Carl Johan von Seth: top Five trends that may european coal go up in smoke

Since Thomas Edison built the world's first coal-fired power stations in London has the coal been burning up the british home, have supplied the hospitals with electricity and given the country's bench presses power.

140 years later is coal on the way out. And it is happening quickly.

Since 2013, the production of coal decreased by 87% in the Uk. Wind energy has doubled over the same period. The biomass has exploded. The solar cells are located on the heels.

this year was noted for the first few days completely without coal in the uk power grid since Edison's days. And in 2018, it accounted for a paltry 5 per cent of electricity generation.

must soon follow suit if the EU is to achieve the climate targets. Germany remains heavily kolberoende, as well as Poland and most countries in Central and Eastern europe. In total, there are 250 coal-fired power plants in the EU. They need to be shut down.

a number of strong trends will help the development along.

renewable energy has long received generous help of the policy. But the costs have also decreased rapidly. The price of newly built wind power in the Uk has been under pressure from well over £ 100 per megawatt-hour to about 60 pounds.

The German investment company Kaiserwetter now anticipate that the costs of fossil and renewable power in average is comparable, on a global scale.

the Sun and the wind have not the advantage everywhere. But in more and more places is the renewable energy profitable even without aid.

While the cost of solar energy plummets is a prisrally of emission allowances in the EU. After a rule change last year, the price rose by 230 percent. Analysts expect that it will rise gradually from today's level, at eur 25 per tonne of carbon dioxide, up to 40 euros.

If the prediction turns out correct it will be hard on kolkraftens competitiveness.

It becomes more difficult for european governments to sponsor the coal industry. At year-end shut down 26 coal mines in Spain, after a new EU directive that prevents the state aid to unprofitable mines.

More such rules are to be negotiated when the EU is trying to reform the union's energy market.

A review from 2018 showed that the EU's ten largest kolbolag caused 7.600 deaths, there are approximately 3,300 new cases of chronic bronchitis and 137.000 days with asthma symptoms among children in a single year.

To kolkraftens air pollution causes illness and death has been known for a long time. However, the knowledge increases. And the trend is toward more stringent requirements, which further impairs the competitiveness.

Gas-fired power plant – which is certainly also burn fossil fuels and emit almost half as much carbon dioxide as coal power. New methods of extraction and increased international trade with liquid natural gas has made it possible for countries such as the Uk relying on natural gas during the phase-out of coal.

this trend will be reinforced in the year, when large export projects being launched in the united states. The british example also shows gaskraften not necessarily need to increase during the transition.