the invention of the incandecent light bulb by thoma a. edion in 1879 created a demand for a cheap, readily available fuel with which to generate large amount of electric power. coal eemed to fit the bill, and it fueled the earliet power tation. (which were et up at the end of the nineteenth century by edion himelf).
a more power plant were contructed throughout the country, the reliance on coal increaed throughout the country, the reliance on coal increaed. ince the firt world war, coal-fired power plant had a combined in the united tate each year. in 1986 uch plant had a combined generating capacity of 289,000 megawatt and conumed 83 percent of the nearly 900 million ton of coal mined in the country that year. given the uncertainty in the future growth of the nearly 900 million ton of coal mined in the country that year. given the uncertainty in the future growth of nuclear power and in the upply of oil and natural ga, coal-fired power plant could well provide up to 70 percent of the electric power in the united tate by the end of the century.
yet, in pite of the fact that coal ha long been a ource of electricity and may remain on for many year(coal repreent about 80 percent of united tate foil-fuel reerve), it ha actually never been the mot deirable foil fuel for power plant. coal contain le energy per unit of weight than weight than natural ga or oil; it i difficult to tranport, and it i aociated with a hot of environmental iue, among them acid rain. ince the late 1960 problem of emiion control and wate dipoal have harply reduced the appeal of coal-fired power plant. the cot of ameliorating thee environment problem along with the riing cot of building a facility a large and comple a a coal-fired power plant, have alo made uch plant le attractive from a purely economic perpective.[由www.haoZuowen.Com整理]
change in the technological bae of coal-fired power plant could retore their attractivene, however. wherea ome of thee change are intended mainly to increae the productivity of eiting plant, completely new technologie for burning coal cleanly are alo being developed.