Coal’s Surprise

The headline for this month’s Future of Electricity might surprise you.

With all the attention these days to green power and coal�s role in global warming, the last thing you�d expect would be a column titled, �Coal�s future burns brightly.�

That headline gets less surprising when you remember that coal produces half the electricity in the United States, and nearly all the electricity in Kentucky. Coal is one of the top fuels of choice because it�s one of the best deals for producing reliable and affordable electricity.

So as we use more electricity for computers, TVs, and other gizmos, you would expect continued use of coal.

This month�s The Future of Electricity column cites a couple more reasons why coal has a bright future.

One is worldwide demand�as countries develop, they�ll look to coal for the electricity that will fuel their economies. American innovation provides the other reason. The usefulness of coal could increase through new processes, like converting it to natural gas, and through techniques to reduce its effect on the environment, like experiments now under way to capture and bury the greenhouse gases produced by the burning of coal.

Energy experts agree that coal will provide a large share of our power for a long time to come.

It�s still smart to diversify the fuels we use. Today�s focus on renewable energy like solar and wind could be welcome additions to our power portfolio.

But we need a reality check before assuming renewable fuels can replace a significant share of coal. Sunshine and breezes may be free, as the slogans say, but they�re not electricity. Converting those energy sources into power we can use costs a lot more than coal. And moving that power from the sunny desert or windy plains to places people live and use electricity will likely prove difficult and costly. We�ll no doubt see bitter battles in the future between those who want to sell wind and solar power, and landowners and others concerned about the effect of power lines on the environment.

Research should make renewable energy more affordable and useful. But coal is the bird in the hand we�ll rely on for a long time.