Coal

The abundance of coal in the world makes it one of the cheapest sources of fuel for base load electricity generation and possibly other uses. Coal-fired plants generate electricity by burning pulverized coal mixed with very hot air to produce steam. The high pressure steam turns a turbine that drives an electric generator to produce electricity. Despite the fact that coal is one of the cheapest sources of fuel, the U.S. and many other countries around the world face a dilemma about its use, due to environmental concerns for air and water quality.