{"id":273840,"date":"2023-08-16T12:57:15","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T10:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=273840"},"modified":"2023-08-16T12:57:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T10:57:18","slug":"king-coal-outdistancing-wind-solar-hydro-other-renewables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=273840","title":{"rendered":"King Coal Outdistancing Wind\/Solar\/Hydro\/Other Renewables"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From MasterResource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Kennedy Maize\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

\u201cThe historic trends contradict the conventional view that fossil generation has been declining, while renewables are gaining. According to the data, \u2018The share of low carbon fuels (nuclear, hydro, wind & solar) peaked at 36% in 1995, coinciding with COP1 [the first UN conference of parties].’\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the worldwide battle for electric generation, coal isn\u2019t down and out. It isn\u2019t even on the ropes. According to\u00a0World Energy Data<\/a>\u00a0(formerly BP\u2019s data collection report), coal is still the champ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, coal accounted for 35.4% of global electric generation, followed by natural gas (22.7%), hydro (14.9%), nuclear (9.2%), wind (7.2%), solar (4.5%), geothermal, biomass, and other renewables (3.6%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The historic trends contradict the conventional view that fossil generation has been declining, while renewables are gaining. According to the data, \u201cThe share of low carbon fuels (nuclear, hydro, wind & solar) peaked at 36% in 1995, coinciding with COP1 [the first UN conference of parties].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOver the following 17 years, from 1996 to 2012, fossil fuels gained share, mainly due to the increased share of gas and the declining share of nuclear and hydro. As wind and solar then became significant, this trend reversed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite this, and the hosting of twenty-seven UN climate conferences, the share of electricity generation by low carbon fuels in 2022 was only roughly equivalent to the peak in 1995.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

According to the\u00a0International Energy Agency (IEA)<\/a>\u00a0in its Coal Market Update, coal demand for power generation and steel making \u201dreached a new all-time high in 2022.\u201d IEA added, \u201cCoal trade in 2023 is heading back to 2019 volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IEA noted, \u201cDespite lukewarm economic prospects, global supplies grew by 8% in 2022 to a record 8 634 Mt. The three largest producers \u2013 China, India, and Indonesia \u2013 each reached all-time highs in 2022. Coal production was mainly boosted by China and India, which rapidly increased domestic production to mitigate exposure to high market prices after a first price spike in October 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IEA added, \u201cGlobal coal production is expected to grow further in 2023, driven by an expected strong ramp-up of production in China, India, and Indonesia in the first six months, offsetting declines in the United States and the European Union. Russian coal production is estimated to have recovered somewhat in the first half of 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a\u00a0statement<\/a>\u00a0accompanying its report, Paris-based IEA said that \u201cby region, coal demand fell faster than previously expected in the first half of this year in the United States and the European Union \u2014 by 24% and 16%, respectively, However, demand from the two largest consumers, China and India, grew by over 5% during the first half, more than offsetting declines elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China is the coal heavyweight.\u00a0Greenpeace East Asia recently\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0from Beijing that China approved \u201cAt least 50.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power across China in the first six months of 2023.\u201d China is also developing world-leading amounts of wind and solar generation, but Greenpeace East Asia\u2019s Gao Yuhe said he feared the coal focus would detract from building energy storage. \u201cWe see a lot of new wind and solar and a lot of new coal. Our major concern now, aside from the obvious emissions problem, is that energy storage remains sidelined despite the key role it needs to play in the near future. Building renewable energy but no energy storage is like building wheels but no axel,\u201d Yuhe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OilPrice.com commented<\/a>, \u201cChina is building coal-fired power plants at a record clip as it tries to counter the effects of drought on hydropower production.\u201d China is also the hydro heavyweight, Asia\u2019s largest producer, \u201caccounting for 30% of global capacity.\u201d China \u201chas recorded a worrying 7.2% drop in output so far this year while India, the second largest producer, has seen production decline 5%.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OilPrice.com adds, \u201cChina is not the only country whose hydropower sector has been hit by climate change. Electricity generation from hydro power sources has fallen quite dramatically in Europe, North America and Asia in 2023 compared to the corresponding period in 2022 with overall global hydro generation now 3% below the 2019-21 average. Reduced supplies of non-emitting hydro power in these regions means that utilities are increasingly deploying other sources of dispatchable but more polluting power, such as coal and natural gas, to meet electricity demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. hydro from Nevada, Arizona, Washington, and Colorado has also been drought stricken, leading to a 17% decline in hydropower production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\u00a0Forbes observes<\/a>, \u201cIn the U.S., coal demand has been on a downward trend for about 15 years. There have been three significant drivers behind this decline.\u201d The first is horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking), which, starting in 2008 has revolutionized natural gas production. The second is the rise in solar and wind power, driven largely by lower costs and government incentives at federal and state levels. Contributing has been increased federal regulation of coal-fired power plants, including the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, which have driven up the costs of burning coal. But these U.S. developments have little impact on what\u2019s happening in the rest of the world, as the U.S. consumes less than 7% of the world\u2019s coal production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2022, coal accounted for 35.4% of global electric generation, followed by natural gas (22.7%), hydro (14.9%), nuclear (9.2%), wind (7.2%), solar (4.5%), geothermal, biomass, and other renewables (3.6%).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":273845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818341,691818424,691820296,691820835,691818681,691818130],"class_list":{"0":"post-273840","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-china","9":"tag-clean-air-act","10":"tag-coal-fired-power-plants","11":"tag-international-energy-agency-iea","12":"tag-king-coal","13":"tag-renewables","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-666.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-19eM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":407439,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=407439","url_meta":{"origin":273840,"position":0},"title":"Have Renewables Overtaken\u00a0Coal?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Kathryn Porter mentioned claims that renewables were now supplying more electricity than coal on a worldwide basis.","rel":"","context":"In \"Kathryn Porter\"","block_context":{"text":"Kathryn Porter","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=kathryn-porter"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0facepalm.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":427459,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=427459","url_meta":{"origin":273840,"position":1},"title":"Beijing Boasts Clean Energy Leadership\u2014Fossil Fuels Still Dominate Reality","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"22\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"China has indeed been aggressively promoting its leadership in renewable energy, and the achievements are substantial. 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However,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AQMgsiZdV7us-qo4A_U5hoU6xoW4WXJl4RfFniUqiCT4cDYzM93Wh5jT1Jw0mSvIkp2yDyP6v087MqW41SHkQrSA1ArJ3k6_FPFPddrRG2n070K48B5Zbn6wks-vlASZ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AQMgsiZdV7us-qo4A_U5hoU6xoW4WXJl4RfFniUqiCT4cDYzM93Wh5jT1Jw0mSvIkp2yDyP6v087MqW41SHkQrSA1ArJ3k6_FPFPddrRG2n070K48B5Zbn6wks-vlASZ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AQMgsiZdV7us-qo4A_U5hoU6xoW4WXJl4RfFniUqiCT4cDYzM93Wh5jT1Jw0mSvIkp2yDyP6v087MqW41SHkQrSA1ArJ3k6_FPFPddrRG2n070K48B5Zbn6wks-vlASZ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, 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