The History of Coal Energy
Coal powers our modern life, even though it seems antiquated. A vast majority of the coal used in the U.S. is used to run our computers, lights, and elevators, but few people even know how important coal's contribution is to history. Coal has been with us a surprisingly long time and finding out more about coal's history and how it has been used over time may make you a bit more conscious about leaving lights on or your computer running overnight.
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13th Century
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The 13th century traveler and explorer, Marco Polo, was stunned when he watched Chinese peasants using black rocks to fuel fires. Completely unknown in Europe at the time, coal had been used in China for centuries to heat homes, boil water and forge high-quality iron tools and weapons. Coal's fires burner hotter than wood's, and Marco Polo mentioned these "black rocks" in his writings--though contemporary Venetians dismissed his claims as fantasy.
18th Century
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Centuries later, England's abundant resources of iron and coal allowed it to become the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. By the dawn of the 19th century, most of the forests of Britain, and indeed Europe, had been used to make ships and fuel fires resulting in alarmingly few trees to draw upon for steam engines. Coal, on the other hand, was an untapped resource and allowed the tiny island nation to become an economic powerhouse. Coal was used to boil the water that powered steam engines in factories, ships, and on trains, all of which propelled Great Britain to a leadership role in the world.
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19th Century
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Coal deposits were reported in the 18th century in places like Pennsylvania and Virginia, but were largely ignored until the Industrial Revolution came to the United States. In the late 19th century, America's coal deposits and iron ore veins were exploited by legendary figures such as Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt to help propel the United States to the forefront of industrial production. By 1900, the United States surpassed Great Britain's industrial output due in large part to coal power.
Electricity
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Though electricity had been "discovered" over a century before, it was not until Thomas Edison in 1879 developed a practical application in which electricity was turned into something useful--light. Edison used direct current (DC) electrical power to power strings of lights in laboratories and at outdoors exhibitions. Unfortunately, DC electricity was unreliable and could not transmit power very far. Nicola Tesla proposed the use of alternating current (AC) power to maximize the distance that electricity could be delivered. Soon, coal's energy was being used to power steam-driven turbines at large electric plants across the country.
Future
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Coal energy is still the most abundant fossil fuel in the world. It is estimated that, if current consumption remains steady, America's coal supply could last another 200 years. Nevertheless, the burning of coal contributes to so-called "greenhouse gas" emissions: carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of burning coal.
When coal is burned at very hot temperatures, however, some of the carbon from the carbon dioxide is combusted. This allows coal plants to squeeze more efficiency and energy out of coal while reducing gas emissions. This, coupled with filtration methods, is generally referred to as "clean coal technology" and may represent a new approach to using coal energy in the future.
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