First of all, click on the video below and enjoy some Bee Gees music while you read this. You’ll get the connection.
As I wrote about in my last post, renewable energy is blowing away fossil fuels. It’s not only a prediction any more. It’s reality.
“Renewable energy beat coal for generating electricity for the first quarter of 2020 — the first time that’s happened in a three-month period…
Solar, wind and hydropower exceeded coal use in the U.S. grid”
Last month, coal generation was down to 17.1% of the overall U.S. electricity mix, a far cry from more than 50% in 2008’s first three months
“deep and systemic changes in the U.S. electricity market that will continue into the future.”
coal plants are now widely regarded by utilities as marginal resources, dispatched only when necessary,”
“This suggests coal is being dispatched last now and filling demand as needed instead of generating consistently,“
Enough said. This is the whole story. Game OVER!
Renewables Beat Coal for 1st Time Ever on Quarterly Basis
Christian Vasquez, E&E Reporter
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Renewable energy beat coal for generating electricity for the first quarter of 2020 — the first time that’s happened in a three-month period, according to a report yesterday from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Solar, wind and hydropower exceeded coal use in the U.S. grid due to a “combination of growing renewable capacity, extremely low gas prices and warmer weather,” IEEFA concluded.
“So, from being a generation mainstay a decade ago, coal plants are now widely regarded by utilities as marginal resources, dispatched only when necessary,” the report said.
IEEFA said it expects to see renewables generating more electricity than coal for the first half of 2020, reflecting “deep and systemic changes in the U.S. electricity market that will continue into the future.”
Last month, coal generation was down to 17.1% of the overall U.S. electricity mix, a far cry from more than 50% in 2008’s first three months, the report said.
IEEFA noted that the changeover was likely already set in stone before the novel coronavirus pandemic took hold.
In January, February and March, renewables beat out coal on 47 days, surpassing all of 2019, when renewable resources overtook coal for 38 days. The first quarter is traditionally an “important period for coal” due to the colder weather, and last year the IEEFA predicted that solar, wind and hydro would outpace coal by spring — which is normally the strongest season for renewable energy use. The strong showing right off the bat indicates that “what is normally the best period for renewables is only just starting,” the report said.
But even if this past winter had been colder, coal may have still been out of luck due to the current low market prices for natural gas generation, according to the report.
Total electricity generation has dropped compared to last year, down from 955.2 million megawatt-hours in 2019’s first quarter to 920.1 million MWh in 2020, according to the report. Declining coal use accounts for that drop and more, falling by nearly 90 million MWh.
“This suggests coal is being dispatched last now and filling demand as needed instead of generating consistently,“ the report said.
The first month that renewables beat coal occurred last year, and the comparison included a greater number of renewables such as “biomass, geothermal, and small-scare solar,” IEEFA said.
