If over half of our energy comes from coal, what makes up the other percent?
What is keeping us from switching to other alternative fuel sources?
The rest comes from various sources - nuclear, natural gas, hydroelectric, other renewables, and a bit from oil. You can compare your local power grid to the US average here to see where it comes from:
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-an...
We are switching to more renewable fuel sources, but it takes time and money. Right now coal is the cheapest form of energy, and while other technologies like solar are advancing and becoming cheaper, they%26#039;re still not as cheap as coal.
We are slowly and gradually moving toward renewable energy though. Hopefully our next president will help speed up the process. 47% 8 Votes
According to Ausra, a solar thermal power plant company:
%26quot;Solar thermal power plants such as Ausra%26#039;s generate electricity by driving steam turbines with sunshine. Ausra%26#039;s solar concentrators boil water with focused sunlight, and produce electricity at prices directly competitive with gas- and coal-fired electric power.%26quot;
Solar is one the most land-efficient sources of clean power we have, using a fraction of the area needed by hydro or wind projects of comparable output. All of America%26#039;s needs for electric power – the entire US grid, night and day – can be generated with Ausra%26#039;s current technology using a square parcel of land 92 miles on a side. For comparison, this is less than 1% of America%26#039;s deserts, less land than currently in use in the U.S. for coal mines.%26quot; http://www.cleanwisconsin.org/campaigns/...
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ten_most_...
http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/
http://www.ausra.com
http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/ 0% 0 Votes
Anthracite is very rare in the US.
Coal is a little less than a quarter of America%26#039;s energy usage. (Coal is half of electricity production.) Petroleum is 40%. See:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/page...
Economics determines what fuels we use. Period. Liquid hydrocarbons have the highest energy density of any fuel, and therefore used in transportation.
America has enormous coal reserves, but coal is a bit dirty and only power plants can invest in the pollution abatement needed.
Nuclear is the only alternative energy source that has a chance. Yucca mountain takes care of the waste, and the technology is available today.
Solar has such a low energy density, it is 10X more expensive than anything else (and unreliable).
Ethanol takes more energy to produce from corn than you end up with. (Remember you have to use energy to distill the ethanol.)
Hydrogen is not a primary fuel source, you have to make it from something else.
Any river that can support hydro power already has a dam courtesy of the US Corps of Engineers.
There you have it in a nutshell. 41% 7 Votes