Twilight of Coal in America
When people ask me why I haven’t written a book on renewable energy in the last few years, I explain that my thinking on the subject really hasn’t changed very much recently. Bullish on Renewable Energy (2015) made the point that we’re headed in the right direction (toward a clean energy grid-mix), albeit for reasons that have virtually nothing to do with the degree to which we care about the environment.
Take the consumption of America’s dirtiest fuel (coal), for instance. With coal, we have a full dose of greenhouse gas emissions, but we get so much more punishment on top of that: oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, selenium and mercury, and a wide array of radioactive isotopes. But why is it going away? Largely cost. The low price of natural gas, combined with the plummeting prices of solar and wind energy are conspiring to make coal non-competitive.
This was the driver behind Dayton Power & Light’s decision to close two coal plants in Ohio, Killen Station and J. M. Stuart Station, a combined 2.7 GW.
Craig,
What will it take to drag you from the nostalgic embrace of the fantasy land you seem to be inhabiting ?
Coal production globally is increasing, not decreasing ! Even US coal production is increasing and coal generated power remains steady between 32-34 % of US power generation. Both the IEA and EIA estimate coal usage to remain at this level until at least 2040.
Globally, more than 800 giant coal fired power station are either under construction or at final planning stages with construction contracts already signed.
In your desperation you now quote from increasingly obscure blogs or rants from even less reliable sources. Why ? The answer is simple, you simply can’t bear to realize it’s no longer 2011, President Obama is no longer in office, the Coal industry is in the process of revival and on the cusp of major advances in technology and significant reductions in the price of coal mining and usage a beginning to occur.
Over the last two decades the US coal industry has been beset by a number of problems, exasperated by the sudden appearance of cheap natural gas produced by hydraulic fracking, and the Obama administrations “War on Coal”.
Although initially successful, the proponents of the “War on Coal” lost the battle with the election of a new administration, and the “war on Coal’ was lost as the industry received new investment and impetus.
Powering a revival of interest and investment in coal energy, is the disappointment with the failure of claims made concerning the capacity of renewable energy despite the vast sums of public money invested. In addition, the demand for natural gas ( especially export demand) is beginning to drive up prices, while renewed investment in the coal industry is beginning to replace old and inefficient technology and become more competitive.
The US coal industry has been neglected for more than 4 decades and like the rest of US industry suffered from foreign competition as it’s major customers moved overseas and government policies encouraged neglect. Of the 1274 coal fired power generating units operating in the US, 86% are more than 40 years old and most have received only minor upgrades.
In an era where power plants under 600 MW are considered uneconomic, it’s only to be expected for a number of aging smaller plants (some dating back to the 1920’s) averaging only 90 MW to be rationalized.
Craig, the old coal industry was once highly pollutant, but like all industries as technology becomes more advanced “Clean(er) Coal” will be able to rival or exceed the environmental credentials of renewable power sources.
For heavy industrial power generation coal remains the most reliable economic source.
Your hatred of the Coal industry has made you blind to the huge scientific and engineering advances already beginning to change the industry.
Must the environment and the economy suffer for your intransigence and political bias ?