Will Coal Stay in US?

Even as the whole world tries to increase the solar and wind energy penetration in their power industry to stop the problem of pollution and climate change, the U.S. state of Wyoming is taking a radically different change. The state has brought a bill which would prohibit utilities from buying any grid scale wind or solar power. There is no rational reason for doing this, given that not only solar and wind energy have become cheap but they also help massively in fighting climate change. Even as government all over the world are pouring subsidies and incentives to promote these green forms of energy, the US state wants to go the opposing way.

It seems that the bill has been sponsored by the strong coal lobby in the state which is reeling from the low demand and price of coal. The shale gas revolution and the steeply falling prices of wind and solar has made coal power obsolete in North American. In fact Canada is on its way to completely eliminate coal power in the country. US with its convoluted politics and policies is the only developed country which could have come out with such a twisted bill. With Donald Trump, coal power may get a further impetus but the tides of technology and change are not going to save coal power however much the “bought politicians” try.

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Solar and wind energy have now become competitive on their own against fossil fuels though the ITC has further lowered cost. Coal and gas would have been much more expensive if the costs towards their social and economic harm through pollution, climate change were counted. However, they are not but still wind and solar energy have become cheaper. I hope that the Wyoming citizens retain their senses and do not pass this bill into law as it would send a very wrong message across the U.S if not the world.

On the bright side, it shows how far wind and solar energy have come to become mainstream energy sources in the last 15 years that the coal lobby has to fight through legislation in order to survive.