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Energy is fungible. Coal plants anywhere in the US count, not just California. In some ways coal anywhere in the world counts because we tend to sell unused co
by ars 4y ago
Energy is fungible. Coal plants anywhere in the US count, not just California.
In some ways coal anywhere in the world counts because we tend to sell unused coal (i.e. any coal not burned by us just gets burned elsewhere).
- Rebelgecko 4y agoHow fungible is it? When the US banned leaded gasoline, did other countries increase their usage? I suspect when California finishes shutting down the last coal plant, it'll probably be with local unused natural gas capacity or renewable. I don't think it's practical for the state to import coal power from separate grids or across the country. I know reducing coal usage in the US might make it cheaper to burn in coal in other parts of the world, but there's still local benefits wrt lifespan and air quality