No, We Should Not Be Better Utilizing ‘Clean Coal’

on February 6, 2019

It’s a useful adage to apply to a whole range of difficult topics, not least energy policy. Investing in ‘clean coal’ for instance sounds like a perfectly simple policy win for the United States. ‘High-efficiency, low-emission’ (HELE) advanced coal technologies promise to revive a floundering U.S. industry and promote energy independence, potentially with zero emissions, using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.

Fellow Forbes contributor Jude Clemente certainly thought so, putting front and center the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) championing of the issue and pointing out that this approach was also originally a part of President Barack Obama’s first-term energy policy.

Yes and no.

First, let’s get facts straight. ‘Clean coal’ for some may conjure images of artisanal, all-natural and American-made goodness, which is certainly the vision the Trump administration has been keen to promote. The reality is whilst the idea of capturing all the emissions from coal is technically feasible, the costs today are still astronomical, doubling a typical power station’s capital and operating costs. The track record for storing emissions safely at any meaningful scale is also far shakier than not generating them in the first place.

An important context is missing here, and that’s what has happened between 2008 and now. Rewind a decade, and a myriad of energy technologies were vying for attention, with policymakers around the globe wary of placing bets. Nuclear, clean coal with CCS, and renewables were all potential pathways to a secure, affordable and low-carbon emission future, and policy initiatives both in the U.S. and Europe took a cautious, ‘all of the above’ approach to tackling the issues of the day.

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Fractal Energy Storage ConsultantsNo, We Should Not Be Better Utilizing ‘Clean Coal’

Gas-Fired Generation Will Beat Coal in 2016, EIA Says

on April 1, 2016

power magazineThe Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its March 8 Short-Term Energy Outlook that natural gas would supply the largest share of U.S. electricity in 2016, continuing its rise against coal.

EIA data from 2015 showed that gas and coal pulled into a near-tie on the year, with coal generating 1,356 TWh, for a 33.2% share, while gas-fired generation produced 1,335 TWh, accounting for 32.7% of the total. But gas pulled ahead over the second half of the year, edging coal 34.8% to 32% from July through December.

In its most recent projections, the EIA predicts that trend will continue at least through 2016. Coal is expected to fall to 32% while natural gas will supply 33.4%. The slightly reduced share for gas will be made up by growth in renewable generation (Figure 1).

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Power MagazineGas-Fired Generation Will Beat Coal in 2016, EIA Says

EIA: Gas poised to knock out coal from top spot in 2016

on March 21, 2016

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Before April of last year, natural gas had never topped coal power. But 2015 closed out with a string of months where gas took the top slot, though the year ended with coal still generating slightly more energy. All-in-all, gas actually exceeded coal’s share in seven months last year, and EIA now indicates that trend is likely to grow.

“The recent decline in the generation share of coal, and the concurrent rise in the share of natural gas, was mainly a market-driven response to lower natural gas prices,” EIA said. Stricter environmental rules, including the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard and the planned Clean Power Plan, have also played a role.

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Utility DiveEIA: Gas poised to knock out coal from top spot in 2016

EIA: More Than 80 Percent of 2015’s Retired Generating Capacity was Coal-Fired

on March 12, 2016

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Nearly 18 GW of electric generating capacity was retired in 2015, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and more than 80 percent of that was coal-fired.

About 30 percent of those coal retirements happened in April after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule went into effect.

According to the EIA, some plants applied for and received one-year extensions and will retire this April. Several plants received additional extensions beyond April 2016 based on their roles in grid reliability.

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PowerEngineeringEIA: More Than 80 Percent of 2015’s Retired Generating Capacity was Coal-Fired

NatGas Generation to Surpass Coal in 2016: EIA NatGas Generation to Surpass Coal in 2016: EIA

on March 11, 2016

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Natural gas-fired power generation is expected to surpass coal in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The EIA on Tuesday released its March Short-Term Energy Outlook, which projects natural gas will fuel 33.4 percent of the country’s power generation in 2016 compared to coal’s 32 percent.

The March forecast marks the first time the EIA has projected natural gas-fired generation to surpass coal on an annual average basis.

The EIA expects coal production to total about 784 million short tons (st) this year, 12.4 percent less than 2015 and a 21.4-percent drop from 2014.

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PowerEngineeringNatGas Generation to Surpass Coal in 2016: EIA NatGas Generation to Surpass Coal in 2016: EIA

EIA: More Than 80 Percent of 2015’s Retired Generating Capacity was Coal-Fired

on March 8, 2016

Nearly 18 GW of electric generating capacity was retired in 2015, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and more than 80 percent of that was coal-fired.

About 30 percent of those coal retirements happened in April after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule went into effect.

According to the EIA, some plants applied for and received one-year extensions and will retire this April.  Several plants received additional extensions beyond April 2016 based on their roles in grid reliability.

According to the EIA, much of the country’s existing coal capacity was built between 1950 and 1990.  Coal units that were shuttered in 2015 were primarily built between 1950 and 1970.  The average age of those units was 54 years.  The average age of the country’s remaining coal-fired plants is 38 years.

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PowerEngineeringEIA: More Than 80 Percent of 2015’s Retired Generating Capacity was Coal-Fired