Coal is one of the most abundant sources of electricity worldwide. ^[1] Deprived of coal as a major source of affordable electricity, developing countries will struggle to rise out of poverty and improve their quality of life. ^[2]

Coal remains the largest source of electricity worldwide, accounting for 35% of the world’s total power supply in 2022. ^[3] With an estimated 774 million ^[4] people in the world still without access to electricity, the need for abundant, affordable coal remains self-evident.

Coal is arguably the single most important natural resource responsible for the creation of modern civilization and all the prosperity we enjoy today. Our ability to discover, harness, store, and deliver affordable energy on-demand has been the primary driver of human progress over the last 250 years. In large part, thanks to coal. ^[5][6]

The risks are substantial, especially if we transition too fast. Fossil fuel power plants are retiring much faster than new dispatchable, reliable sources are being developed. ^[7] This could lead to energy supply shortages, even rolling blackouts. Coupled with increasing demand associated with electrification, resource estimates suggest that America’s bulk power system could be facing energy shortfalls – as soon as this year. ^[8]

A renewable energy economy will require a substantial infrastructure, including power lines, charging stations, wind turbines, solar panels, battery storage, supply chain channels, and massive disruptions to land-use priorities. ^[9][10][11] Transitioning too quickly to renewables without any consideration for the long-term consequences could produce serious and unintended outcomes. ^[12]

To meet the U.S. administration’s goals of a carbon-free power grid by 2035 and a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050, the wind energy industry would need to increase the rate at which it builds new wind energy plants by 5 to 10 times. ^[13]

Our energy independence as a country could be at risk. Increasing our reliance on renewable energy means an increased reliance on imported materials and minerals needed to manufacture wind turbines, batteries, solar panels, and other infrastructure. Many of these imports will come from countries that don’t share our environmental and human rights standards. ^{[14][15][16][17][18][19]}

Did you know that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 will require far more than reducing our reliance on fossil fuels? Scenarios modeling this aspirational goal call for alarming changes to our freedoms and lifestyles, such as higher energy prices, ^[20] travel restrictions, ridesharing in urban areas, lower speed limits, and regulating thermostats. ^{[21][22][23][24][25]}

Seven out of ten Americans are concerned that the speed of the transition to variable sources of power, like renewables, is coming at the cost of grid reliability.^[26] In a Pew Research poll, 62% of moderate and conservative respondents and 51% of Democrats said the country should use a mix of fossil fuel and renewable energy sources. ^[27]

Due to their unpredictable nature, wind and solar power are unlikely to become the reliable and “always available” energy sources required for modern life any time soon. ^[28][29]

In times of high energy demand such as periods of extreme weather, renewables like wind and solar are intermittent and unreliable forms of power, especially compared to storable and dispatchable energy sources like coal that can quickly adjust to fluctuating demand. ^[30][31] Extreme weather in February of 2021 paralyzed much of Texas with freezing cold and clearly demonstrated the vital role coal can play as a dependable and dispatchable form of energy. ^[32]

To build the massive infrastructure needed for renewable power generation, a substantial amount of materials and energy will be required. For example, one megawatt of onshore wind capacity requires hundreds of tons of steel and concrete, which requires hundreds of tons of coal to produce. ^{[33] [34] [35]} Today, the technologies needed to decarbonize these processes are still in the early stages of demonstration, so coal will play an important role in expanding the electric grid for the future. ^[36]

Look around your home and workplace—most manufactured products we touch in our everyday lives are created with derivatives of fossil fuels, such as coal. Steel, cement, certain medicines, water filtration, fertilizers, and many other products we take for granted often rely on coal at some point in the manufacturing process. ^[37][38]

In a single year, the average person in the United States uses nearly 3000 pounds of coal, or 235,000 pounds over an average lifetime. ^[39]

Historically, coal has been a vital element in the making of steel and cement, two of the most impactful and prevalent construction materials in the world. Therefore, much of our modern-day infrastructure, such as roadways, buildings, bridges, sewers, railroads, cell towers, dams, and aqueducts, was created using coal. ^{[40] [41]}

The demand for coal is growing. In fact, global demand reached an all-time high in 2022 and is expected to grow in 2023. ^[42]

Life expectancy, educational attainment, and income all correlate with per capita electricity use, ^[43] and more of the world’s electricity is fueled by coal than any other source. ^[44]

The coal mining industry employs engineers, geologists, and a variety of technical specialists. The average total annual salary for an underground bituminous coal miner in Pennsylvania is over $104,000. ^[45]

Since 1978, more than 2.8 million acres of land have been restored by the U.S. mining industry. ^[46]

Fossil fuels, such as coal, will continue to play a critical role in the ongoing transition to more sustainable forms of energy. We see a future where renewable energy sources work together with advanced, abated coal technologies to provide society with clean, dependable, and diverse power sources without jeopardizing either our climate or our energy needs. ^{[47] [48] [49]}

Over the last 20 years, after investing trillions of dollars globally into renewable energy efforts, the world has realized only a 2% reduction in fossil fuel use, from approximately 86% to 84%, as a percentage of all energy produced. ^[50] Over this same period, the global demand for energy has increased significantly.

Over the last two decades, the overall use of fossil fuels around the world has increased by roughly 41%, with the use of coal increasing by approximately 55%. ^[51]

Renewable power requires approximately ten times more land area than fossil fuels per unit of power produced. ^[52] This surprising reality requires serious consideration as we develop future energy policies.

To reach goals for renewable energy use, the IEA is estimating the supply of nickel, graphite, and lithium will need to increase by 1900%, 2500%, and 4200% respectively. ^[53] This will require an enormous increase in mining and industrial activity, as well as large amounts of fossil fuels to extract, process, and transport these materials.

An electrical grid powered solely by renewable energy will significantly increase our dependence on foreign nations, many of them with lower workplace safety and environmental standards. For instance, China controls roughly 90% of the market for refining rare earth elements, which are critical to the production of EV motors and wind turbines. ^[54]

In 2022, 77% of all energy consumed in the U.S. was produced domestically. ^[55] Transitioning to renewable energy too quickly weakens this important metric and makes the U.S. more reliant on foreign sources of energy.

To achieve a scenario where solar and wind provide the majority of U.S. electricity in 2035, the existing transmission capacity might need to triple in size. That could require the installation of up to 10,100 miles of new transmission lines every year starting in 2026. ^[56] In 2023, as a point of reference, only 195.9 miles of new transmission lines were installed in the U.S. ^[57]

As energy markets continue to be circumvented with artificial subsidies and incentives for weaker renewables, the full consequences of energy inflation are beginning to surface. In July 2024, PJM, a large Regional Transmission Organization (RTO), held a power capacity auction that resulted in prices more than 800% higher than recorded a year earlier. Energy prices for power plants landed at $269.92 per megawatt- day, compared with $28.92 per megawatt-day just the year earlier. Capacity auctions are mandated events that balance consumer pricing protections with market reliability, capacity, and transmission considerations. PJM’s July auction provides clear evidence that moving away from affordable fossil fuels—and rushing too quickly to intermittent and low-capacity renewables—will drive significant energy inflation and, someday soon, could have a devastating impact on the U.S. economy. ^[58][59]

Prices out of the biggest U.S. power auction, held by grid operator PJM Interconnection, cleared at $329.17 a megawatt-day, roughly 22% higher than last year's record-high levels as electricity demand continues to outstrip supply. ^[60]

In the latest MISO energy auction, the price per megawatt-day hit a record-breaking $660. The summer 2025 auction price that was announced is 20 times higher than the price for last summer, and 60 times higher than the price two years ago. This pattern of increasing prices clearly indicates a problem. ^[61]