COAL

Coal Australia is rich in natural resources: petroleum, natural gas and coal reserves Coal is one of Australia's most important minerals. Australia’s energy consumption is dominated by coal, it fuels most of the country’s power generation. Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Australia/Background.html

A coal fired power station Less than 40% of the energy in coal is converted to electricity. Power station flue gases are filtered to remove dust and then vented to the atmosphere. These gases contain 10 to 20% CO2.

How does a coal fired power plant work? Coal is crushed to a fine dust and burnt. Oil and gas can be burnt directly. Burn fuel> heat water to make steam> steam turns turbine>turbine turns generator>electrical power sent around the country

Think of reasons why our export of coal continues to rise.

To which countries do we export our coal?

Coal Two forms of coal are mined in Australia, depending on the region: high quality black coal lower quality brown coal Black coal: Queensland and New South Wales Used for power generation and export. Mined underground Brown coal: Victoria and South Australia. Lower quality due a higher ash and water content. Victoria uses coal as its main source of energy generation. There are three open cut brown coal mines in Victoria.

Coal Almost all of Victoria’s brown coal is mined and transformed into electricity in the LaTrobe Valley. Australia's biggest coal power stations are in the Latrobe Valley: Loy Yang Power Station Hazelwood Power Station Morwell Power Station Yallourn Power Station

Coal Loy Yang: Victoria's largest energy producing plant, supplies 1/3 of the State's electricity needs. Hazelwood is a controversial power station. It received a $500 million upgrade, but pollution from Hazelwood increased by 2.7 per cent between 1998 and 2004, (Source: study by Environment Victoria: Greenhouse Pollution Intensity in the Victorian Brown Coal Industry).

Copy in workbook: Adv / Disadv of coal:

“Clean Coal” What is it? Does it work? Does it have a future? What is the government doing? Should Australia invest in it? Watch videos: Al Gore, Late Line, Explanation of Clean Coal, “HowstuffWorks”

Video links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVXD4D1y5k (3:36 min) Carbon Capture Chall_CleanCoal_Lateline_16apr2009.wmv (2:10 min) -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tAtIkcPg00&feature=related, What is clean coal (3:51) Al Gore on Clean Coal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4-jpOq3ytU (5:10 min)