Editing Coal (section)

===Electricity generation===
{{Main|Coal-fired power station}}[[File:Grand Junction Trip 92007 098.JPG|thumb|[[Castle Gate Power Plant]] near Helper, Utah, US]]
[[File:Ashtabulacoalcars e2.jpg|thumb|Coal rail cars]]
[[File:Komatsu bulldozer pushing coal in Power plant Ljubljana (winter 2017).jpg|thumb|[[Bulldozer]] pushing coal in [[Ljubljana Power Station]], Slovenia]]
In 2022, 68% of global coal use was used for electricity generation.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=11}} 
Coal burnt in [[list of coal power stations|coal power stations]] to [[electricity generation|generate electricity]] is called '''thermal coal'''. It is usually pulverized and then burned in a furnace with a [[boiler]].<ref name="World Coal">[http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-of-coal/coal-electricity/ Total World Electricity Generation by Fuel (2006)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022093430/http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-of-coal/coal-electricity/|date=22 October 2015}}. Source: IEA 2008.</ref> The furnace heat converts boiler water to [[steam]], which is then used to spin [[turbine]]s which turn [[electrical generator|generators]] and create electricity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fossil Power Generation |url=http://w1.siemens.com/responsibility/en/environment/portfolio/fossil_power_generation.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090929225531/http://w1.siemens.com/responsibility/en/environment/portfolio/fossil_power_generation.htm |archive-date=29 September 2009 |access-date=23 April 2009 |publisher=Siemens AG}}</ref> The [[thermodynamic efficiency]] of this process varies between about 25% and 50% depending on the pre-combustion treatment, turbine technology (e.g. [[supercritical steam generator]]) and the age of the plant.<ref>J. Nunn, A. Cottrell, A. Urfer, L. Wibberley and P. Scaife, [http://www.docstoc.com/docs/80110435/TA-28-Vic-elec-grid-YED-2000-Final "A Lifecycle Assessment of the Victorian Energy Grid"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902132119/http://www.docstoc.com/docs/80110435/TA-28-Vic-elec-grid-YED-2000-Final|date=2 September 2016}}, Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development, February 2003, p. 7.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Neurath F and G set new benchmarks |url=http://www.alstom.com/Global/Power/Resources/Documents/Brochures/neurath-fandg-supercritical-steam-power-plant-new-benchmarks.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401132704/http://www.alstom.com/Global/Power/Resources/Documents/Brochures/neurath-fandg-supercritical-steam-power-plant-new-benchmarks.pdf |archive-date=1 April 2015 |access-date=21 July 2014 |publisher=Alstom}}</ref> 

A few [[integrated gasification combined cycle]] (IGCC) power plants have been built, which burn coal more efficiently. Instead of pulverizing the coal and burning it directly as fuel in the steam-generating boiler, the [[coal gasification|coal is gasified]] to create [[syngas]], which is burned in a [[gas turbine]] to produce electricity (just like natural gas is burned in a turbine). Hot exhaust gases from the turbine are used to raise steam in a [[heat recovery steam generator]] which powers a supplemental [[steam turbine]]. The overall plant efficiency when used to provide [[combined heat and power]] can reach as much as 94%.<ref>[http://ipaper.ipapercms.dk/DONGENERGY/Internet/UK/ThermalPower/AVVbrochure2012UK/ Avedøreværket] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129110317/http://ipaper.ipapercms.dk/DONGENERGY/Internet/UK/ThermalPower/AVVbrochure2012UK/|date=29 January 2016}}. Ipaper.ipapercms.dk. Retrieved on 11 May 2013.</ref> IGCC power plants emit less local pollution than conventional pulverized coal-fueled plants. Other ways to use coal are as [[coal-water slurry fuel]] (CWS), which was developed in the [[Soviet Union]], or in [[magnetohydrodynamic generator|an MHD topping cycle]]. However these are not widely used due to lack of profit.

In 2017 38% of the world's electricity came from coal, the same percentage as 30 years previously.<ref>{{cite web |date=2018-06-15 |title=The most depressing energy chart of the year |url=https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/6/15/17467164/energy-chart-renewables-coal-climate-change |access-date=30 October 2018 |publisher=Vox}}</ref> In 2018 global installed capacity was 2[[terawatt|TW]] (of which 1TW is in China) which was 30% of total electricity generation capacity.<ref name="Cornot-Gandolfe 2018">{{cite book |last1=Cornot-Gandolfe |first1=Sylvie |url=https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/cornot_gandolphe_coal_exit_2018.pdf |title=A Review of Coal Market Trends and Policies in 2017 |date=May 2018 |publisher=Ifri |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115153650/https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/cornot_gandolphe_coal_exit_2018.pdf |archive-date=2018-11-15 |url-status=live}}</ref> The most dependent major country is South Africa, with over 80% of its electricity generated by coal;<ref>{{cite web |title=Energy Revolution: A Global Outlook |url=https://www.drax.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Energy-Revolution-Global-Outlook-Report-Final-Dec-2018-COP24.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209123738/https://www.drax.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Energy-Revolution-Global-Outlook-Report-Final-Dec-2018-COP24.pdf |archive-date=2019-02-09 |access-date=7 February 2019 |publisher=Drax}}</ref> but China alone generates more than half of the world's coal-generated electricity.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 March 2021 |title=China generated over half world's coal-fired power in 2020: study |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-china-coal/china-generated-over-half-worlds-coal-fired-power-in-2020-study-idUSKBN2BK0PZ |access-date=14 September 2021 |work=[[Reuters]] |quote=China generated 53% of the world's total coal-fired power in 2020, nine percentage points more that five years earlier}}</ref> Efforts around the world to reduce the use of coal have led some regions to switch to natural gas and [[renewable energy]]. In 2018 coal-fired power station [[capacity factor]] averaged 51%, that is they operated for about half their available operating hours.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://endcoal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BoomAndBust_2020_English.pdf |title=Boom and Bust 2020: Tracking the Global Coal Plant Pipeline |last1=Shearer |first1=Christine |last2=Myllyvirta |first2=Lauri |date=March 2020 |publisher=[[Global Energy Monitor]] |last3=Yu |first3=Aiqun |last4=Aitken |first4=Greig |last5=Mathew-Shah |first5=Neha |last6=Dallos |first6=Gyorgy |last7=Nace |first7=Ted |access-date=27 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327062155/https://endcoal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BoomAndBust_2020_English.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2020 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>