Coal and Renewable Energy: History, Impacts, and Future in Alabama

Abstract

Coal and renewable energy have differential impacts on human society. Coal is the most abundant, cheap, and yet environmentally detrimental source of energy. Renewable sources are environmentally benign but constrained by economic, logistical, and technical factors. As the United States moves towards a renewable energy generation policy the challenges and opportunities for the state of Alabama are vast. To understand the possibilities and benefits associated with renewable energy it is essential to note the factors which have aided the rise of coal-based energy in the state as well as the future possibilities associated with renewable energy. Hence this research primarily aimed at describing historical growth of coal-based energy, the contemporary debate of renewable energy policy, and the prospects of generating energy from the most abundant renewable resource in the state, biomass.