Coal is one of the major energy sources in the United States, accounting for 14 per cent of domestic primary energy output in the United States in 2019. Energy Information Administration ( EIA) said Thursday.
Most of the coal produced in the U.S. is used to power coal-fired power plants, while the industrial and commercial sectors account for a small share of coal consumption, according to the EIA.
According to EIA data, US coal production and consumption have decreased since peaking in 2008 and 2007, respectively. Last year, for example, US coal production reached its lowest level since 1978, while coal consumption fell to its lowest level since 1975.
The rise in renewables and the decrease in coal production resulted in electricity consumption from renewable energy sources in the United States surpassing coal consumption in 2019 for the first time since 1885, according to the EIA last month.
Last year, total US renewable energy consumption increased by 1% compared to 2018, while coal consumption slumped by almost 15% year on year, according to the EIA in its Monthly Energy Review.
Last year, the rise in renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar, marked a historic milestone for energy consumption in the United States: for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, renewable energy sources have overtaken coal as a source of electricity.
Due to rising production of natural gas and increased generation of natural gas, coal-fired electricity generation capacity in the U.S. continues to decline. Amid the removal of coal power, coal-fired electricity production has fallen steadily over the last decade to the point of hitting its lowest level in 42 years in 2019.
