6.

Problems with fossil fuels

Burning fossil fuels gas, coal, oil and more recently shale gas are considered the most
economic ways to generate electricity.
Fossil fuel however, is a finite resource, the cost of which increases sharply as the availability
decreases. They become more difficult to mine as reserves are diluted.
But while they still account for most of the electricity produced in the UK, there are major
problem areas such as security of supply and environmental factors:
COST: We rely primarily on foreign imports of coal, oil and gas all subject to world-market
forces of supply and demand. It means the cost of the electricity is tied to the price of the fuel
used to produce it. And the more we import, the more control we lose over our ability to set a
fair price for the electricity we consume. The trend, as we all know too well, is increasingly
expensive bills. Whats more, having to rely on imports means we have less security of supply.
Pollution : The release of hazardous chemicals from fossil fuel combustion cause unknown
quantities of people to be diagnosed with ailments such as heart disease, cancer and respiratory
disease and developmental impairments especially vulnerable groups such as children and the
elderly [1]. Toxins include oxides of nitrogen (NOx), oxides of sulphur (SOx) and fine
particulates which cannot be filtered. These are carried far from the stack.
Fossil fuels are thought to be responsible for the premature deaths of approximately 25000
Americans a year. If you look at all the major accidents in the history of commercial nuclear
energy, there is a fraction of the lives lost compared to those in one year from fossil fueFossil
fuels also produce vast quantities of green house gases most notably CO2 (Carbon Dioxide).
This doesnt sit well with aggressive EC targets to CO2 emissions.Coal, in particular, remains a
major driver of CO2 emissions accounting for 43% of emissions in 2012.
Recent U.S. government and World Bank moves to limit international financing for new coal
projects signal a desire to shift away from this particularly carbon-intensive resource
The simple truth is that we are overly-dependent on fossil fuels and need more non-fossil
fuel derived power to ensure security of supply over the coming decades.
Coal
Coal is the dirtiest method of producing energy and is responsible for a lot of the chemical
pollution we hear about in China and India.
Whats more, while the capital costs for building a coal fired power station are lower than they
would be for an equivalent nuclear facility, the actual running costs for coal are higher. Please
see chart below:
While new technologies known as Carbon Collection and Storage (CCS) could potentially clean
up fossil fuel power generation, they are currently unproven, extremely costly so will require
huge subsidies and will bring about a doubling of electricity costs.
operating nuclear power stations of the time to run (at 98.5% of fuel load) through the whole of
January 1963.
Gas
Natural gas is a cleaner fuel than oil or coal, as it emits fewer particulates and burns more
efficiently.
However, while gas is cheap to produce and gas power stations cheaper than nuclear power
stations to build, gas prices are nonetheless linked to oil, which as we all know, are increasing.
Like other fossil fuels we are increasingly dependent upon good relations with other countries for
supply. March 2013, the UK was six hours short of running out of gas supplies due to problems
at a gas processing plant in Norway.
Again the more we import the more price fluctuations we are likely to see.