Why Coal Companies Are Collapsing in Spectacular Fashion

Pretty much everything bad that could happen to the coal industry is happening. Global coal demand is slumping; low natural gas prices and competitive renewables are shifting the energy mix in America; and a slew of regulations are causing plants to close at an unprecedented rate. Since 2012, more than 40 U.S. coal companies have filed for bankruptcy. And just this week, Peabody Energy, one of the largest coal firms in the world, reported $1 billion in quarterly losses. In this week’s show, we’ll talk with Taylor Kuykendall, a coal reporter with SNL, about all the factors contributing to coal’s demise. Then, we’ll discuss new grid rules in California that will allow companies to aggregate distributed resources and bid them into wholesale electricity markets. And we’ll end with a look at Hillary Clinton’s proposed plan to install 140 cumulative gigawatts of solar in America by 2020. This podcast is sponsored by ReneSola, a Tier 1 solar cell and module manufacturer with a decade of experience in the cleantech industry. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussions between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey.