In COVID Crisis, Coal Accounting For Barely More Than 15% Of US Generation During Energy Crash

[hatrack]

EDIT

“Just about everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong for the coal industry,” said Matthew Preston, a coal analyst at the firm Wood Mackenzie. He said coal demand this year is down between 35 and 40 percent from last year, “and last year wasn’t a great year.” Coal has been struggling for many years. Now, there’s a drop in demand because of the economic shutdown (as well as warmer weather).

In the mid-Atlantic power grid, that demand fell by 8 to 9 percent in March. Preston said that right now, coal is more expensive than natural gas, wind or solar in many parts of the country. So when demand slows, coal plants are the first to shut down.

In fact, over three days earlier this month, wind and solar actually produced more electricity than coal in the U.S., the first time that has happened, according to a new research note from the Rhodium Group.

Rhodium found that coal accounted for just 16.4 percent of U.S. electric power from mid-March to mid-April, compared with 22.5 percent for a similar period last year. All of this means that — just as with the oil glut — there’s too much coal sitting around. “We’re seeing coal stockpiles run up to some historically high levels,” said Joe Aldina, a coal industry analyst with S&P Global Platts. He said it’s “actually pushing the physical constraints of the coal fired generation system.”

EDIT

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2020/04/27/the-coal-industry-was-already-struggling-now-its-getting-hammered-by-coronavirus/

[zentrum]

1. Everyone should check out

….the new Moore documentary about the Green Movement: Planet of the Humans.

On Youtube, for free.

Quite a controversial reveal that I'm still trying to figure out.

[Finishline42]

2. I liked this part

In fact, over three days earlier this month, wind and solar actually produced more electricity than coal in the U.S

The overhead to operate a coal plant is averaged over the time it is producing electricity. The longer it sits unproductive the higher those costs become further widening the gap between coal and wind and solar.

Of course because there is no fuel to purchase and wind and solar will benefit from the economy of scale their costs will continue to decrease.

There is a gap in the data for the amount of electricity being produced by solar. In the following examples:
1)PV system on a private residence
2)PV system at a company
3)PV system on a school

The electricity used during the day produced by the PV system isn't being counted unless maybe a utility is managing the system. The utility only knows about whats being sent back to the grid.

[2naSalit]

3. This morning a bunch of lay-offs were announced at

two major coal mining operations in Wyoming/ Montana.

[hunter]

4. This is a fantastic opportunity to shut down the U.S. coal industry for good.

We could offer early retirement or five years of unemployment benefits to everyone who is currently digging coal out of the ground and then we'd be done with it.

France closed its last coal mine in 2004. Wouldn't it be great if we closed our last coal mine this year?