In the United States today, nearly all of our electricity is produced by fossil-fuel power plants burning coal or natural gas, nuclear power plants, and hydroelectric power plants. Using the Internet, determine environmental considerations associated with it and how such environmental aspects affect the respective plant design, operation, and cost. Write a report with at least three references. Solution What is Fossil Fuel Power Station?? A fossil-fuel power station is a power station which burns fossil fuel such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Fossil fueled power stations are major emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas which according to a consensus opinion of scientific organisations is a contributor toglobal warming. In 2011, utility coal plants in the United States emitted a total of 1.7 billion tons of CO2 Other harmful pollutants emitted annually from a typical, uncontrolled coal plant include approximately: NATURAL RESOURCES IMPACT 1) AIR Operating Power Plants will produce Air pollutents like SO2,CO2 into atmosphere which requiring pollution control equipements to reduce emissions When Air Pollution levels increases in a particular area which may lead to health problems in people 2) Water Quantity: Many power plants use water from lakes,rivers or ground water acquifers. Surface water is often used for plant cooling and plant water is often for plant processes. So if water is often drawn from Acquifers,pumping of underground waters in a large quantities will creats cone depression around the well,lowering water levels around some region to the place where we will utilised ground water 3) Water Quality Power plants must discharge purified and cleaned water they should carry a little heat or newly dissolved materials as possible 4)Vegetation Vegetation impacts can be of two basic kinds: • Direct impacts of vegetation removal or damage during construction. • Indirect impacts on vegetation from air pollution or surface water impacts caused by the power plant COMMUNITY RESOURCES IMPACT 1) Agriculturals Farm fields outside the proposed power plant property could also be affected, at least temporarily, by construction of ancillary facilities like natural gas or water pipelines or electric transmission lines. 2)Air Space Tall power plant structures such as transmission towers, exhaust stacks, or wind turbines can be potential hazards to aircraft attempting to land or take off. Whether the airport is a public facility or a private landing strip, the safety of the people in the aircraft must be considered. The level of safety can be maintained by building tall power plant structures in locations clear of runway alignments and aircraft approach paths, where planes reduce altitude and turn to approach the runway at a safe height and speed 3)Fog and Ice Fossil-fueled power plants that use steam to turn the turbines must condense the steam afterward and re-circulate the water back into the system 4)Noise Noise .

1. In the United States today, nearly all of our electricity is
produced by fossil-fuel power plants burning coal or natural
gas, nuclear power plants, and hydroelectric power plants.
Using the Internet, determine
environmental considerations associated with it and how such
environmental aspects affect the respective plant design,
operation, and cost. Write a report with at least three references.
Solution
What is Fossil Fuel Power Station??
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station which burns fossil fuel such as coal, natural gas or
petroleum to produce electricity.
Fossil fueled power stations are major emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas which
according to a consensus opinion of scientific organisations is a contributor toglobal warming.
In 2011, utility coal plants in the United States emitted a total of 1.7 billion tons of CO2
Other harmful pollutants emitted annually from a typical, uncontrolled coal plant include
approximately:
NATURAL RESOURCES IMPACT
1) AIR
Operating Power Plants will produce Air pollutents like SO2,CO2 into atmosphere which
requiring pollution control equipements to reduce emissions
When Air Pollution levels increases in a particular area which may lead to health problems in
people
2) Water Quantity:
Many power plants use water from lakes,rivers or ground water acquifers. Surface water is often
used for plant cooling and plant water is often for plant processes.
So if water is often drawn from Acquifers,pumping of underground waters in a large quantities
will creats cone depression around the well,lowering water levels around some region to the
place where we will utilised ground water
3) Water Quality
Power plants must discharge purified and cleaned water they should carry a little heat or newly
dissolved materials as possible
4)Vegetation
Vegetation impacts can be of two basic kinds:

2. • Direct impacts of vegetation removal or damage during construction.
• Indirect impacts on vegetation from air pollution or surface water impacts caused by the power
plant
COMMUNITY RESOURCES IMPACT
1) Agriculturals
Farm fields outside the proposed power plant property could also be affected, at least
temporarily, by construction of ancillary facilities like natural gas or water pipelines or electric
transmission lines.
2)Air Space
Tall power plant structures such as transmission towers, exhaust stacks, or wind turbines can be
potential hazards to aircraft attempting to land or take off. Whether the airport is a public facility
or a private landing strip, the safety of the people in the aircraft must be considered.
The level of safety can be maintained by building tall power plant structures in locations clear of
runway alignments and aircraft approach paths, where planes reduce altitude and turn to
approach the runway at a safe height and speed
3)Fog and Ice
Fossil-fueled power plants that use steam to turn the turbines must condense the steam afterward
and re-circulate the water back into the system
4)Noise
Noise from a power plant is of particular concern to nearby residents, medical facilities, schools,
daycares, or users of nearby parks or other recreational places.
Noise of different frequencies can have different effects. Lower frequencies are often felt as
vibration, or have the effects of vibration on structures. Heavy vibration can be annoying to
nearby residents or cause damage to structures.
5)Odors and Light
Odors that come from a power plant can be a concern to nearby residents. There is usually a
public interest in understanding the cause and strength of any odors and knowing the distance
these odors may travel beyond the plant site boundary
6)Aesthetics
Aesthetic impacts are usually viewed in two basic ways. One way is to analyze the actual
impacts of a power plant on the local “viewscape”.
The other way to look at aesthetics is the perception or impression a power plant creates in the
minds of individuals. This impression can be affected by plant appearance, sounds, and smells,
as well as by the plant’s effect on local traffic patterns and traffic congestion
7)Solid Waste Management
The amount and type of wastes from a power plant depend on the type of power plant and the

3. fuel used. Wastes from power plants include sludge, ash and office wastes.
A coal-fired plant needs a landfill site to meet the ash disposal requirements of the DNR. Some
plants may have landfills on-site while others would need an off-site landfill.
8)Electric Transmission or Distribution Changes
Changes in the local electric distribution system might be necessary, leading to additional
inconveniences or costs to local distribution utilities. Usually, the distribution utility and the
transmission utility, if they are not the same company, work out an equitable cost-sharing
arrangement for distribution changes.