After many years of purchasing electricity from a faraway city, a town decides to generate its own electricity by constructing a coal-fired power plant.
a. Briefly discuss the process by which a typical coal-fired power plant generates electricity. Identify one advantage and one disadvantage of using coal rather than oil to generate electricity.
b. Identify one primary air pollutant likely to be emitted by the new coal-fired power plant. Identify one secondary pollutant likely to result from this primary pollutant, and describe the process by which the primary pollutant is converted into the secondary pollutant.
c. Describe one negative effect that either of the pollutants identified in part (b) could have on the health of the townspeople. Describe one negative effect that either of the pollutants identified in part (b) could have on the surrounding environment.
d. Explain how coal-fired power plants contribute to global climate change. Discuss an alternative source of energy for the town (other than continuing to purchase electricity from another community) that would not contribute to global climate change.