Coal-fired generation of electricity has declined by 40 percent in the U.S. over the past decade. Can coal make a comeback? No, says a thorough essay by Howard Gruenspecht, a senior energy economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative.
Though U.S.coal production and use in has fluctuated over the past 100 years, competition from low-priced natural gas, the increasing presence of renewable energy, and flat electricity sales mean that coal will almost certainly not make a comeback, Gruenspecht writes for the Brookings Institution.
Though U.S.coal production and use in has fluctuated over the past 100 years, competition from low-priced natural gas, the increasing presence of renewable energy, and flat electricity sales mean that coal will almost certainly not make a comeback, Gruenspecht writes for the Brookings Institution.
Trump administration moves to revive coal have been largely symbolic, such as the plan to replace the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan for existing coal-fired power plants. The moves could slow coal's decline, and "could make future coal generation more responsive to any sharp rise in natural gas prices, posing a conundrum for those who support emissions reductions, but also oppose shale-gas development and the buildout of gas pipeline infrastructure," Gruenspecht writes.
The essay is a deep dive, and worth reading to understand the state of play. Click here to check it out.
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