Coal news and updates

Opinion: US wind power generation on course to surpass coal: Maguire

Coal-fired power remains the second largest source of US electricity behind natural gas, and over the first 10 months of 2023 coal-fired output was roughly 60% greater than total generation from wind sources, data from think tank Ember shows. LITTLETON: US electricity generation from wind power is on course to surpass coal-fired electricity generation, potentially by 2026, as wind supply growth expands at a record pace just as coal-fired generation is cut across the country.

Coal-fired power remains the second largest source of US electricity behind natural gas, and over the first 10 months of 2023 coal-fired output was roughly 60% greater than total generation from wind sources, data from think tank Ember shows.

But with wind power generation rapidly rising in most regions while utilities steadily cut coal capacity, wind output is on track to eventually overtake coal output within the US electricity generation mix, which will mark a significant milestone in US energy transition efforts.

Power generation firms throughout the United States are rolling out renewable power at a record clip while cutting back on production from coal-fired power stations in a bid to curb emissions and slow further climate change.

In 2015 - before US power producers accelerated renewable power development - coal-fired electricity generation was nearly 700% greater than electricity output from US wind farms.

But since 2015 US utilities have cut coal-fired capacity by 30% and boosted wind capacity by over 90%, Ember data shows, making wind power the largest source of clean electricity.

For 2023 as a whole, total coal output may only be around 50% larger than wind output, as wind generation traditionally picks up late in the year due to higher wind seeds which may allow utilities to further throttle back coal-fired production.