Shovel Coal into the Past Furnace

Context: The coal sector with an adverse impact on human health and climate needs to be replaced with green/clean/renewable energy.

Arguments against Renewable Power

• Abundantly available low-quality coal through deposits of bituminous rocks.
• Renewable energy is not reliable (‘despatchable’ in technical terms): or on-demand (‘schedulable’) to cater to fluctuating exigencies, and is expensive. 

Arguments in Favour of Renewable/ Clean Power

• Renewable energy is cheaper than stressed thermal projects: or any form of fossil fuel to deliver any form of energy, peak power, or round the clock.
• Greenfield thermal power will become even more expensive: by adding inflation to the energy mix.
• Global transition to renewable energy: 
• International Energy Agency’s World Investment Outlook 2020: global addition of 18 GW of coal-based energy.
• Global addition of 170-180 GW of net renewable capacity-- International Renewable Energy Agency
• Resource-rich countries like Australia, the US and China, are not mining new coal. 
• Rising financial risks of thermal assets: i.e $26 billion of bad loans in the thermal sector.

Conclusion: In a post-COVID world, it’s wiser to concentrate on ‘higher value’ clean-tech than ‘menial’ coal.