AUTHOR: Yoshimitsu Ishihara, Sarah Benson, Geoff Morrison
DATE: December 1999
PAGES: 36
ABSTRACT:
During the last 20 years, R&D expenditure on coal has experienced a steep decline in the IEA countries. Funding had
reached a peak in the early 1980s when governments were investing heavily in the development of technology which offered
the possibility of converting solid fuels to liquid in the wake of the oil crisis. In 1982, the total reported expenditure
on coal R&D by IEA member countries was US$2.26 billion (1995 prices and exchange rates), of which more than half
(US$1.31 billion) was directed at coal conversion. In the mid to late 1980s, as the energy policy moved away from an
emphasis on energy security, diversity and sustainability, the total coal R&D budget decreased and coal conversion
research was allocated a much smaller share of the budget. During the 1990s, the focus of coal R&D has moved towards
technology which may offer environmental benefits, as concerns regarding global climate change and environmental
damage have escalated. This is mainly through the development of technology which can improve the
efficiency of coal combustion or reduce emissions of pollutants.