Wednesday, October 2, 2013

U.S. Energy Mix Needs Coal



A tour of a coal-fired power plant was an eye opener. Coal firmly remains a component in the U.S. energy mix.

At six tons of coal per year to support the electrical needs of a typical house like mine, there remains a market for the stuff.   Few power plants of any kind are being built in the U.S. and an Ohio plant that uses Ohio coal is pretty efficient.  Coal-fired plants like this are hard to beat without extreme cost consequences.  That's why there are still going to be coal-fired plants in our energy future.

Though natural gas is a hedge against coal being regulated out of use in the U.S., coal still has a future.  Other growing countries, namely China, are building new coal-fired plants and the electrification of their nation is demanding more and more.

Don't bet against coal.

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