Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Coal Market Share Drops To 34% In March: Lowest Level Since Records Kept

Coal's market share of electricity generation dropped once more in March, falling to 34% of all electricity produced, according to the Energy Information Administration. EIA states that the 34% mark is the lowest ever recorded since 1973, when it began tracking the data.  http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=6550.

Coal's decline has been natural gas' rise.  Natural gas hit the 30% level of electricity production in March.  The coal and gas trend lines continue to converge, with just 4 percentage points separating them. 

Even a year ago, virtually nobody predicted this massive, sharp move in electricity generation, since few saw sustained $2 natural gas pricing. 

One result of this surpising turn is a sharp reduction in air pollutants, including carbon emissions.  The air is getting cleaner than ever.



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