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Coal use had decreased quite a bit in the US but I believe it’s understood that cheap natural gas has been responsible and not solar. So far as the importance
by oceanplexian 5y ago
Coal use had decreased quite a bit in the US but I believe it’s understood that cheap natural gas has been responsible and not solar.
So far as the importance of coal I think an overlooked aspect is that it’s a major ingredient in manufacturing steel. In the last year alone steel has shot up 37% in price, which has big implications for all sorts of industries.
- Retric 5y agoThe US also dropped total fossil fuels due to a mix of wind and solar. What specifically killed coal however wasn’t just prices but dispatch ability as natural gas is far cheaper to turn off and on daily. Crazy cheap solar means the ability to turn off generation every day will continue to become more valuable. Per person annual electricity generation was: Fossil Fuel 8,626 kWh in 2014 vs 7,861 kWh in 2019 Solar 55 kWh in 2014 vs 327 kWh in 2019 Wind 570 kWh in 2014 vs 914 kWh in 2019 All Renewable 1,689 kWh in 2014 vs 2,302 kWh in 2019 Fossil fuels actually peaked in 2007 at 9,922 kWh vs 1,170 kWh of Renewable.