Impacts of Transitioning Away From Coal

The World's Most Expensive Electric Grid Just Went Offline Forever💡 Remember when your smartphone suddenly made your old flip phone obsolete? A similar transformation is happening in energy right now, and it's coming from an unexpected place: China. Why this matters: Just three years ago, China was building coal plants at record speed while suffering widespread blackouts. Now they're producing more solar panels and wind turbines than the rest of the world combined. This shift isn't just about clean energy—it's reshaping the entire global energy market. Let's break down what's happening: 1. The Market Surprise - China installed more solar in September 2023 than the US did all year - Chinese-made EVs now dominating developing markets from Colombia to Kenya - Clean tech exports becoming major economic driver amid broader slowdown - Manufacturing scale making renewables cheaper than running existing coal plants 2. The Hidden Transformation - Coal plants shifting to backup power instead of full-time operation - Grid integration happening faster than experts predicted - Chinese tech spreading rapidly through global south - Strategic investments from 15 years ago paying off 3. What This Means For Everyone - Energy prices likely to keep falling as scale increases - Western markets facing tough choices about manufacturing - Global energy access expanding faster than expected - Climate goals suddenly looking more achievable Here's what makes this significant: While most people were focused on Twitter's latest drama or crypto crashes, China quietly built an unstoppable clean energy economy. They're not doing it to save the planet—they're doing it because it's become too profitable to ignore. The impact? Just like smartphones made flip phones obsolete practically overnight, we might be about to see a similar transformation in how we power our world. Question for energy leaders: How should Western markets respond to China's growing dominance in clean tech manufacturing? What opportunities exist for collaboration versus competition? #CleanEnergy #EnergyTransition #MarketSignals #GlobalTrade

President Trump’s recent executive orders to revive coal—by reopening federal lands for mining, easing environmental rules, and prioritizing coal plants for AI/data center demand—have sparked debate, especially in the context of global tariffs aimed at leveling the playing field. But beyond politics, the financial case for coal collapses under scrutiny. The Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 report confirms that 99% of existing U.S. coal plants are now more expensive to operate than new solar or wind projects. Here’s why: Coal-fired power is currently the most expensive mainstream energy source in the U.S., with leveled costs ranging from $69–$168/MWh in 2024. By comparison: Natural gas (combined cycle): $45–$108/MWh Utility-scale solar: As low as $29/MWh without subsidies Onshore wind: $0–$73/MWh The Tariff Paradox: While the administration aims to boost domestic energy with tariffs, reviving coal effectively imposes a hidden tax on consumers and businesses. Coal’s high costs would raise electricity prices for: - AI/data centers: Energy-intensive operations - Manufacturing: Industries competing globally against regions with cheaper renewables - Households: Already strained by rate increases This approach directly contradicts the goal of economic competitiveness via tariffs. Coal Jobs vs. Booming Renewable Employment: The decline of coal jobs highlights its waning economic relevance compared to booming clean energy sectors. Here’s how U.S. energy employment stacks up in 2025: - Solar: Nearly 280,000 jobs—seven times more than coal—and growing rapidly. - Wind: Over 130,000 jobs, with offshore wind poised for significant expansion. - Coal: Fewer than 40,000 jobs and steadily declining. Clean energy jobs are growing at twice the rate of fossil fuel jobs and represent the future of U.S. energy employment. Streamlining Renewables: To reduce utility power costs, instead of trying to revive the most expensive energy source, the U.S. should focus on deregulation. Red tape stifles cheaper, cleaner alternatives: - NEPA delays: Solar/wind projects face 1–2 years for environmental reviews, plus additional permitting delays. - Local bans: 41 states have enacted restrictions on renewables, such as Ohio’s extreme setback requirements for solar farms. - Interconnection queues: Over 1,400 renewable projects are stuck waiting for grid connections due to lengthy approval processes. Follow the Money: Coal’s decline isn’t political—it’s arithmetic. Economics are driving coal’s downfall as utilities (and their customers) are forced to subsidize an uncompetitive industry while clean energy jobs boom. The financially rational path? Streamline regulations for renewables and let free markets favor energy sources that deliver power at the lowest cost—all while creating hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs in clean energy sectors. Data sources: EIA, Lazard, Coal Cost Crossover 3.0 (Energy Innovation), DOE USEER Report (2024) #renewableenergy #solar

Most of the people who understand the issue of climate change and the breaching of our planetary boundaries understand the need for a transition away from fossil fuels. The idea is that this will lead to a world with lower emissions and cleaner energy if that transition happens fast enough and around the world. But there's a little wrinkle in there that people often forget. What happens to all the people? What happens to all the coal miners, and workers in the oil fields? No fossil fuels are going to be eliminated tomorrow, but if we do slowly and steadily move away from fossil fuels, how to deal with the people in those industries in a just and equitable manner is an important question. There are core principles of a #justtransition. These include: Dialogue with all parties - All impacted parties must be around the table so that everyone's point of view is heard and those most adversely impacted by the closing down of an industry or plant have a real say. This dialogue needs to be thorough and acceptable to all parties. There will be a long runway for many of these transitions so these discussions should be happening long before a plant is shut down, the mine is closed, or the drilling stops. This dialogue includes the communities impacted. Adequate compensation – Transitioning away from high-carbon industries is going to adversely impact a lot of vulnerable people. Some may have just started in an industry and can transition into something new quite quickly. Some may be only a few years from retirement and can’t do so. Some in the middle of a career may require more training and more help to move on to something else. The question of who's going to pay for that transition and how much they're going to pay needs to be discussed honestly and transparently. Job training - Some folks in carbon-intensive industries will indeed be able to transition smoothly into the energy jobs of the future. For many people, the skills they've developed over the years or decades won't translate to a new field, and they will need to be adequately trained to do something new. Shared sacrifice - The purpose of moving away from carbon-intensive industries is so that humanity benefits in the long run. For these transitions to be seen as fair and just so that society sees them as worthwhile, the sacrifice should be shared by all parties. This includes investors, company executives, communities, and governments as well as workers. A final plan with firm commitments - All parties need to agree on a final plan with firm commitments about job training, compensation, and community impact. Transparency - For workers and communities to agree to these transitions and for societies to see them as just they must take place in the open in a transparent way and be codified in writing for all to see.