Good News on Coal-Fired Power Plants, But Let’s Set It in Stone
We all know that coal, at least in the U.S., is on its way out. A coal plant closes here every 22 days; a total of 17 have been decommissioned since Trump took office a little over a year ago. Per The Guardian: “Over the past decade, coal has been increasingly replaced by cheaper, cleaner energy sources. US coal power production has dropped by 44% (866 terawatt-hours [TWh]). It’s been replaced by natural gas (up 45%, or 400 TWh), renewables (up 260%, or 200 TWh), and increased efficiency (the US uses 9%, or 371 TWh less electricity than a decade ago).”
Of the 866 TWh of lost coal power production, 46% was picked up by natural gas, 43% by increased efficiency, and 23% by renewables.
Though natural gas is far more environmentally benign than coal, we need to consider the findings published in Environmental Research Letters, which covers all of environmental science, and provides a coherent and integrated approach including research articles, perspectives and review articles. In particular, they found that when natural gas production is abundant, it crowds out both coal and renewables, resulting in little if any climate benefit.
Some people, quite correctly, point to the intractable issues associated with the significant methane leakage from natural gas drilling.
Here’s a larger question, however: Why can’t the U.S. join the rest of the world and put forward an energy policy that favors renewable energy? What’s the matter with saying, “We’re phasing out fossil fuels at the maximum rate that’s practical, given the circumstances?”
I don’t have to be reminded that this won’t happen in current political climate, but this stupidity can’t last forever. As suggest by the great Lewis Carroll: It’s hard to get somewhere when you don’t know where you’re going.
“Of the 866 TWh of lost coal power production, 46% was picked up by natural gas, 43% by increased efficiency, and 23% by renewables.”
Quite telling indeed.
Meanwhile, entrenched interests are hoping to shove us all through a lethal looking glass where the one’s truth is measured by the weight of one’s gold.
@ Craig: You said:
“Here’s a larger question, however: Why can’t the U.S. join the rest of the world and put forward an energy policy that favors renewable energy?”
Well one reason would be that you are incorrect, the rest of the world is not saying that. And that is a doomsday scenario you are espousing as well.
I have consistently and (ad-nauseam) in over 1000 posts since 2011 in many energy focussed forums including 2GreenEnergy, referred to a term I coined 7 years ago whilst musing about the future of global energy generation technologies. The term was a longish one that I shortened to: – ‘the future global massive energy generation technology imperative’. I liked it then, and I like it even more in 2018.
But I am amused to report nobody else liked the term at all, or understood or expanded on its core attributes, particularly when viewed from the platform of an ever-changing and rapidly growing world including the ‘must eventually embrace’ concept of ‘a new global era of prosperity and opportunity for all peoples’ underpinned by the availability to all of massive, clean, safe, low cost, power.
But a small objective minded cohort did identify a glimmer of relevance in a term that was also a metaphor really for: ‘a global energy generation technology future; very well-conceived, implemented and managed, for the enduring benefit of all people’. The energy generation technology imperative though was of course at odds entirely with the near hysterical media surrounding renewable energy (mainly instant fix and miniscule scale, PV and wind) concepts only.
The greater story in the background however; was that there was a rapidly growing and energy needs based WORLD of people out there that must and will as a collective (sooner or later) confront its future imperative needs head on, to ensure world survival at a standard beyond sliding back towards ‘stone age’. Massive clean, safe, low cost, energy generation was at the forefront of these imperatives. And that summary underscores ‘the future global massive energy generation technology imperative’ as an immutable fact unfolding today.
Today’s news is that there is another ‘light bulb’ moment now unfolding in the step by step evolution of the realisation of the ‘the future global massive energy generation technology imperative’. Notably and disappointedly however, it highlights a further distancing of the US (through its own agenda and determination) from featuring prominently in this exciting unfolding global energy technology future, a lamentable fact that I have reported on several times hitherto in 2GreenEnergy forums.
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Some key takeaway points from this report 31/01/2018:
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2131295/five-things-watch-during-theresa-mays-china-visit?
When British Prime Minister Theresa May begins her three-day visit to China this month, her main focus will be on evaluating opportunities to expand the trading relationship between Britain and China as the latter opens up its markets.
In a statement ahead of her trip, May said her visit would “intensify the ‘golden era’ in UK-China relations.
British trade with China has surged 60 per cent since 2010, and last year, with the world adjusting to the Brexit vote after its initial shock, Britain’s China-bound exports jumped 30 per cent.
For its part, China remains interested in investing in British assets, particularly in high-profile infrastructure projects such as the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England. China, through state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corporation, owns a third of the project, which May’s government has said reflects Britain’s openness to foreign investment.
China also is eyeing a potential British high-speed rail contract as part of its global push.
A priority for Beijing during May’s visit likely is getting Britain’s formal endorsement of Xi’s signature programme, the “Belt and Road Initiative”, which aims to increase China’s trade and infrastructure links to Asia and beyond.
“If Prime Minister May is smart enough she would know what China wants to hear from her the most is the support of the belt and road,” said Jin Canrong, a Renmin University international relations scholar.
May last year sent Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond to attend Xi’s Belt and Road Forum a few weeks before Britons went to the polls in a general election. Later that year Hammond said Britain would appoint a special envoy to handle belt and road-related issues and form a Belt and Road Council of senior British business leaders who were interested in the plan’s infrastructure initiatives.
Many countries (excluding those not interested in participating) in the Chinese Belt and Road massive infrastructure initiatives planned, are all underpinned by: massive, clean, safe, low cost, power generation technologies.
Even though the US has excluded itself from the Belt and Road initiative Craig, if 2GreenEnergy is truly an agnostic enterprise that supports and promotes abundant, clean, safe energy generation technologies of the future, you would certainly be doing a great service to your members and contributors by touching on the subject of inexorable global massive energy generation technology trends (beyond RE technologies) that are unfolding along the lines of the ‘the future global massive energy generation technology imperative’ definition I conceived in 2011, and the developing international discussions and activities in this space now being reported on it seems on a daily basis.
Lawrence Coomber
Craig,
Well, why would Alice chose to take advice from Tweedledum or Tweedledee ?
That’s how it goes when mentor and acolyte converse , as long as one always confirms the others opinion, each are reassured.
All industries suffer the ravages of competition, periods of reduced demand and restructuring.
Coal is no different. The President never said every individual coal mine, generating plant etc would continue forever. The President’s policies have produced a dramatic renewal in the industry overall. Coal Exports have dramatically increased and investment to modernize and restructure the US coal industry is returning after decades of government neglect and even deliberate persecution.
Those years of neglect and competition from cheap and plentiful Natural gas have taken a toll and with take more than a few months to restructure. Cheap natural gas is a recent phenomenon, but as the export marker develops and domestic industrial demand increases the need for greater US energy generation NG prices will rise and Coal will become more competitive.
Although renewable energy will remain important, as the government incentives, subsidies and consumer mandates expire, the percentage of renewable supply will slow and become less competitive.
I’m afraid Obama’s “War On Coal” is lost ! The Coal industry will undergo a transition, but for many, many decades the US power mix will include coal generation while coal exports continue to rise.
You’ll be surprise to discover just how many Americans believe President Trump is a flawed individual, but his policies are working.