With Left Sidebar

Building a Better Future from West Virginia to India

The world’s population is racing towards 10 billion by 2050. It’s an astounding number that has huge implications for global energy use but also for material needs. As populations grow, urbanization is growing as well. A higher and higher percentage of us are living in cities. The United Nations reported last year that 55 percent […]

The Green New Deal’s Impossible Electric Grid

Via The Wall Street Journal: The Democrats’ Green New Deal calls for a fully renewable electric power grid. Regardless of the economic or political challenges of bringing this about, it is likely technologically impossible. An electric power grid involves second-by-second balancing between generated supply and consumer demand. In the case of a sudden imbalance—such as […]

Arch Coal Announces New Mine in Barbour County

Via 12WBOY: Arch Coal announced Thursday that it has started developing a new longwall mine in Barbour County. The mine, which will be called Leer South, will be in the same 200 million ton reserve base that Arch’s current Leer mine, in Taylor County, is in. Arch officials estimate that, each year, the new mine will […]

Trump Administration Approves 2 Coal Mining Projects in Utah

Via The Olympian: The Trump administration on Thursday announced the approval of two coal mining projects in southern Utah, including one nestled between two national parks in the state’s red rock region. The U.S. Department of the Interior announced the mining projects in a news release Thursday, declaring “the war on coal is over,” touting […]

A Timely Reminder of the Essential Value of Coal Power

Via The Exponent Telegram: Weather can be unforgiving. And the nation’s latest turn with the “polar vortex” was a reminder of just how merciless it can be. With temperatures across much of the country dipping well-below zero, our energy systems, particularly the electricity grid, were pushed to the limit. Once again, coal power plants came […]

Power Grid Serving 65 Million May Be at Risk in East, Midwest

Via The Hill: Electricity is the most important and convenient way to consume energy. Without it, we’d literally be living in the “Dark Ages.” However, we often forget that it takes energy to make energy. With the electricity generation mix changing dramatically in recent years, this is no simple task.  There is no more disputing […]

Trump Actions Speak Louder than SOTU Silence — Industry

Via E&E:  President Trump did not mention his favorite “beautiful, clean” industry during the State of the Union, but coal boosters dismissed the idea they have been forgotten. “It does not bother us at all,” said Bob Murray, CEO of Murray Energy Corp. and perhaps coal’s most vociferous Trump champion. Trump mentioned coal exactly once […]

Weaning Texas Off Coal Tough for Renewables Alone, Analysis Shows

Via The Houston Chronicles: Texas faces several challenges in replacing the electricity generated by coal with wind and solar sources alone, a study from consulting firm Wood Mackenzie found. Due to the proximity coal plants have to big electricity markets and temporal patterns of renewable energy sources, large amounts of energy storage would be required […]

A Warning to Proceed with Caution

What’s the cost of inaction to protect the fuel diversity of our grid? New York offers a hint. The Empire State may have only two coal-fired power plants remaining, but a new rule aimed at effectively eliminating coal power from the state’s grid by 2020 is already jolting markets. As Bloomberg reported, the rule hasn’t […]