“U.S. coal-fired power plants shut down at the second-fastest pace on record in 2019, despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to prop up the industry, according to data from the federal government and Thomson Reuters.”
Skanska Open-Sources Tool for Calculating Embodied Carbon in Construction Materials
Skanska, a construction and development company, announced “the creation of the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (“EC3”) tool, a ground-breaking solution for calculating and evaluating the carbon emissions embodied within a wide array of building materials.”
See the full press release here.
Fifth Coal Plant in a Month Announces Closure in Illinois
The E.D. Edwards power plant, south of Peoria, will be closed, resolving a federal lawsuit filed six years ago, “which documented how various owners had failed to install modern pollution-control equipment.”
Read the full article here.
Several of the Largest Coal Plants in the US to Close in 2019
After older, smaller plants started closing, now big coal plants will stop operating by the end of 2019, this Scientific American article points out. These larger plants are also some of the biggest carbon dioxide emitters in the US.
Closures are a result of plants becoming more expensive to operate over time. The article lists the following plants that will close by the year’s end:
Navajo Generating Station, AZ
Bruce Mansfield plant, PA
Paradise Plant, KY
Read the full article here.
EIA Forecasts Diminishing Share of Energy Generation From Coal By 2020
The EIA forecasts that the share of U.S. generation from coal will average 25% in 2019 and 22% in 2020, down from 28% in 2018.
See the full forecast here.
Cement Produces More Pollution Than All the Trucks in the World
The article by Bloomberg highlights how cement is “responsible for 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions, more than what comes from all the trucks in the world.” According to the article, cement makers from around the world argue that there’s a lack of demand for sustainable materials.
Read the full article here.
Interactive Map Shows Changes in Global Coal Power Since 2000
The organization Carbon Brief has built an interactive website where you can explore the capacity changes in coal power since the year 2000.
See the interactive website here.
