How coal is used

Coal has been burnt as a fuel to heat homes since Roman times (over 2000 years ago).

Its use became more widespread with the Industrial Revolution where coal became the primary fuel used to power the machines used in industry.

By 1800, water driven mills and horse drawn carts were replaced with coal-burning steam engines and trains. By 1900, gas collected from coal was being used to light the first street lights, becoming known as town gas.

The demand for coal continued to increase in the first half of the 20th Century. Coal was burnt in large furnaces to produce the heat required to create stronger metals such as steel. It was used widely to generate electricity, including in Canberra’s Power House. It was used to power the trains and ships that linked the growing world economy and allowed many people to migrate to Australia.

It was only in the 1960s that coal was overtaken by oil as the world’s most important energy source.

Coal is still the most important energy source for electricity generation, providing 37 per cent of the world’s electricity.

In Australia coal provides nearly 80 per cent of our electricity. (Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics: ABARE Economics ).

The bulk of coal mined in Australia (84 per cent) is used for electricity generation. The rest is used for diverse purposes such as steel and alumina refining, cement and paper production, for brewing alcohol and for creating many useful chemicals in the pharmaceuticals industry. (Australian Coal Association ).