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Primary Energy :
Primary energy consists of unconverted or original fuels that can be mined, reaped, extracted, harvested, or harnessed directly. We have different sources of primary energy which we can convert into electricity, run motors or steam engines, etc., One of the oldest energy sources, and the most used source is coal which is used for centuries to produce electricity and run motors. As we can see in the visualization coal is one source of energy that is used since 1800.
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Composition of coal :
Coal majorly constitutes carbon which takes 80 percent of space which makes it a harmful but very useful source.
Production / Consumption of coal :
We can see the production and consumption of coal is linearly increasing with time. We are consuming at least 80 percent of coal every year from the total production. On average we are consuming 6000 metric tonnes of coal per year.
Production of coal :
Now let's look at the production of coal from different countries from 1900 to 2019. We can see India, the UK, Poland et., are one of the largest producers of coal.
Thermal Electricity :
One of the primary use of coal is to generate electricity. The below plot represents thermal power plants around the world. There is a total of 30,000 thermal power-plants producing 1364957 megawatts of power which are used by almost 40 percent of the population. Rate indicates the rate which electricity generated is used every year and total sums up the electricity generated.
Consumption of coal :
China, Indonesia, and the USA are three major countries that use large amounts of coal for their primary energy conversion.
Decrease in coal usage :
The below plot indicates coal is one of the major sources of energy from 1960 but with time the coal left in the reserves has come down. Notice in 1960 40 percent of coal is used to produce primary energy which came down to 20 percent in 1980. Which made us think about alternative sources for generating electricity.
Reserves Left :
The plot represents the approximate coal reserves and the coal left for mining for the coming years. There are approximately 1.3 trillion tonnes of proven coal reserves left worldwide. It approximately takes 180 to 200 years to use all the coal reserves available. At present the USA has the highest coal reserves in the world.
Alternatives :
We are blessed to find out renewable energy sources can be used as primary sources. The conversion of these sources to energy is 30 percent harder than non-renewable sources as their availability is not constant. It takes powerful storage equipment and well organized planning to utilize them. These sources are also only 60 percent efficient when compared to coal and other non-renewable sources.
Conclusion :
Coal which is one of the most important part of our lives for centuries is getting all set to vanish in one more century. Even it is harmful to the environment it has provided humans with comfort and accessibility. As we cannot regenerate the coal only way to say it a proper goodbye is to utilize it properly and find some other renewable source that is effective and efficient.
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