MIT energy economist details why coal won't bounce back - Entrepreneur Generations

Coal-fired power generation has declined by 40 percent in the U.S. over the past decade. Can coal make a comeback? According to a thorough essay by a senior energy economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative, the answer is no.

Though coal production and use in the U.S. has fluctuated over the past 100 years, competition from low-priced natural gas, the increasing presence of renewable energy, and flat electricity sales mean that coal will almost certainly not make a comeback, writes Howard Gruenspecht for the Brookings Institution.

Actions by the Trump administration to revive coal have been largely symbolic, such as the plan to replace the Clean Power Plan for existing coal-fired power plants. Though they could slow coal's decline, "they could make future coal generation more responsive to any sharp rise in natural gas prices, posing a conundrum for those who support emissions reductions, but also oppose shale gas development and the buildout of gas pipeline infrastructure," Gruenspecht writes.

The essay is a deep dive, and one well worth reading. Click here to check it out.

from The Rural Blog http://bit.ly/2T7NfUy MIT energy economist details why coal won't bounce back - Entrepreneur Generations

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