Forecasting United States Coal Requirements

There are many sources of energy available for consumption. Some available are solar, tide and wind. However, in terms of relatively large usage, only four principal sources are used for primary energy today. They are coal, oil, natural gas and water power. Such additional items as wood and nuclear energy, although supplying quantities of energy today, do not in the aggregate amount to any real significant quantity, but nuclear energy must be considered for future use. In addition, such a thing as gas from distillation of coal and oil is not considered primary energy. The principal markets for primary energy are the electric power utilities, space heating, industrial uses and transportation. The electric utility use of energy is primarily from coal, followed by natural gas and water power. Space heating is primarily a gas market, followed by oil and then coal. Space heating by electricity is only considered in the generation of electric power. Transportation's principal source of energy is oil. Coal has practically no market left in this field.