http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,55642,00.html

Here is a web-site on a new coal powered electrical generating facility being built and tested in Australia.

I wonder about the feasibility of perhaps what it will take to make existing coal powered plants more efficient. Since the U.S. is so rich in coal, does coal have a future in our energy needs? And how long would it take to get there?

The future is now. Coal is the #2 fuel of choice amongst electrical energy generating companies (natural gas is #1). Most generating plants that use coal must use a low sulfur (less than 2% sulfur content) coal combined with scrubbers and/or precipitators to further clean the coal.