Ripe for Retirement 2013 Update


Modest Carbon Price Will Significantly Lower Power Sector Emissions

, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy

December 11, 2013 12:33 PM EDT

Part three of a three-part blog series.

Last week some colleagues and I published an article in the Electricity Journal showing that almost 60 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired generators could be candidates for closure based on their poor economic profile relative to competing cleaner options like natural gas and wind. We also found that a modest carbon price of $20/ton of CO2 would more than double that figure to nearly 138 GW, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 745.7 million tons. You can read more about our analysis here and in blog posts by my colleagues Jeff Deyette and Steve Clemmer. Read more >

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New Wind Power Cheaper than Existing Coal and Natural Gas in Many Parts of the Country

, director of energy research, Clean Energy

December 10, 2013 5:29 PM EDT

Part two of a three-part blog series.

Yesterday, we released an update of our 2012 Ripe for Retirement study that was published in the Electricity Journal, which analyzed the economic viability of updating the nation’s coal fleet compared to investing in cleaner alternatives. (For more details on the study, see this blog by my colleague Jeff Deyette.)  Thanks to new technology developments that have lowered the costs of new wind projects and increased electricity production, our new analysis shows wind power could play an even greater role than natural gas in replacing existing coal plants. Read more >

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Ripe for Retirement: Examining the Competitiveness of U.S. Coal Plants

, director of state policy & analysis, Clean Energy

December 9, 2013 10:34 AM EDT

This is Part One of a 3-Part Blog Series.

Today, the Union of Concerned Scientists released an update of our 2012 ground-breaking analysis, Ripe for Retirement, examining the economic viability of U.S. coal generators compared with modern, cleaner alternatives. Our new findings, published in Electricity Journal, show that nearly 59 gigawatts (GW) of coal power capacity are not cost competitive when compared with natural gas, and more than 71 GW are uneconomic when compared with wind power. These coal generators are prime candidates for retirement and their closure would provide substantial benefits for consumers and the environment. It would also accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more reliable and affordable energy system. Read more >

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