As the hot months linger, it will be natural gas that is leaned on most to supply the electricity that we need to run our air conditioners and keep us cool.
Generally, U.S. gas demand for power in summer is 35-40% higher than what it was five years ago, with so much more coming. The good news is regions across the country are expected to have plenty of reserves to keep up with power demand.
Across the U.S., gas could supply a record 40-43% of U.S. electricity this summer.
We know that natural gas will continue to be the go-to power source: coal and nuclear plants are retiring, and while growing, wind and solar are too intermittent, geography limited, and transmission short to compensate like natural gas can. This year, some 2,000 MW of coal was retired in February alone, with 7,420 MW expected to be closed in 2019. Another 2,500 MW and 4,300 MW of nuclear are expected to be leaving the U.S. power system in 2020 and 2021, respectively.