ABSTRACT
The major environmental impact of electrical power comes from burning coal. The United States is widely considered to be the Saudi Arabia of coal with some of the largest known deposits in the world. Various environmental and permitting regulations have temporally kept the coal-fired power percentage at a low level in the United States. Coal burning electrical power plants are a large source of mercury emissions, and the largest human caused source of mercury emissions to the air in the United States. The purpose of this chapter is not to rail against the use of energy, but to minimize the environmental impact of energy consumption. When confronted with the disturbing effect of electrical energy on the people environment, it is easy to assume this is a chapter against electricity use, the coal industry, or the electrical power industry. The needless consumption of electrical energy is not benign. Reducing energy consumption may actually save lives.
