Renewable energies
briefly generated
more electricity than coal
in April 2019, according to
the Institute for Energy
Economics and Financial
Analysis.
The cheap price of natural gas
caused it to surpass coal as
America’s primary power source
in 2016.
The average U.S. coal plant
is approximately 40 years old,
requiring costly maintenance
and repairs.
New coal plants
are more expensive
to build than
natural gas plants.
The coal industry employed
almost 900,000 American
workers in the1920s.
It now employs 53,000.
Since 2014, six of the top 10
U.S. coal mining companies
have at one time declared
bankruptcy.
President Trump campaigned for
“ending the war on coal” and
won in most of the top coal
producing states, by margins
of 15 to 47 percentage points.
Demand for coal has not seen
a meaningful turnaround.
In President Trump’s
first two years,
more coal-fired
power plants shut down,
than during Obama’s
whole first term.
Demand for coal for energy
and steel production
is declining in Europe.
In Asia, where there's
a growing coal demand,
US coal faces higher
shipping costs and
stiff competition
from China, the world’s
largest producer of coal,
and from nearby Australia.
Coal currently produces 28%
of US electricity annually,
compared with 34% by
natural gas and 18% by
renewables.
Globally, coal accounts for
roughly one-third of current
energy production.
90% of US coal is used for
energy production.
Coal is also used
for steel production and
cement manufacturing.
By 2050, renewables
are projected to supply
31% of US energy,
to 17% for coal.