US Coal Industry Declining Irreversibly

Nearly all of the coal produced in the United States goes for electricity generation, but its share has eroded in recent years by growing natural gas-powered generation and rising share of renewable energy generation.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, coal is one of the main sources of energy in the US, accounting for 14% of domestic primary energy production in 2019, Oil Price reported.
Most of the coal produced in the US is used to power coal-fired power plants, while the industrial sector and the commercial sector account for small shares of coal consumption, the EIA said.
EIA data shows that US coal production and consumption have been on a decline since peaking in 2008 and 2007, respectively. Last year, for example, US coal production hit its lowest level since 1978, while coal consumption dropped to the lowest since 1975.
The rise of renewables and declining coal electricity generation resulted in energy consumption from renewables in the United States surpassing in 2019 coal consumption for the first time since 1885. 
Last year, total US renewable energy consumption increased by 1% compared to 2018, while coal consumption slumped by almost 15% year on year, the EIA said. 
The rise of renewable energy sources, especially wind and solar, marked a historic milestone for energy consumption last year. For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, renewable energy overtook coal as a source of energy.