HOW IT WORKS: ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION FROM COAL
The most common way to generate electricity is to heat water to produce steam; the flow of steam turns a turbine inside a generator to produce electricity. This schematic shows TVA’s coal-fired Kingston plant in Tennessee, which generates 10 billion kilowatt-hours a year by burning 13,000 metric tons of coal a day, supplying electricity to almost 700,000 homes.
Coal is the main fossil fuel used to produce electricity in the United States, though its use decreased 6% between 2010 and 2013 due mainly to an increase in nuclear power. Increasing the use of renewable fuels and taking steps to improve energy efficiency and conservation could decrease the role coal plays in energy production.
NSIDC courtesy Ted Scambos and Rob Bauer