I wrote a couple of weeks ago that we most certainly can eliminate coal-fired power plants. Well, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), we not only can, we’re on that track now. How? The answer lies partly in the switch to natural gas.
The FT quotes the EIA here: “… in 2009, the carbon intensity of the electric power sector decreased by nearly 4.3 percent, primarily due to fuel switching as the price of coal rose 6.8 percent from 2008 to 2009 while the comparable price of natural gas fell 48 percent on a per Btu basis.” And gas is not only cheaper, it’s, as we know, much cleaner than coal. Here’s a chart from the folks at America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) that illustrates to what extent.
These are convincing numbers.
The FT story is in the context of the fact that in the US “…carbon emissions fell 7 per cent in 2009 – the biggest fall since the records begin in 1949, according to the EIA.”
This chart from the EIA tells the story of the ongoing power industry fuel-switching from coal to oil.
The FT says “The death of US coal, it seems, is marching on.” Dead man walking, in my view.
