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theinventionoftheincandescentlightbulbbythomasa.edisonin1879createdademandforacheap,readilyavailablefuelwithwhichtogeneratelargeamountsofelectricpower.coalseemedtofitthebill,anditfueledtheearliestpowerstations.(whichweresetupattheendofthenineteenthcenturybyedisonhimself).
asmorepowerplantswereconstructedthroughoutthecountry,therelianceoncoalincreasedthroughoutthecountry,therelianceoncoalincreased.sincethefirstworldwar,coal-firedpowerplantshadacombinedintheunitedstateseachyear.in1986suchplantshadacombinedgeneratingcapacityof289,000megawattsandconsumed83percentofthenearly900milliontonsofcoalminedinthecountrythatyear.
giventheuncertaintyinthefuturegrowthofthenearly900milliontonsofcoalminedinthecountrythatyear.giventheuncertaintyinthefuturegrowthofnuclearpowerandinthesupplyofoilandnaturalgas,coal-firedpowerplantscouldwellprovideupto70percentoftheelectricpowerintheunitedstatesbytheendofthecentury.
yet,inspiteofthefactthatcoalhaslongbeenasourceofelectricityandmayremainonformanyyears(coalrepresentsabout80percentofunitedstatesfossil-fuelreserves),ithasactuallyneverbeenthemostdesirablefossilfuelforpowerplants.coalcontainslessenergyperunitofweightthanweightthannaturalgasoroil;itisdifficulttotransport,anditisassociatedwithahostofenvironmentalissues,amongthemacidrain.sincethelate1960'sproblemsofemissioncontrolandwastedisposalhavesharplyreducedtheappealofcoal-firedpowerplants.thecostofamelioratingtheseenvironmentproblemsalongwiththerisingcostofbuildingafacilityaslargeandcomplexasacoal-firedpowerplant,havealsomadesuchplantslessattractivefromapurelyeconomicperspective.
changesinthetechnologicalbaseofcoal-firedpowerplantscouldrestoretheirattractiveness,however.whereassomeofthesechangesareintendedmainlytoincreasetheproductivityofexistingplants,completelynewtechnologiesforburningcoalcleanlyarealsobeingdeveloped.