Seth Feaster (2023, November 2) Coal use at U.S. power plants continues downward spiral; full impact on mines to be felt in 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024, from https://ieefa.org/resources/coal-use-us-power-plants-continues-downward-spiral-full-impact-mines-be-felt-2024
The use of coal by big companies in the US has declined greatly this year. The amount of coal has steeply declined due to the increase in renewable energies, as well as more regulations regarding the mining and usage of coal. In July coal was just over 19% of the country’s power and that is a big step down from 2021 when it was around 25%. This is a great step as countries are beginning to switch to renewable sources.
This is related to APES because many people in the U.S use coal for heating in the winter as well as cooling in the summertime. If we can replace the burning of coal for these main uses and can switch to renewable energy sources like wind turbines and solar, then the amount of CO2 going into our atmosphere will significantly decrease. This is one of the many things we can do to help slow the rapid increase in global warming.
Coal’s decline in the US is a positive trend! Renewable energy and stricter regulations are pushing us in the right direction. While this is great for power generation, we also need to address home heating and cooling reliance on fossil fuels. Do you think advancements in heat pump technology or geothermal energy could be viable options to completely move away from coal dependence, both for power plants and individual homes?