It’s no secret that the mix of power generation resources is changing in the U.S. and has been for more than a decade. Coal-fired generation peaked in the U.S. in 2007, when coal generators produced more than 2,000 TWh of electricity. Since then, coal-fired production has declined significantly (Figure 1). In 2020, coal accounted for less than 775 TWh of electricity. The trend lower is likely to continue due not only to climate concerns, but also because of poor economics—low-cost natural gas-fired generation, and constantly decreasing costs for wind and solar power, have been pushing coal generators down the dispatch queue in many competitive markets.
