Coal energy is a nonrenewable energy which means that this is a type of energy that we cannot re-create. The supply of coal energy is limited and therefore if we continue to consume too much of this, we will eventually run out of this kind of energy.
Coal energy is used for the creation of electricity to power industrial or manufacturing plants and even to power our appliances at home. Many industrial plants or manufacturing plants use coal energy to generate electricity because coal energy is an affordable source of energy. Moreover, coal is very abundant even if it is non-renewable because it has the largest reserve around the world.
There are many advantages and disadvantages of using coal energy to produce electricity. Its advantages and disadvantages are the following:
Advantages of using coal to produce electricity:
- Coal energy is an affordable energy source because of the coal’s stable price compared to other fuel sources
- Coal is easy to burn
- Coal produces high energy upon combustion
- Coal energy is inexpensive
- Coal is abundant
- Coal energy is a reliable energy source
Disadvantages of using coal to produce electricity:
- Coal energy produces large amount of carbon dioxide which leads to global warming and climate change
- The burning of coal is not environmental friendly because it produces harmful byproducts and gas emissions such as sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide that causes pollution to the environment including acid rain
- Coal energy is nonrenewable energy source
- Coal is fast depleting because we consume too much of it
- Coal mining ruins the environment and puts the lives of people specially the coal miners in danger