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Cost of Coal. Lydia Mitchell Laura Erdman Section 005, Kendra Walker. Outline. Costs of Coal Benefits of Coal Analysis of Current Energy Use Solar Energy Geothermal Energy Wind Energy Cost Benefit Analysis and Alternatives in the Future. Costs of Coal. Non-renewable resource.
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Cost of Coal Lydia Mitchell Laura Erdman Section 005, Kendra Walker
Outline • Costs of Coal • Benefits of Coal • Analysis of Current Energy Use • Solar Energy • Geothermal Energy • Wind Energy • Cost Benefit Analysis and Alternatives in the Future
Costs of Coal • Non-renewable resource. • Burning coal increases carbon dioxide. • Environmental health (increasing sulfur, nitrogen oxide, and mercury). • Human health (particulate matter). • Unsafe mining. • “And we have little more than a century to develop adequate, practical, and inexpensive technologies to replace some of these sources” (Borowitz).
Benefits of Coal • Inexpensive and abundant. • Potential for development to become safer, an example being gasification. • Upgrading coal is more cost effective than going to an alternative source of energy. • Upgrading would also lower dependence on foreign oil.
Analysis of Current Energy Use http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/geothermal/geothermal.html
Solar Energy • Photovoltaic cells. • Inexhaustible. • Minimal impact on the environment. • Low-maintenance. • Does not have good transmission and storage systems. http://www.oksolar.com/gallery/city.htm
Geothermal Energy • Uses heat from inside of the earth. • Earth must be drilled and pumped to remove heat. • Huge amount of energy. http://www.imaexploration.com/s/ValleDelCura.asp
Wind Energy • Renewable energy. • Form of solar energy. • Costs lowering. • Wind farms. • May negatively effect habitats and are considered ugly. http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/energy/nn/nn_rt/nn_rt_wind/images http://www.cogreenpower.org/
Cost Benefit Analysis and Alternatives in the Future • Theories on cost benefit analysis. • Change in coal infrastructure. • Change to alternative energies. • Public Influence. • Government Action. • Drivers of Change.