Coal-fired power station - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

-fired power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....

produces electricity

Electricity

Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...

, usually for public consumption, by burning coal to boil water, producing steam

Steam

Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...

which drives a steam turbine

Steam turbine

A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....

which turns an electrical generator

Electrical generator

In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...

. Power station operators play a key part in keeping the boilers fired equally and steam adjusted correctly to burn the coal in the most efficient way possible.

Coal is a relatively cheap fuel with some of the largest deposits in politically stable regions (China, India and the US) thus generally offering a more stable supply than natural gas and oil, the largest deposits of which are located in the more politically volatile Persian Gulf.

the largest coal-fired power station is Kendal Power Station

Kendal Power Station

-Power generation:Power generation is done by six 686 MW units for a total installed capacity of 4,116 MW. Turbine Maximum Continuous Rating is 16.67%- See also :* Eskom* Fossil-fuel power plant* List of power stations in South Africa-External links:...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. The world's most energy-efficient coal fired power plant is the Avedøre Power Station

Avedøre Power Station

The Avedøre Power Station is a combined heat and power station, located in Avedøre, Denmark just south of the Copenhagen, and is owned by DONG Energy A/S...

in Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. One of world's least energy-efficient coal fired power plant is the Hazelwood Power Station in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...