Why are hydro-electric power stations more efficient than coal-fired power stations?

Answer 1

I think you mean why is more electricity produced by fossil fuels than by nuclear? Largely history I think, and the availability of reasonably cheap coal and natural gas in the US. In France for instance, with little coal and no natural gas, nuclear has been developed to supply roughly 75 percent of electricity.

Answer 2

There are no perfect sources of power. Since we do want to have electric power, we live with the problems that are caused by whatever method of power generation that we use. Burning fossil fuels in power stations causes air pollution, but that is also true for cars that burn gasoline, yet we continue to drive cars that burn gasoline. Environmentalism is a popular cause, however, we make compromises because we also have other important concerns, such as our convenience and our economic prosperity.

Answer 3

Both methods of electricity production utilises turbines. Turbines are giant motors that produce electricity when spun.

Hydro and coal-fire are two method of spinning the turbine. Hydro uses the natural force of gravity that pulls the water downwards. Thus the turbine will be spun as the water passes.

However coal-fire is burnt to produce heat, this heat is then used to heat up water into steam. It is this steam that spins the turbines. Not all of the energy from the coal will go into the water, and not all the energy from the water will go into spinning the turbine.

Vice versa, there will be energy lost from the flow of water via friction etc.

A coal-fired power plant is about 30% efficient in converting coal energy into electrical energy.

Answer 4

Coal and wood actually produce fairly similar amounts of carbon dioxide when burnt. However, the carbon dioxide produced from the wood originally came from the atmosphere and was converted by the original tree into wood - so burning the wood simply returns this to the atmosphere and there is no net increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When we burn coal, the carbon dioxide is produced from carbon that had been sequestered underground for millions of years, so by this means we do add new carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Answer 5

coal burns cleaner than wood

Burning coal was easier because coal burned longer than wood

Answer 6

There is more energy to release. I saw a comparison that one thimble sized Uranium fuel pellet has recoverable energy equivalent to that in the coal of a 100 mile long coal train.

Answer 7

pop goes the Iron weasel