July 4, 2016
Power generation in the United States will make a shift towards producing cleaner energy that fits into President Barack Obama’s plan to reduce carbon emission.
According to a latest report by the Energy Information Agency, power produced by natural gas-fired plants will surpass coal-fired generation by 2022. Generation from renewable energy – driven by solar and wind – will overtake coal-fired generation by 2029.
The United States produced about 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2015 with coal and natural gas accounting for 66 percent – Coal 33% and Natural Gas 33 %. This equation will, however, change by 2022.
Climate change and reducing carbon emission is one of President Obama’s signature issues which is facing both legal obstacles as well as threats from Republican presidential candidates who have vowed to do away with the key parts of the Obama’s climate plan, if made it to the White House in November elections.
As a result of the Supreme Court decision made early this year, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan has been halted. The CPP requires states to cut carbon emissions an average of Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan has been halted. The CPP requires states to cut carbon emissions an average of 32 percent over 2005 levels by 2030.
While, the fate of CPP hangs in balance, at least for a while, the EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2016 forecasts a shift away from coal-fired generation to a combination of higher natural gas-fired and renewable generation and greater energy efficiency.
The share of natural-gas fired generation has already exceeded coal-fired generation in 2016, according to the EIA’s recent Short-Term Energy Outlook. However, according to the Annual outlook 2016, the natural gas-fired share of generation declines temporarily after 2016, then resumes rising in about 2020 and once again exceeds the coal-fired share in 2022 and throughout the rest of the projection to 2040.
Even if the CPP is not there, the annual report projects that renewable generation would post a significant growth across the country mainly due to Congress’s recent extension of favorable tax treatment for renewable energy sources.
“From 2015 to 2030, for the nation as a whole in a scenario where the CPP is never implemented, EIA projects that renewables generation will increase at an annual average rate of 3.9%to, while natural gas generation will grow at 0.6% per year,” according to the Outlook 2016. In case the CPP is implemented, renewable and natural-gas fired generation grow at 4.7% and 1.6% annually from 2015 to 2030, respectively.
The Obama administration is also encouraging energy production through nuclear which currently accounts for about 19 percent of the total production, and represents an estimated 60 percent of the nation’s carbon-free energy.
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz recently announced $82 million for nuclear energy projects in 28 states as part of the government’s efforts to curb carbon emissions. The funding will go to scientists innovating nuclear technologies in the realm of nuclear energy which is by far the biggest source of carbon-free electricity.
In his second term, President Obama initiated several measures to cut greenhouse gas emission through boosting the use of renewable energy. Several of those could face hurdles if Republicans win the White House.
Donald Trump, the Republican’s presumptive nominee says such rules invade state rights and private sector freedoms. Conversely, President Obama’s climate change may get a boost if Hillary Clinton’s, the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee makes history by becoming the first female U.S. president.
As the preeminent world economy, the United States has to assume leadership on realizing the goal of clean energy as a fix to climate degradation – a factor that would be key to sustainable development in times ahead.
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