President Donald Trump wants to revive the coal industry in the United States. This battle he has lost already. Because on the US energy market, only the Profit counts. And not have to do with coal.
Trump at a campaign event in 2016
Ridicule and Protest on one side of the hall. Stopped coal advocates on the other. Bizarre scenes which have occurred at the climate conference in the Polish city of Katowice. “We believe that no country’s economic well-being and a secure energy supply, environmental protection and the sustainability of sub-grade should be,” said Wells Griffith, a consultant of the US President, Donald Trump, and a member of the U.S. Delegation on the 24. Conference on climate change. A Meeting, which actually should aim to tackle through international cooperation, climate change and find Alternatives for fossil fuels.
The controversial appearance reflects the current course of U.S. energy policy. Already in the election campaign of 2016, the President had promised the coal industry to revive. “Trump promotes coal”, was one of the Slogans of the campaign.
Since he now sits in the White house, Trump made to ensure that the “Clean Power Plan” of his predecessor, Obama has been replaced by a less rigorous program. Among other things, existing coal-fired power plants must comply with less strict guidelines for emissions.
In a further deregulation maneuver the Trump restructured environmental protection Agency (EPA) has also ensured that the life of a new coal-fired power plants less requirements. So you need to be, for example, not necessarily with a CO2 Capture and storage technology. It is precisely this technology is the reason why Trump and his associates speak of “clean” coal.
All resuscitation attempts from Washington in Spite of the coal industry has experienced in the last two years no recovery. On the contrary, The coal generated power has decreased in the United States with a share of around 29 percent to a historic low. “And that renewable energy sources are increased in the electricity market in the past two years,” says Mary Anne Hitt of the DW. She is the Director of the campaign “Beyond Coal” Sierra Club, the largest environmental Association of the United States.
The Director sees two reasons for this: decisions on the specific coal-fired power plants are made in the USA at the level of Federal States or even at the local level, not in Washington. Accordingly, the President has little influence. And: “energy providers are now discovering that it is cheaper to use renewable energy to convert than to operate existing coal-fired power plants.”
This shift in the market was, indeed, came only in the last year properly, so Hitt. The Trend make it to the President’s increasingly hard to advertise for coal. At least 40 coal-fired power plants have been announced since the Trumps inauguration of their trip. Of the 530 coal-fired power plants, which in 2010 were on the network, has announced the half to an end. The switch-off should go as planned, at this rate, there would be no later than 2035 no coal-fired power plants in the United States. The show calculations of the Sierra Club.
The market shift to more renewable energies can be calculated in Indiana to watch. The Federal state in the North-East, previously belonged to the ten most coal-producing States in the United States. There, the local energy has announced utilities NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Company), two months ago, to refrain, in the future, completely on the money.
Well 65 percent of NIPSCO power generated today come from the two coal-fired power plants of the utility company. By 2023, however, the largest of the two plants should be switched off completely, which would reduce the coal share of Electricity generated by two-thirds. 2028 the last work to follow. “We will reduce our CO2 emissions by 2028 to 90 percent,” says Nick Meyer, spokesman for NIPSCO, compared to the DW.
The elimination of coal-fired power will almost without exception be replaced by Solar and wind energy. But not because NIPSCO intends to be climate-friendly: “calculations have shown that renewable energies are compared to coal more profitable for us,” admits Meyer. Due to high remediation costs are in the works, as well as rising prices for the raw material of coal.
The significance of these developments so that you can leave the climate protection confidently the market? Not at all. Because the CO2-emissions by power generation makes up just a third of the total emissions of the United States. The largest share on the account of industry and Transport. And in order to reduce these emissions, and thus something against the progressing climate change, also need the United States more stringent guidelines. And are not to be expected with a US President, Donald Trump until Further notice.