ASTM Committee D05 on Coal and Coke CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE COAL INDUSTRY

摘要

Have you ever wondered, "What is the power behind the light switch?" A recent informal survey indicated that few people interviewed really have a reasonable concept of what powers the United States' electric utility industry. When it was explained that the United States still depends heavily on coal for electricity, a common reply was, "We still burn coal in this country?" Do you know what percentage of the United States' electricity is produced from coal? Do you know which state ranks first in total coal consumption per year? Can you name the top five states in terms of coal production? Some of the answers may surprise you. First, how much coal is actually used in the United States to generate electricity? From 1976 to 2002, electricity generated from coal actually grew from 46 percent of the nation's total electrical output to 51 percent (see Figures 1 and 2). The next surprise is in coal utilization. Texas, which has been synonymous with oil and gas, is the biggest user of coal, ranking first among the states in total coal consumption at over 99 million tons [90 x 10~(6) metric tons or 90 teragrams (Tg)] per year. In consumption, Indiana follows Texas at 69 million tons [63 Tg]. Finally, based on 2002 statistics (in millions of tons), the top five states ranked in order of total coal production were Wyoming (373.5 [338.8 Tg]), West Virginia (150.6 [136.6 Tg]), Kentucky (123.4 [111.9 Tg]), Pennsylvania (68.7 [62.3 Tg]), and Texas (45.2 [41.0 Tg]). Energy from coal is the answer to the very first question, "What is the power behind the light switch?" Energy from coal powers lights, recharges electric car batteries, runs electric shavers and hedge trimmers, turns on computers, and drives our assembly lines. Coal is what we take for granted every time we flip a switch.