PowerSwitch from coal

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 19 Jan 2016, 13:58

http://coalaction.org.uk/ditchcoal/

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 09 Feb 2016, 09:04

Another move away from coal, this time in Croatia.

http://www.reuters.com/article/croatia- ... SL8N15L0HF

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 28 Feb 2016, 08:05

The American coal industry is hurting. The four largest US miners by output, Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, Cloud Peak Energy and Alpha Natural Resources, which account for nearly half of US production were worth a combined $34 billion at their peak in 2011. Today they are worth $150 million. Arch and Alpha filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year, joining a number of other smaller miners including Patriot Coal and Walter Energy.

http://rhg.com/notes/the-hidden-cause-o ... l-collapse

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/22/11090878/u ... ling-apart

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 02 Mar 2016, 21:49

Here's some Chinese input into the switch from coal debate:
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/base-lo ... stry-96007
Rather an interesting article.

As the network operator builds out its clean power sources, they noted, coal-fired generators could only serve as “reserve power” to supplement renewables.

“The only hurdle to overcome is ‘mindset’,” Liu said. “There’s no technical challenge at all.”

The “base load” mindset, though, is a pretty big and powerful hurdle. Across the world it infests incumbent utilities, the coal and nuclear lobbies, conservative politicians, energy regulators, and many in mainstream media, who are clinging to the concept of “base load generation” as the last resort to try to ridicule wind, solar and other technologies. ...

“Electricity demand is variable. It is not fixed. With smart grid technologies what we need is variable sources of supply to accommodate variable sources of demand.

“Base load is an archaic term that is no longer commercially relevant. Once that capacity is built – coal-fired generation is the most expensive marginal cost of supply because of the fuel cost, because it has to burn coal to operate.

“We believe that with more renewables and storage, peak electricity prices will halve over the next 20 years. Once you build solar and you build storage, the marginal cost of production is zero.”

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 03 Mar 2016, 10:42

Very interesting, Biff. Not so sure about peak electricity prices halving - not many industries aim for that.

Companies need to make more money per cost unit out of renewables than they can cost of dirty fuels. That's what it's all about and it's the only thing that ever changes a company's mind.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 05 Mar 2016, 15:12

Will Peabody, the world's largest coal-miner, go bankrupt? http://grist.org/business-technology/wo ... y-go-bust/

raspberry-blower · Post by **raspberry-blower** » 25 Mar 2016, 12:01

Think Progress: After 115 years, Scotland is Coal Free

After some 115 years, Scotland has burned its last lump of coal for electricity.

The Longannet power station, the last and largest coal-fired power plant in Scotland, ceased operations Thursday. What once was the largest coal plant in Europe shut down after 46 years before the eyes of workers and journalists, who gathered in the main control room.

It doesn't mean that there are no more coal seams in Scotland though..

Post by **adam2** » 22 Apr 2017, 09:17

According to reports, we have just had the first full day in which no coal has been burnt for electricity production.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news

An interesting mile stone, though I am very doubtful as to the accuracy of the reports.
I am almost certain that last year, that electricity from coal was zero on a number of occasions, some of them much longer than 24 hours.

Such statements must refer only to coal burning power plants connected to the grid, there is simply no way to determine if any privately owned, non grid connected, coal burning plant was in use. Any such is probably insignificant these days.

Pepperman · Post by **Pepperman** » 25 Apr 2017, 10:39

Yeah it means that National Grid didn't need to call on any coal power for 24h

https://twitter.com/NGControlRoom/statu ... 5172529156

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 25 Apr 2017, 18:50

Coal is at 1.5GW tonight.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 26 Apr 2017, 00:43

I doubt that the exact moment coal went off line really matters. What matters is the day you in the UK don't need several coal plants, staffed fueled and ready,to take up the slack if the wind goes to calm and the clouds obscure the sun.
I can foresee the day when those plants begin to set idle and that is not too far off but I can't see the day when you wont need them as backup and the cost of having them sitting there idle but fully capable of coming on line in an hour or less is a cost you will have to pay one way or the other.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » 26 Apr 2017, 12:27

vtsnowedin wrote:I doubt that the exact moment coal went off line really matters. What matters is the day you in the UK don't need several coal plants, staffed fueled and ready,to take up the slack if the wind goes to calm and the clouds obscure the sun.
I can foresee the day when those plants begin to set idle and that is not too far off but I can't see the day when you wont need them as backup and the cost of having them sitting there idle but fully capable of coming on line in an hour or less is a cost you will have to pay one way or the other.

There are plenty of gas plants for that...
Although it would be wise to keep coal in the mix for some time yet, until we can increase renewables still further....
The US & China can keep digging the coal - more fool them....

Post by **adam2** » 31 May 2019, 15:42

And now we have had two weeks without any coal being burnt to produce electricity, the longest coal free period since the very beginning of the electrical age.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48473259

Post by **adam2** » 09 Jun 2020, 15:22

And we are now heading for TWO MONTHS without any coal being burnt by grid connected power plants, another new record.

Some coal burning for the winter peak looks unavoidable, but probably less than last year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52973089

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 09 Jun 2020, 15:53

adam2 wrote:And we are now heading for TWO MONTHS without any coal being burnt by grid connected power plants, another new record.

Some coal burning for the winter peak looks unavoidable, but probably less than last year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52973089

Well that should help out your total CO2 emissions.
Is it a product of your economy being shut down for Covid?