Carbon Centent of Fossil Fuel


Coal is a major source of carbon emissions.  According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), coal has a higher carbon content than other fossil fues typically employed to generate electricity.

Pounds of CO2 emitted per million British thermal units (Btu) of energy for various fuels:
Coal (anthracite) 228.6; Coal (bituminous) 205.7\; Coal (lignite) 215.4
Coal (subbituminous) 214.3; Diesel fuel and heating oil 161.3; Propane 139.0; Natural gas 117.0
See: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=73&t=11

How much carbon is burned per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity depends on the efficiency of the electric generator, called the heat rate, measured in but/kWh.




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