Coal – A World Resource
March 29, 2011
Coal is the world’s most abundant fossil fuel. It provides about 27 per cent of the world’s total energy, second only to oil. It also fuels about 41 per cent of the world’s electricity, more than any other energy source.
According to the Coal Association of Canada, the world’s coal reserves amount to 1,000 billion tonnes, with Canada holding about 10 billion tonnes of that. There is more energy in the world’s coal reserves than there is in its combined crude oil and natural gas. But what makes coal a truly world resource is that about 70 countries have recoverable reserves of coal.
And those that have it, use it!
Eight of the world’s top producers are in the top ten in terms of coal-fired electricity generation. Indonesia and Kazakhstan are the sixth and tenth largest producers of coal, and although most of their electricity generation is coal-fired, they are not ranked in the top ten.
Japan and South Korea are the fifth and tenth largest generators of coal-fired electricity, but Japan does not produce coal, and South Korea ranks 44th in coal production. Canada ranks 14th in coal production and 13th in coal fired generation.
The Energy Information Administration predicts that coal consumption will increase 56 per cent from 132 quadrillion British thermal units in 2007 to 206 quadrillion British thermal units in 2035.
Energy BOT Squad’s Newest Member
March 28, 2011
This week’s BOT is a blast from energy’s past, one of the oldest fuel sources we have (Canadians have been mining coal since 1685). Yes, CoalBOT has seen it all. But even if he is a fossil fuel, CoalBOT’s no dinosaur — he still provides about 11 per cent of Canada’s total energy consumption.
In Canada, coal is produced primarily in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. And while provinces like Quebec and BC generate most of their electricity using hydro power, Alberta and Saskatchewan are still large users of coal for electricity.
But CoalBOT doesn’t have an easy road ahead of him either. Ontario is aiming to phase out all its coal generation facilities by 2014, leaving just three years for coal in the province. And around the rest of the country, other, inefficient coal facilities will be shut down by 2025.
Even if the times are changing in Canada, though, it looks like CoalBOT’s sticking around for a while yet. Around the world, coal still provides over 40 per cent of the world’s electricity. Looks like you’ve got some energy left in you yet, CoalBOT.
A Bridge Not Too Far
July 20, 2010
Last month, the Canadian Centre for Energy, this humble blog’s (mostly) proud parent, wrote a newsletter about natural gas. In many ways, Canada’s energy future is going to resemble its present, with existing types of energy production, but unconventional sources are going to have major effects on that production.
As the country’s conventional reserves of oil and natural gas decline, we’re increasingly looking toward alternative sources like the Athabasca oil sands and unconventional natural gas. But if unconventional natural gas seems like more of the same, there’s certainly the chance that it’s actually a sign of changing energy use.
According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, natural gas electricity generation could be a “bridge” to future low-carbon energy production, replacing the carbon-intensive coal generation that dominates the US’s supply. Given natural gas’s lower carbon footprint (natural gas-fired plants emit about half as much CO2 as comparable coal facilities), and its increasing availability, the fuel makes sense for the heavy energy demands of the short term. While renewables are appealing, in Canada, for example, wind still makes up only 0.3 per cent of the country’s electricity generation. Getting that number up will require time and energy in the interim.
Unlike the US, our country’s electricity supply is already dominated by renewables, with hydro making up 61.7 per cent of electricity generation in 2007. Still, the federal government recently announced a plan to phase out the country’s remaining coal generation, retiring two-thirds of the country’s 51 coal plants by 2025. Provincially, both Manitoba and Ontario have already committed to going coal-free. Ontario has set a deadline of 2014, and Manitoba currently has only one remaining coal facility. Alberta, meanwhile, has nine coal-fired facilities. Electricity generation currently makes up about 22 per cent of the country’s CO2 emissions.
Changes to energy are certainly coming, but if our country’s hunger for energy is any indication (13.8 quadrillion Btu in 2007), we’ll need something to sate demand in the short term. In the interim, natural gas could be that fuel.
