Perry's so-called grid reliability study is an attempt to cook the books in favor of Trump's broader pro-coal agenda.
Reliable electricity at affordable prices. This mission and mandate is central to the American electric grid and those who oversee it.
In recent years, the power grid has been transitioning toward more clean energy and less coal. Extensive research shows this transition is making America's electricity system more affordable, resilient, and reliable.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry recently released a long-awaited "study" to examine grid reliability, which ignores the overwhelming evidence in favor of politics. Instead of highlighting more efficient, affordable, and innovative solutions, the study's recommendations reveal a thinly-veiled attempt to prop up uneconomic, dirty coal plants.
Secretary Perry and other Trump administration officials already made their pro-coal agenda obvious. Perry's new "study" confirms their energy priorities: They want more dirty, expensive coal regardless of what it costs Americans.
Featured resources
- Electric System Reliability: No Clear Link to Coal and NuclearRhodium Group
October 2017"There is no clear relationship between higher system levels of coal and nuclear generation and better system performance with regards to reliability."
- Reply comments of Michael Milligan, Ph. D. to FERC
Michael Milligan, Ph. D.
October 2017"Any initiative seeking to address reliability and resiliency should first define and then recognize the reliability attributes provide by all resources (including generators, storage, and responsive demand), not just coal and nuclear."
- Electricity markets, reliability and the evolving U.S. power systemThe Analysis Group
June 2017"Increasing quantities of natural gas and renewable generation are increasing the diversity of the power system and supporting continued reliable operations."
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