AFTERSHOCK!!! Maybe Fossil Fuels Aren't So Bad After All

The Advantages of Coal

* Coal is one of the most abundant sources of energy, more so than oil and natural gas
* Coal is inexpensive when compared to other fossil fuels (or alternative energy sources)
* Coal is versatile enough to be used for recreational activities such as BBQ’s or simply for home fires
* Burning coal can produce useful by-products that can be used for other industries or products
* Electricity produced from coal is reliable
* Coal can be safely stored and can be drawn upon to create energy in time of emergency
* Coal based power is not dependent on weather which cannot be said for alternative forms of renewable energy such as wind or solar power
* Transporting coal does not require the upkeep of high-pressure pipelines and there is no requirement for extra security when transporting coal
* Using coal reduces the dependence on using oil, which is often found in nations where there is unstable political regimes
Crude oil (called "petroleum") is easier to get out of the ground than coal, as it can flow along pipes. This also makes it cheaper to transport.

I ought to point out that some scientists are claiming that oil is not a 'fossil' fuel - that it is not the remains of prehistoric organisms after all. They claim it was made by some other, non-biological process. Currently this is not accepted by the majority of scientists, but you can find out more about the idea at space.com

Advantages of Fossil Fuels

Ah, the evil fossil fuels. Fossil fuels that were once exalted as the power source for the industrial revolution are now demonized because of global warming. There are, however, advantages to fossil fuel

Fossil fuels are those fuels which come from the remains of ancient plants and animals. They include oil (petroleum), natural gas (such as methane and propane) and coal. Much has been said about how horrible fossil fuels are because they tend to produce large amounts of pollution and contribute massive amounts of greenhouse gases to the global warming problem. They are also non-renewable, which means that once we have used all of the fossil fuels that are stored within the Earth, the proverbial tank will be empty. Indeed, one can argue that control of fossil fuels will become the basis of many wars between countries. All of this being said, there are still advantages to fossil fuels.

The first of the advantages of fossil fuels is the availability of them at this time. Petroleum, or crude oil, is rather easy to find – there are many stores and reservoirs of the black stuff hidden below the Earth's crust. The same goes for natural gas, as the pockets of gas can be found and harvested just below the surface of the Earth. Coal is even easier to find – it can be mined (sometimes strip mined) from within caves or in shafts dug into the ground. Fossil fuels are also easily transported from place to place, meaning that you don't need to use them right where they are found. This is not so with other types of energy sources such as geothermal and hydropower which are restricted to the area in question and the length to which power lines can be run. Most of the availability advantage of fossil fuels exists because we have already perfected the harvesting and transport of it.

Other advantages of fossil fuels include ease of use. Since fossil fuels have been used as a combustible energy source for centuries, most of the machinery and engines that we use in everyday life have been developed to burn fossil fuels. Developing machines that use alternative energy sources can be much more difficult as is adapting existing machinery to use different power sources. Fossil fuel run power plants are also much easier to build and use – you can erect one almost anywhere, as long as you can get the fossil fuel to the plant. It is much harder to find a suitable location for a power plant that runs off of alternative energy sources, such as hydro power or wind power.

The advantages to fossil fuels really boil down to a timing element. At the current time, we have plenty of them. At the moment, all of our machinery from cars to power plants is designed to use them. At the moment, we have developed methods to use these fuels extremely efficiently whereas something like solar power is only 15 percent efficient. These advantages of fossil fuels lead to a relatively cost effective power source for civilization itself. http://www.solarcompanies.com/advantages_of_fossil_fuels