Hit pause on everything you think you know about coal.
A global transition to renewable forms of energy is well underway, but are we moving too fast to a future filled with unknown compromises? What are the consequences of rushing to renewables?
No other natural resource has enabled our survival, prosperity, and innovation quite like coal. Yet recently, a new narrative has taken hold. The idea that our world would be a better place without coal is obscuring the truths and realities of renewable energy and overlooking the many benefits that coal can continue to bring to society moving forward, including potential innovative new uses that may surprise you.
When it comes to coal, this vital natural resource is still one of the most abundant, affordable, and dispatchable forms of energy in the world. It’s also a critical ingredient in the manufacturing of thousands of products essential to society’s infrastructure and our everyday lives. The case for coal requires careful consideration and thoughtful analysis. Please don’t be kept in the dark about what keeps you in the light.
Uncover the Truth
CHECK THE FACTS
REALITY #1
- National Coal Council: Coal=Reliable Energy
- Fraser Institute: Renewable Energy Can’t Replace Fossil Fuels
REALITY #2
- U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Renewable Energy Materials Properties Database: Summary (August 2023) (Figure 3, page 8. Steel is 9% of material for 1 MW of land based wind, or 108 metric tonnes. Concrete is 34% of material for 1 MW, or 408 metric tonnes).
- Gulhan Ozbayoglu, Comprehensive Energy Systems: Energy Production from Coal (2018) 788-821. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809597-3.00341-2. (Chapter 3.19.1.1.2, page 791. 0.77 tonne of coal per tonne of steel translates to 83 tonnes of coal in steel per MW of onshore wind capacity. Chapter 3.19.1.1.3, page 792. 0.2 – 0.45 tonne of coal per tonne of cement translates to 82 – 184 tonnes of coal per MW of onshore wind capacity. Total tonnes of coal per MW of onshore wind capacity = 165-266 tonnes of coal)
REALITY #3
- PJM: Energy Transition in PJM: Resource Retirements, Replacements & Risks (Pages 5 & 6)
- North American Electric Reliability Corporation: 2022 Long-Term Reliability Assessment (Page 9)
REALITY #4
- World Coal Association: Other Uses of Coal
- Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration: Coal’s Importance to the World
REALITY #5
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy 2023 (Page 53)
- See World Coal Association: Coal–Energy for Sustainable Development
- United Nations: Human Development Reports: Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022: Unpacking Deprivation Bundles to Reduce Multidimensional Poverty (Pages 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 23)
REALITY #6
REALITY #7
REALITY #8
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy 2023. Based on data provided for consumption of Coal, Oil, Natural Gas.
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