A short follow-up to my earlier post on the dramatic drop in coal use in the US over recent years.

“Solar, wind and other renewable sources have toppled coal in energy generation in the United States for the first time in over 130 years, with the coronavirus pandemic accelerating a decline in coal that has profound implications for the climate crisis.

“Not since wood was the main source of American energy in the 19th century has a renewable resource been used more heavily than coal, but 2019 saw a historic reversal, according to US government figures.”

Mark Twain is no doubt thinking of a witty line or two to commemorate this moment from beyond the grave:

“Coal consumption fell by 15%, down for the sixth year in a row, while renewables edged up by 1%. This meant renewables surpassed coal for the first time since at least 1885, a year when Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and America’s first skyscraper was erected in Chicago.”

Here’s a cool plot from the Guardian showing coal falling down a hill, and renewables climbing up to meet it:

How much is coal crashing?

“The ongoing collapse of coal would have been nearly unthinkable a decade ago, when the fuel source accounted for nearly half of America’s generated electricity. That proportion may fall to under 20% this year, with analysts predicting a further halving within the coming decade.”

We just shouldn’t forget that some of this coal is being replaced by natural gas, which is also a fossil fuel, even though it pollutes only about half as much as coal does.

“The coal sector has been beset by a barrage of problems, predominantly from cheap, abundant gas that has displaced it as a go-to energy source. The Covid-19 outbreak has exacerbated this trend. With plunging electricity demand following the shutting of factories, offices and retailers, utilities have plenty of spare energy to choose from and coal is routinely the last to be picked because it is more expensive to run than gas, solar, wind or nuclear.”

The end of coal for electricity generation in the US looks pretty set in stone to me.

[Cover photo: The Four Corners Power Plant, Waterflow, New Mexico. It has announced it will close. Susan Montoya Bryan/AP]