American Power Association says there is a “Dash To Gas”

Utility executives fear that the cancellation of coal-fired power plants and the implementation of carbon reduction policies might make it difficult to deliver power in some regions in the U.S. Broad scale fuel-switching from coal to natural gas could negatively impact power reliability according to a new report by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) published this month.  The American Power Association has called this “dash to gas” the most immediate risk to reliability. The NERC report identified initiatives currently underway to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They include: (1) States requiring power companies to meet certain percentages of their energy supply from renewables, for example 20% from renewables by 2020, (2) U.S. federal legislative proposals to reduce CO2 emissions such as the cap and trade legislation, and (3) Individual state policies or legislative proposals to reduce CO2 emissions including bans on building new coal-fired power plants. If timetables are too short for some of these initiatives, new technologies may not be available for renewable sources in order to prevent massive fuel-switching from coal to natural gas. The electric system may not be able to accommodate the relocation of power generating facilities.

Having clean air and no electric lights is the risk if carbon policies are implemented too far in advance of new technologies. Coal currently provides 49 % of the electrical power needs of the U.S. Demand for power keeps increasing and a mismatch between supply and demand could mean lights out in some places. The potential for solar and wind power is simply not high enough in some regions to meet renewable goals or initiatives