do we use gas instead of coal for energy purposes and electricity now in the U.S.?

Question

if not, then wut do we use?

Answer 1

The primary source of electricity in the US is still coal. In the past decade, natural gas usage for electrical production has increased, particularly for peaker plants used to meet the summer demands.
Gas fired electrical plants are much cleaner, however the massive increase in natural gas demand has pushed the price for natural gas higher making this a more expensive solution.
Prior to this surge, gas reserves used to build up in the summer and then were used in the winter, primarily for heating. Now, we use the peaker plants in the summer months. This does not allow the gas reserves to regenerate.
The best ways to reduce environmental impact is to move to even greener technologies like solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear And an even better way is to reduce electrical demand!

Answer 2

Same reasons as everywhere else, very simple:

Gas is clean: no soot, no sulfur emission (it can be desulfurized easily), no CO emission, low nitrous emissions and almost no other trace elements (Uranium, Thorium, Mercury, etc...)

To produce electricity: the capital cost for a gas turbine is 500$/kWh compared to close to 1000$ for coal power plants. They are compact, easy to build everywhere, do not need a river or tower to cool etc... and since they do not pollute a lot, the permitting is easy.

They can have an efficiency which is as high (40% and even 60% for special cycles) but... they can easily adapt the output fast... so they can cover "peak load" (the peaks in the demand for electricity).
Since electricity is traded on stocks, this means they can produce the maximum when it is the most profitable.

Answer 3

Cost.

If not for the cost of nucleur energy (primarily in disposal and regulations), we'd depend less on coal. Coal and nucleur energy are the prime factor in the American economy, although a backlash in the west over nucluer fears has dampered it's growth.

This in turn has made coal slightly competitive and consequently produce tons of carbon. Irony?

Natural gas is just not a long-term product that America can rely on powering this country....so it's always been a debate over nucluer and coal.

In the future we might get better solar power (which I think will be competitive), and we might have a means to cheaply store that energy. Hell, we might even get fusion and then we'll all be happy...well, not all of us.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a side note, algae fuel may be competitive in the next 10 years, and it's primary 'food' can be carbon. The use of coal can be still used and it can be combined with this form of fuel production.
Thus...

Killing two birds with one stone. Produce a competitive fuel, and maintain an energy infrastructure.

Answer 4

New plants are mostly gas because of emission restrictions on *new* coal plants. Gas is cleaner and produces somewhat less CO2 than coal per kwh. Old coal plants are still very much around, though, and produce most of the electricity.

Answer 5

We use Gas, Oil, and Coal primarily. Some Nuclear and some other waste burners.