Players in the solar field - both photovoltaic and concentrating - are optimistic that they will achieve parity with coal, currently the lowest cost generating source, within eight years.  They believe two factors will make that happen.   First, the full social costs of coal including primarily a cost for carbon dioxide emissions will come into play.  Secondly costs for solar generation will continue to decline.  But according to a representative of Abengoa, a very large and sophisticated player in solar, the point at which the costs will meet will be …

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Xcel ditching 2 coal plants, going to solar PUC approves plan to help meet 2020 goal By Gargi Chakrabarty, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Judy Walgren © The Rocky/2004 Xcel’s Cherokee plant operates in Denver. Xcel plans to close two coal-powered plants to meet a mandate to provide …

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A study released on 7/30/08 by Amercan Clean Skies Foundation and Navigant Consulting states that U.S. unconventional natural gas deposits are sufficient to supply 118 years of U.S. demand at 2007 levels.  Newly developed fracking and horizontal drilling techniques have made it possible to recover enormous quantities of gas from tight sands, coalbed methane, and gas shale formations, reports the Oil & Gas Journal (8/4/08) On the demand side, some leaders are starting to advocate the use of NG in lieu of petroleum to power cars.  Two Congressmen, Rahm …

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The number of reports of electricity shortages in China, India, and other developing economies recently, some of which I have posted, seem to be increasing.  Part of the problem in China may be due to environmental sensitivity surrounding the Olympics.  But it may also reflect a real shortage of coal globally and also the fact that electricity is becoming  uneconomical to produce given price controls on electricity combined with rising coal prices.   The last sentence of the report below from The Times  on an “electricity crisis …

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A report in the Globe and Mail recently described how one of the environmental “problems” often cited by critics of oil sands has become a useful export for Suncor (SU), one of the largest oil sands producers.  The byproduct is coke, which has been stacked  like new mountains for some eventual low-value use like landfill.   Now it is being exported to China for real money.  

Let’s hope the Chinese can figure out a way to burn it while controlling the carbon dioxide emissions.  (Fat chance, I suppose.)  Well, at least this …

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  China’s Power Crisis Deepens as Coal Supply Dwindles (Update1) By Wang Ying July 29 (Bloomberg) — China, the world’s second-biggest energy consumer, is facing a deepening summer power crisis that may persist into the winter months, the nation’s dominant electricity distributor said. State Grid Corp. of China, which more than 1 billion people rely on for power, said electricity shortages have worsened because of inadequate coal supplies. Forty-six percent of the power stations connected to the distributor’s grid have coal stockpiles below the “caution line,” or …

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You’ve read about coal shortfalls in China and South Africa.  India is the latest country to indicate it has to import more coal.  Here is the complete report from Bloomberg.   All of this may bode well for the dry bulk shippers.

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By ELAINE KURTENBACH 01.25.08, 8:30 AM ET SHANGHAI, China - China’s Transport Ministry ordered ports on Friday to temporarily stop loading coal for export as the country struggles to meet domestic needs amid mounting power shortages. The coldest, snowiest winter in decades has left millions of Chinese without heating and running water, causing mounting losses from power shortages and other damage. The Transport Ministry’s emergency notice, posted on its Web site, ordered railways and other transport networks to make hauling coal …

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Below is a note on a new ETF that tracks coal stocks on a global basis.   I don’t like coal - either the substance or the stocks - but I must admit that from a global, rather than U.S., perspective they could represent a successful investment.    The article, courtesy of Seeking Alpha, starts below: Mining Black Gold With New Coal ETF posted on: January 11, 2008 | about stocks: AAUK / BHP / KOL / RTP Print …

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Jean Laherrère’s outlook for Coal wasn’t as bad as the previous ones, but still reminded that it is a finite resource.   For futher discussion on The Oil Drum, click here.

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After years of stagnant demand, coal has come back to life as producers worldwide respond to rising demand from developing countries. A tipping point came this year when China, one of the world’s leading producers, for the first time became a net importer of coal. read full post

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