the death of coal?

Two windmills catch fire in two weeks: https://www.abc12.com/content/news/Wind-turbine-catches-fire-in-Huron-County-507966241.html

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/wind-turbine-catches-fire-at-nova-scotia-wind-farm-1.4339153

"Many of the company's that built windmills went bankrupt",

Quote: petroglyph

Good article on wind energy; https://www.newsweek.com/whats-true-cost-wind-power-321480

"Many people may be familiar with Warren Buffet’s claim that federal policies are the only reason to build wind farms in the US, but few realize how many of the companies that benefit most are foreign. The Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University found that, as of 2010, 84% of total clean-energy grants awarded by the federal government went to foreign-owned wind companies."

Vertical windmills of Nastifan are over a thousand tears old and still milling grain. They must be 'in the black" by now.

Quote: Fleastiff

Vertical windmills of Nastifan are over a thousand tears old and still milling grain. They must be 'in the black" by now.

Windmills are fantastic for purposes just like that, or pumping water at remote locations. Or for an off grid person who wants to mess with it.

Windmills aren't the most efficient way to make electricity .

In 2018, for example, the percentage of coal used for energy production fell 2% from the year prior, while natural gas production grew 12% and renewable energy increased by 4%.

Quote: Forbes

The U.S. Energy Information Administration or EIA forecasts that U.S. coal production will decline by 72 million short tons (MMst) or 9% in 2019. The 2019 forecast production of 684 MMst would be the first time U.S. production would be less than 700 MMst in more than 40 years. In 2020, the EIA expects total U.S. coal production to decline by 45 MMst or 7% because both exports and domestic consumption are expected to continue to weaken.

The EIA forecasts that U.S. coal consumption, which reached a 39-year low of 687 million short tons (MMst) in 2018, will fall to 602 MMst in 2019, down 12%, and to 567 MMst in 2020, down 6% for a two year decline of over 17%.

In 2018, US coal power plant closures totalled 14 gigawats of capacity, which was second only to 2015 for coal plant retirements this decade (15GW). Coal plant closures in 2019 are at 8GW so far.

Quote: reno

In 2018, for example, the percentage of coal used for energy production fell 2% from the year prior, while natural gas production grew 12% and renewable energy increased by 4%.

Which has to kill the anti-fracking crowd.

Quote: reno

In 2018, for example, the percentage of coal used for energy production fell 2% from the year prior, while natural gas production grew 12% and renewable energy increased by 4%.

Quote: EIA August 6, 2019

EIA forecasts that the share of U.S. generation from coal will average 24% in 2019 and in 2020, down from 28% in 2018.

EIA expects the share of U.S. total utility-scale electricity generation from natural gas-fired power plants will rise from 34% in 2018 to 37% in 2019 and then decline slightly in 2020.

The forecast nuclear share of U.S. generation remains at about 20% in 2019 and in 2020.

Hydropower averages a 7% share of total U.S. generation in the forecast for 2019 and 2020, similar to 2018.

Wind, solar, and other nonhydropower renewables together provided 10% of U.S. total utility-scale generation in 2018. EIA expects they will provide 10% in 2019 and 12% in 2020.

Power generation is a very regional thing.

Over 50% of the coal consumed for generation of Electricity is in 9 states
10.49% Texas
6.71% Indiana
5.86% Ohio
5.13% West Virginia
5.13% Missouri
4.95% Illinois
4.84% Pennsylvania
4.62% Kentucky
3.61% Michigan

These states collectively consume 1%
South Dakota
New York
Oregon
New Jersey
Alaska
Hawaii
Massachusetts
Delaware
New Hampshire
Idaho
Connecticut
Maine
District Columbia
Rhode Island
Vermont

Yesterday, the City of Los Angeles' Board of Water & Power Commissioners approved a 25 year contract to buy electricity from a solar power facility (with batteries) in the Mojave Desert that would provide enough energy to cover 7% of Los Angeles' electricity needs (that's 283,330 houses). The batteries will provide electricity for 4 hours after the sun sets.

The combined price of the batteries + solar panels will be $32.97 per megawatt hour (3.3 cents per kilowatt-hour) which is a record low for this type of contract, and cheaper than electricity from natural gas. The costs are $19.97 per megawatt hour for solar energy and $13 per megawatt hour for the battery system.

The 400MW facility will cover 2,000 acres of desert in Kern County, and is scheduled to be completed by 2023.

Quote: reno

Yesterday, the City of Los Angeles' Board of Water & Power Commissioners approved a 25 year contract to buy electricity from a solar power facility .

Problem with solar is, great in June
when the sun is up 15-16 hours a
day. Sucks in Jan when it's up for
8-9 hours.

Quote: Evenbob

Problem with solar is, great in June
when the sun is up 15-16 hours a
day. Sucks in Jan when it's up for
8-9 hours.

Air conditioners use more electricity than any other household appliance, and their usage coincides with long summer days. In Los Angeles, the sun sets in the winter at about 5pm, so the batteries can keep producing power 'til 9pm. In July, the sun is up in Los Angeles til 8pm, so the batteries keep going until midnight.