19Feb

Coal Still Has a Promising Future

Via The Casper Star-Tribune: Public concern over global warming has cast much-needed attention on efforts to curtail carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. As the most carbon-rich fuel, coal is right between the crosshairs. But substantial global warming won’t be avoided unless coal-rich countries – especially China and India – reduce greenhouse-gas […]
18Feb

The Case for U.S. Leadership on Advanced Coal Technology

Via The Casper Star Tribune: While it can feel like the world is in the midst of an energy transition — where one source of energy is replaced by another — that’s not what’s happening. Instead of transition, we’re in a period of addition. The growing use of wind and solar power is actually coming […]
13Feb

Markets Must Better Value Flexible, Dispatchable Coal Power

How valuable is a kilowatt hour of electricity? That, of course, depends greatly on when that electricity is produced and just how much it’s needed. Consider the gulf in value of excess electricity generated by solar power midday and the electricity produced by a coal plant when demand is spiking and intermittent sources of power […]
13Feb

Coal Must Remain in Energy Mix

Via The Grand Forks Herald: In an era of fracking for oil and natural gas and growth in solar and wind power, who knew the plain old coal plant could have value in a carbon-constrained world? And yet, coal generation has turned out to be a surprising bright spot in energy tech’s universe of late. […]
06Feb

Understanding Global Trends, Voters Want the U.S. to Lead on Coal Technology

In one of the most developed economies on earth, a place synonymous with advanced technology, coal isn’t on the way out; in fact, its role is growing. As The New York Times reported this week, Japan is building 22 new coal plants over the next five years. For Japan, advanced coal plants mean energy security […]
31Jan

Coal Competitors Have Unfair Advantage

Via The Wheeling Intelligencer: West Virginia has long been a coal state. And there are understandable reasons why many in the state view the rise of alternative sources of power with concern. The loss of much of the nation’s coal fleet has at times been met with frustration and confusion. Are renewable sources of power […]
30Jan

A Failure to Connect the Dots

The U.S. has a growing energy infrastructure problem. More precisely, major transmission lines needed to move wind and solar power from regions of production to centers of demand aren’t being built at nearly the pace needed. Natural gas pipeline additions are also failing to keep up with gas demand. One infrastructure project after another is […]
27Jan

Pumping the Brakes on Power Grid Jenga

Indiana is right to be concerned. Coal has been indispensable in providing the low-cost, reliable power that has fueled industry in one of the nation’s leading manufacturing states. The sudden and accelerating loss of coal power in Indiana, and in surrounding states – without a plan to reliably replace it – has lawmakers and energy […]
16Jan

FERC’s MOPR Decision Bolsters US Energy Security

Via RealClearPolitics: “What was apparent during this weather event was the continued reliance on baseload generation,” Bruce Walker, Assistant U.S. Energy Secretary, January 2018, after the Winter Bomb Cyclone FERC’s recent minimum offer price rule (MOPR) decision was about preserving U.S. energy security and restoring competition to PJM Interconnection’s capacity market. That’s because the purpose of a capacity […]