Coal VS Natural Gas

Both Natural Gas and Coal are used largely to produce electricity, an energy that is used in such a wide variety of ways by our civilization. As we progress in our industrial development, humans are beginning to notice our effects on our surround environment more and more. For this reason, finding the most efficient fuel sources with the lowest carbon dioxide emission is becoming for of a goal. Coal combustion is an older model for producing electricity and has provided power to our homes abundantly for decades, but natural gas is far more efficient.
The megawatt hour expresses the consistent emissions of carbon versus the amount of electricity that is generated, and newer combined cycle generators have a much better megawatt hour using natural gas than that of coal plants. Every fossil fuel from coal, to oil, to natural gas contains carbon. There is no known method to combust these hydrocarbons without emitting carbon dioxide. It is not just that natural gas puts off less carbon. Really, it simply produces more electricity. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted from a single megawatt hour, or MMBtu, is 40% less than a coal MMBtu. Every fossil fuel from coal, to oil, to natural gas contains carbon. There is no known method to combust these hydrocarbons without emitting carbon dioxide.
Also, natural gas has almost no emissions of mercury, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide due to an absence of precursors in natural gas as well as strict gas plant controls. Gas fired power generation produces less than .1 tons of mercury per year while coal burning plants account for 50 tones of mercury. Though this is still a low number, mercury is an extremely harmful substance that can damage brain cells and cause other health problems, even in small doses. Sulfur dioxide is usually created during the combustion process due to the existence of sulfur in coal and other fuels. The presence of sulfur in coal and liquid fuels is close to 4 percent while the presence of sulfur in natural gas is less than one 1/110th of a percent. For this reason, SO2 emissions from natural gas are very negligible. Nitrogen Oxides have less to do with the nitrogen levels in different fuels, and more to do with the actual process of combustion. Natural gas has lower nitrogen oxide emissions because it is combustible with more efficient techniques that are more amenable to low nitrogen oxides.
Natural gas is a more versatile fossil fuel that produces more energy. New technologies continue to improve the emissions of natural gas while coal seems to constantly struggle to meat current standards. Western Pipeline Corporation is one of many companies increasing the transport of natural gas to increase energy and lower emissions. The coming demands of our civilization will depend on the production of fuels like natural gas.

About the Author: Bob Jent is the CEO of Western Pipeline Corporation. Western Pipeline Corp is a successful, private independent producer of oil and natural gas.