Coal in Electricity Production

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the use of fossil fuel for massive energy generation. It describes the debate over the use of fossil fuels - citing the arguments both for and against their use. It focuses on the reasons why fossil fuel production is important and necessary and describes the benefits of its use. The paper then looks at the environmental concerns regarding the use of coal for electricity production.

From the Paper:

"Obviously, using any fossil fuel for massive energy generation will be a mixed bag. Developers will always be fighting a battle against environmental destruction, as fossil fuel technologies tend to be highly polluting and contribute to global warming through the production of carbon dioxide. Nonetheless, fossil fuels will be a significant component of the world's energy supply for at least the next few decades as no alternative energy source is currently mature enough to supplant fossil fuel technology. In the end, coal power--if properly utilized in technically advanced gasification plants--has the potential to provide cheap, plentiful power to the world with fewer environmental issues than would have been the case even a few decades ago. New technology makes sustainable coal power a possibility, if not a certainty."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brown, Lester. "Coal: The United States Promotes While Canada and Europe Move Beyond." The Humanist 64.2 (March-April 2004): 34-35.
• "Clean Air: Dirty Coal Power." Sierra Club. 26 Nov. 2006 <http://www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/factsheets/power.asp>.
• "Fossil Fuels Still Don't Have a Feasible Replacement." The Times via Associated Press. 1 Nov. 2002. 23 May 2006 <http:///www.rff.org/rff/News/Coverage/2002/November/Fossil-Fuels-Still-Don't-Have-Feasible-Replacement.cfm>.
• "Minnesota Puts Its Weight Behind Coal Gasification." Power Engineering 107.7 (July 2003): 10.
• Ouellette, Robert P. "Energy and Environmental Quality." Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science 31.2 (Dec. 1973): 170-182.

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