{"id":11961,"date":"2020-07-14T12:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T12:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/?p=11961"},"modified":"2026-01-13T21:30:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T21:30:32","slug":"how-to-optimize-coal-fired-power-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/how-to-optimize-coal-fired-power-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Optimize Coal-Fired Power Plants"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HowThe International Energy Agency<\/a> recently reported that after three years of increase, coal-based generation dropped 3% in 2019 as electricity demand growth slowed. However, “It remains the primary energy source for electricity generation worldwide…with a share of 36% due to its widespread use in Asian economies… Making the existing coal power plant fleet more flexible and efficient is a priority.”<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration<\/a>, “Although coal at U.S. power plants has cost less than natural gas, for coal to be competitive, its delivered cost must be at least 30% lower to make up for the differences in efficiency between a typical coal-fired plant and a typical natural gas-fired plant. These differences are even larger for more efficient natural gas-fired combined-cycle plants. Coal plants must also offset higher costs for emission control equipment and other operations.”<\/p>\n

As a result of these factors, globally, the coal-fired power plant<\/a> faces the increasing demands of cost saving, process optimization, and cleaner gas emission. The good news is that there is already technology that can help optimize raw material handling, analyze coal quality, monitor emissions and air quality, and assess the structural integrity of pipelines.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of the technologies that coal-fired power generation operators could invest in if they are to reduce costs and optimize their plants:<\/p>\n