Coal
Coal is one of the true measures of the
energy strength of the United
States. One quarter of the world’s
coal reserves are found within the United
States, and the energy content of the nation’s
coal resources exceeds that of all the world’s
known recoverable oil. Coal is also the
workhorse of the nation’s electric power
industry, supplying more than half the
electricity consumed by Americans.
Coal-fired electric generating plants are the
cornerstone of America's central power system.
To preserve this economically-vital energy
foundation, innovative, low-cost
environmental compliance technologies and
efficiency-boosting innovations are
being developed by the Energy Department's
Fossil Energy research program.
To tap the full potential of the nation’s
enormous coal supplies, the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy is working with
the private sector to develop innovative
technologies for an emission-free
coal plant of the
future.
This research and development program is
pioneering more effective pollution controls for
existing coal-fired power plants and an array of
new technologies that would eliminate air and
water pollutants from the next generation of
power plants. Research is also underway
to capture
the greenhouse gases emitted by coal
plants and prevent them from entering the
atmosphere.
For statistical information relating to the
extraction
and consumption of coal and the electricity
it produces, visit the Energy Information
Administration. |
