Posted on 10/08/2015 5:32:05 AM PDT by thackney
The amount of electricity generated from natural gas surpassed the share of coal-fired production in July in the U.S. for the second time.
The first time was for the month of April, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EIA reported Wednesday that the share of electricity coming from natural gas-fired power plants hit 35 percent in July. It was 34.9 percent from coal plants.
The shift comes as the ongoing domestic shale boom produces lots of natural gas at relatively cheap prices. At the same time, few new coal plants are being built nationally because of increasing federal regulations on carbon emissions.
Compared to July of last year, coal generation fell from 150 billion kilowatt hours down to 139 billion kWh this year. Likewise, natural gas power jumped from 114 billion kWh to 140 kWh.
In the Texas grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, coal fell by 1.9 kWh in July, while natural gas power jumped up 3.1 kWh. Gas-fired power was already ahead of coal last year in Texas, according to the report, and gas is just building on its lead.
When the switch first occurred in April, it was during the month of the lowest demand for electricity. In times of low demand, many generators schedule routine maintenance and plants are taken partially offline. The output is highest in the summer and winter.
The price of natural gas is getting cheaper too. The U.S. benchmark for natural gas was $4.14 per million British thermal unit last July, and it dipped to $2.91 this past July. It sunk even further down to $2.72 in September.
Prior to April, the last time power from natural gas came close to surpassing coal was in April 2012 when natural gas pricing averaged $2.00 per million British thermal unit.
bkmk
Someday, Americans will wish they had reserved a higher rank fuel like gas for home heating and light industrial use. Low rank fuels like coal should generate our electrical power.
We have over 300 year’s worth of recoverable coal and the complete mechanism for turning it into electricity.
Well, yeh if you fine people millions of dollars they tend to do what you want. Stupid government.
Am betting that is you look closely that the ‘natural gas’ volumes contain gas generate by coal seam gas, so coal is still king.
Where is coal gas recovered for electric generation ?
likely in the Rockies, but I do not have the facts.
That is why I said it might be rather than it is.
Gassy coal exists more often in Appalachia and the deep south.
Illinois Basin coals typically are not.
Most Natural Gas from coal comes from Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.
In total, coalbed wells represent 4% of our Natural Gas Production.
Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and Production
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_prod_sum_a_EPG0_FGW_mmcf_a.htm
Natural Gas from Coalbed wells, Gross Withdrawals and Production
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_prod_sum_a_EPG0_FGC_mmcf_a.htm
Low rank fuels like coal should generate our electrical power.
We have over 300 year’s worth of recoverable coal and the complete mechanism for turning it into electricity.
...
When we run out of natural gas we’ll have economical means to convert coal into natural gas, or we’ll have other means of energy production.
So it would be better to convert a high rank fuel like gas into medium rank power, delivered by transmission lines ?
It would be more logical to convert a low rank, hard to use fuel (coal) into a improved asset like electricity.
My point of view, anyway.
Which is easier to transport to the generator, coal or gas?
Can coal be burned like natural gas using combined cycle technology?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_cycle
Not so, natural gas lines.
Imagine you're taking down a 650 MW coal unit due to age. New nat gas boilers are due to replace the coal burners. You have a 4 inch gas line 30 miles away but if you extend a feeder line out to connect, you'll suck the pilot lights out of every hospital and nursing home within 200 miles.
Meanwhile the the rails are taken up for some goody two-shoes nature trail.
Fie !
My 2¢
Anything beyond a comparison of cost and reliability is not useful.
That won't happen. A Natural Gas Power Plant is going to be fueled from the 1000 PSI transmission pipeline. It is not going to hooked up to commercial/residential service unless it is so small it won't make a difference.
No disagreement.
The BTU price of coal has been inflated by reduced investment, caused by current administration policies. Bankruptcies have become a weekly news item in the coal fields.
The price of gas is temporarily attractive.
Five or ten years from now when peak gas has been chewed up and the rail option has been allowed to fall into disuse, we’ll see how $.21/KW looks to the middle class and retirees.
I see how gleeful residents of Iowa and nearby states are about a new products pipeline running diagonally across the state.
How many years will it take to place that 1,000 PSI line in the ground ?
We can certainly hope for a better outcome. How long has the Dakota Access pipeline been tied up ?
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