Coal led the industrial revolution
There are still an estimated 909 billion tonnes of proven coal reserves worldwide, enough to last at least 155 years.
It provided the high temperatures needed to extract metals from their ores (metallurgy) and to produce the steam needed to drive the industrial steam engines. Coal has a higher carbon content than wood. This means that it is a more efficient fuel. When wood or coal are heated to about 1200°C in the absence of air (oxygen), they provide charcoal and coke respectively. Both charcoal and coke have higher carbon contents than wood or coal which means that they make even more efficient fuels.
Coal is an extremely important fuel and will remain so. Some 23% of primary energy needs are met by coal and 39% of electricity is generated from coal. About 70% of world steel production depends on coal feedstock. Coal is the world's most abundant and widely distributed fossil fuel source. The International Energy Agency expects a 43% increase in its use from 2000 to 2020.
However, burning coal produces about 9 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year which is released to the atmosphere, about 70% of this being from power generation. Other estimates put carbon dioxide emissions from power generation at one third of the world total of over 25 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Development of new "clean coal" technologies is addressing this problem so that the world's enormous resources of coal can be utilised for future generations without contributing to global warming. Much of the challenge is in commercialising the technology so that coal use remains economically competitive despite the cost of achieving "zero emissions".
As many coal-fired power stations approach retirement, their replacement gives much scope for 'cleaner' electricity. Alongside nuclear power and harnessing renewable energy sources, one hope for this is via "clean coal" technologies, such as are now starting to receive substantial R&D funding.
What is Clean Coal? can there really be "clean" coal?
"clean coal" technology involves using the coal to make hydrogen from water, then burying the resultant carbon dioxide by-product and burning the hydrogen.