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Coal Shows Its Staying Power as Economies Bounce Back. Surging electricity use and higher natural-gas prices are giving coal new life
Wall Street Journal ^ | July 7, 2021 | Sarah McFarlane and Katherine Blunt

Posted on 07/07/2021 8:22:36 AM PDT by karpov

Coal use is surging in some of the world’s largest economies as electricity demand rebounds from the pandemic, illustrating the challenges to countries looking to wean themselves off the dirty but reliable fossil fuel.

Coal was in decline for years in many countries, but its use is now picking up in the U.S., China and Europe despite growing pressure from governments, investors and environmentalists to curb carbon emissions. The leading reason for the uptick—which has pushed coal prices to multiyear highs—is rising power demand as economies reopen rapidly from pandemic hibernation.

While analysts and executives say the resurgence of coal is likely to be short-lived, it shows the world’s continued dependence on fossil fuels until renewable-energy capacity grows further and storage technologies improve.

Countries have spent billions adding renewable-power capacity at record rates, but solar and wind projects generate electricity only when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, and can’t be ramped up when demand rises. Those limitations mean the world is still reliant on fossil fuels, especially when there is a surge in electricity demand. Analysts say this will remain the case until more renewable capacity is added, along with storage such as batteries.

“It’s difficult to get off coal because of security of supply. At the end of the day you need to keep the lights on,” said Kathryn Porter, founder of energy consulting firm Watt-Logic. “When governments are faced with the choice of not supplying electricity, or using coal, they will use coal.”

The need for more coal is arising as economies recover. The global economy is expected to expand this year at the fastest pace since 1980, according to the International Monetary Fund, as advanced economies spend aggressively to counter the impact of Covid-19 and related lockdowns.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: coal; energy; naturalgas
Full article. By blocking natural gas exploration and transport, the left is encouraging reliance on a dirtier fuel.
1 posted on 07/07/2021 8:22:36 AM PDT by karpov
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To: karpov
Gotta charge your "enviro friendly" electric car with something?
2 posted on 07/07/2021 8:24:51 AM PDT by dhs12345
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To: karpov

Great. Now we have to train some ‘coders’ how to mine coal.


3 posted on 07/07/2021 8:26:06 AM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this?)
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To: karpov

The same with oil. They say they hate Big Oil, but by blocking the little guys from doing fracking they help their Big Oil cronies keep a monopoly.


4 posted on 07/07/2021 8:26:35 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: karpov

Coal isn’t even that “dirty” especially with new power-generation equipment

Yes, it produces CO2, which I do not consider a pollutant.


5 posted on 07/07/2021 8:26:57 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: karpov

I know! I know!

Let’s cover the entire land mass of the world with environmentally catastrophic windmills and solar panels!


6 posted on 07/07/2021 8:27:32 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy." ― Mao Zedong)
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To: rktman

Comment of the day!


7 posted on 07/07/2021 8:32:26 AM PDT by Trinity5
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To: dhs12345
it shows the world’s continued dependence on fossil fuels until renewable-energy capacity grows further and storage technologies improve.

The below study says that to change only the UK's fleet of cars to all electric by 2050, would need twice the world's present output of cobalt, and 75% of lithium, and all of present supply of several rare earth elements

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/press-office/press-releases/leading-scientists-set-out-resource-challenge-of-meeting-net-zer.html

8 posted on 07/07/2021 8:35:01 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: karpov

360 years of proven coal reserves in North America.
What are we worried about ?


9 posted on 07/07/2021 8:35:57 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
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To: rktman

That was hilarious!


10 posted on 07/07/2021 8:38:14 AM PDT by Dutch Boy
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To: PGR88
> Yes, it produces CO2, which I do not consider a pollutant.

These guys agree with you:


11 posted on 07/07/2021 8:43:03 AM PDT by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: PGR88

Storage? Batteries.

What about nuclear? Fission?

This professor is a good resource... Watch all of his videos. Both on wind, solar, nuclear....

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKH_iLhhkTyt8Dk4dmeCQ9w


12 posted on 07/07/2021 8:47:03 AM PDT by dhs12345
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To: Trinity5

Thank you. Thank you very much. I’ll be here all week. Ta da Boom! :-)


13 posted on 07/07/2021 8:47:50 AM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this?)
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To: karpov

If environmental wackos were serious they would push Nuclear power as the solution


14 posted on 07/07/2021 8:51:23 AM PDT by Bayard
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To: karpov

Coal fired Electric Vehicles , wait that’s going back in time


15 posted on 07/07/2021 9:24:01 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: karpov

I bet California wishes they had back those coal plants in AZ that were destroyed in the last few years.


16 posted on 07/07/2021 10:14:10 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar ((Democrats have declared us to be THE OBSOLETE MAN in the Twilight Zone.))
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To: Bayard

Fifty years ago the environmental wackos were screaming about the evil of nuclear power! Within 10 years they stopped all new nukes.


17 posted on 07/07/2021 10:16:13 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar ((Democrats have declared us to be THE OBSOLETE MAN in the Twilight Zone.))
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To: karpov

The Unites States is the Saudi Arabia of coal. I’ve read that there’s new technology available that can remove much,if not most,of the nasty stuff that comes out of the plant’s smokestack.


18 posted on 07/07/2021 1:13:58 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Trump: "They're After You. I'm Just In The Way")
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To: karpov

If they think coal is bad just wait until they have 100 trillion lead acid batteries seeping in the ground.


19 posted on 07/07/2021 1:38:04 PM PDT by eyedigress (Trump is my President!)
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To: Gay State Conservative

It’s expensive but yes you can get close to what natural gas emissions are without hundreds of millions in scrubbers.

Check out the last link and how much coal pollutes the air

The better way is to leave the nasty stuff in the ground where it belongs. The same directional drilling tech for shale oil and gas is exactly the same for UCG.

https://www.powermag.com/underground-coal-gasification-another-clean-coal-option/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352854016300833

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2019/07/31/net-zero-natural-gas-plant-the-game-changer/

https://wustl.resoluteinnovation.com/technologies/T018640_modular-pressurized-coal-combustion

https://observer-reporter.com/business/consol-hoping-to-build-coal-fired-plant-with-zero-emissions/article_e1718c04-3a36-11eb-826b-e3287b12b0e2.html

https://www.epa.gov/mats/cleaner-power-plants


20 posted on 07/09/2021 12:09:49 PM PDT by JD_UTDallas ("Veni Vidi Vici" )
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