1_1.html

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