Tag: coal
China Ramps Up Coal Power Despite Carbon Neutral Pledges
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How Old Coal Mines Are Now Producing Clean Geothermal Energy
As the world rolls back on using coal to extract energy, it leaves behind empty coal mines. The BBC reports that the UK is actively using these coal mines as a source of geothermal energy.
The BBC visits a wine warehouse in the northeast England town Gateshead, where old coal mines “could still have a role to play in heating homes — but this time, without burning fossil fuels.”
A new district heating system in Gateshead is poised to begin warming homes and buildings in the area at a cost 5% below market rate, using the clean heat from its mines 150m (490ft) below the ground.
The water in the mines is naturally heated in the surrounding rocks to 20 degrees C (68 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the video report — so a heat exchanger on the surface just repurposes the extracted heat for energy consumers. It’s a technique that’s also being adopted in the Netherlands. But it’s especially applicable in the U.K., where a quarter of homes are above old coal fields (as are 9 of its 10 major urban centers).
The report points out that coal is the world’s largest source of CO2 emissions, but now coal production in the UK has fallen by 94% in the last 10 years. “So what happens when the coal mines that used to power our cities are no longer used?”
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Renewable power generation overtook coal in the US last year
Renewables are already producing more energy than fossil fuels in Europe, and now the US is approaching that milestone. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has determined that renewable power generation overtook coal in 2022, with 4,090 million megawatt-hours coming from solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and geothermal technology. These green sources leapt past nuclear in 2021, but widened the gap last year. They have about 21 percent share combined.
The shift came through the combination of increasing renewable capacity and coal’s years-long decline. Wind was the dominant source of clean electricity, with the capacity jumping from 133 gigawatts in 2021 to 141 gigawatts a year later. Hydro was second, followed by utility-level solar, biomass and geothermal. Coal dropped to 20 percent share due to both the closure of some plants and the reduced use of others. Nuclear has remained relatively steady, but the shutdown of Michigan’s Palisades powerplant saw it dip to 19 percent.
It might not surprise you to hear which states dominated certain renewable energy sources. Sunny California was the leader in solar power generation with 26 percent of the output, while Texas had a similar slice of wind generation. Texas also has the largest shares of coal and natural gas, although its lead in those areas is only slight.
Renewables weren’t the top power source in 2022 — that distinction went to natural gas, which claimed a 39 percent share. However, it’s evident that clean tech has a firm foothold in the US despite attempts to undermine it through regulation. We’d expect the trends to continue, too. President Biden’s administration has heavily promoted renewable electricity, including the approval of the first large offshore wind farm in the country, while the EIA expects coal use to shrink to 17 percent. Natural gas may retain a comfortable lead, but it now has a new chief rival.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/renewable-power-generation-overtook-coal-in-the-us-last-year-200907783.html?src=rss
US Renewable Energy Farms Outstrip 99% of Coal Plants Economically
“Coal is unequivocally more expensive than wind and solar resources, it’s just no longer cost competitive with renewables,” said Michelle Solomon, a policy analyst at Energy Innovation, which undertook the analysis. “This report certainly challenges the narrative that coal is here to stay.” The new analysis, conducted in the wake of the $370bn in tax credits and other support for clean energy passed by Democrats in last summer’s Inflation Reduction Act, compared the fuel, running and maintenance cost of America’s coal fleet with the building of new solar or wind from scratch in the same utility region. On average, the marginal cost for the coal plants is $36 each megawatt hour, while new solar is about $24 each megawatt hour, or about a third cheaper. Only one coal plant — Dry Fork in Wyoming — is cost competitive with the new renewables. “It was a bit surprising to find this,” said Solomon. “It shows that not only have renewables dropped in cost, the Inflation Reduction Act is accelerating this trend.”
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Cold snap forces National Grid to put three coal power generators on standby
Greta Thunberg Released After Being Detained by Police at Coal Protest
Greta Thunberg was briefly detained by German police at a demonstration over a coal mine expansion along with multiple other demonstrators on Tuesday. Thunberg was carried off by cops and was eventually seen sitting in a police bus alone. However, just a few hours later, the 20-year old Swedish climate activist was…