We still need coal to ensure power grid reliability

Dr. Bernard Weinstein, Associate Director of the Maguire Energy Institute and Tower Center Associate, wrote about how in 2018, natural gas surpassed coal to become the largest source of electricity generation in the United States. And during the past four months, admittedly a period of reduced power demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar actually have pushed more electrons into the nation’s power grid than have coal plants. Since 2007, the electrical output from the nation’s coal fleet has fallen by more than half, while the utilization rate of operational facilities has fallen to 48 percent from 67 percent a decade ago. Read more here.