Comments on: No denying coal’s developed world decline

By: Andybob

Andybob — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 01:19:00 +0000

If those projections turn actual we will all be swimming.

By: Counterpoint

Counterpoint — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:37:48 +0000

Interestingly what the article doesn’t touch on is that two powerful yet different factors are at play in Europe and the US which are causing the decline of coal.

In Europe there has been an aggressive pursuit of wind, solar and other renewables mainly via the use of massive government subsidies. And in the US the shale gas boom has led to a collapse in the domestic gas prices, which has made it cheaper than coal to generate power from.

It will be interesting to see where this goes and which model is more sustainable in the long term.

By: Mark Errey

Mark Errey — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:36:55 +0000

Strangely enough it is in this country that coal consumption is falling, through the steel industry tanking badly and coal fired electricity (mostly brown) also going through a bit of a downturn. Renewables are making some of the dent by replacing capacity, but really the massive increase in retail electricity prices are driving down demand, so that where we had projected a capacity shortfall a decade ago, there is now excess capacity in the system. Almost makes me feel that the way the state owned distributors are ripping me off for my power is worth it.

By: Patriot

Patriot — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:20:22 +0000

Talk about cherry-picking. Why on Earth would you offer a commentary on the future of coal based on anything other than global consumption trends and projections, which are all going off the chart?

By: Matt Hardin

Matt Hardin — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 06:51:25 +0000

@MJPC Hydrogen is not an energy source. It can be generated by any ( e.g. solar, nuclear or fossil fuel) energy source but it is merely a way of storing and distributing energy.

By: MJPC

MJPC — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 02:49:34 +0000

Forget Coal, Hydrogen will be the power sourse of the future. It can fuel land, air and sea transport, supply local power via fuel cells. When Fusion power supply is sorted (and the day comes ever closer) the end of coal will be complete, and none too soon.
The only thing stalling the hydrogen economy is that oil companies are wedded to hydrocarbons, governments action will change this.
Of course the only hope is that the environmental legacy of coal will not be so bad it cannot be reversed.

By: Sally O

Sally O — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:45:49 +0000

I’m thinking that if you’re going to write an article about coal’s decline in the US, you should show a graph other than one that shows coal’s increase in the future, and still remaining the #1 fuel source in the US (last chart). Tough argument to uphold.