The Case for Coal

The Case for Coal

The advent of recent technological advances in energy from clean coal makes it a better choice than other energies such as wind, solar, or even petroleum. Coal is more affordable, more abundant, and cleaner than its critics will have the population believe.

First of all, coal is simply more affordable than any of it alternative counterparts. In the US, states derive 40% of their electricity from coal on average with an average cost of 9.99 cents per kilowatt-hour. States utilizing coal for an average of 60% of their electricity pay an average of just 8.7 cents per kilowatt-hour for household electricity, while states using coal for just 10% of their energy pay an average of 12.7 cents per kilowatt-hour (America's Power). Here in Tennessee, where half of the state’s electricity is derived from coal, the average retail price for a kilowatt-hour of electricity is 9.14 cents, 23rd highest in the United States. Comparatively Vermont, which uses no coal and receives 73% of its power from nuclear energy, electric customers pay an average retail price of 13.79 cents per kilowatt-hour. This is a 50.1% increase over average retail in Tennessee (Electric Power Monthly 102-12).

Coal power plant construction is less expensive than alternative energies with comparable output. In 2005, a 600 megawatt coal power plant costs an estimated $1,800 per kilowatt or $1.08 billion before financing costs (Schlissel, Smith, and Wilson). According to Windustry, a wind energy advocacy, the average cost of a commercial wind turbine is on average $1.7 million per turbine with some costing as much as $3.5 million installed. With an average rating of 1.5 megawatts, over 400 wind turbines would be needed to produce the equivalent electricity of one coal power plant (Windustry). This represents an estimated cost of $1.4 billion before financing costs. It is a likewise situation with solar power on a commercial scale. Construction of a large solar photovoltaic...