Half

Almost half of our electricity comes from coal

Coal provides almost half of America’s electricity generation and more than twice as much as the next-highest contributor — nuclear. In addition, coal is the largest single source of energy production at more than 31 percent of the total.

We use a lot of coal because it is abundant in our own country and we know where to find it.

Coal continues to be a fuel of choice for electricity generation because it is domestically abundant and affordable. New technology makes it possible to use coal to generate electricity and still meet today's stringent environmental standards.

Americans are not alone in relying upon coal to meet the growing demand for energy. The U.S. government predicts that world coal consumption will increase from 114.5 quadrillion Btu in 2004 to 199.1 quadrillion Btu in 2030, at an average annual rate of 2.2 percent. In addition, coal’s share of total world energy use is projected to increase from 26 percent in 2004 to 28 percent in 2030.

Since coal is abundant in America and less expensive than other fuels used to generate electricity, the economics of using coal to generate electricity makes sense.