False. We have been consistently been generating around 4 Terawatt hours for the past decade.
So over the last decade our total generation has remained somewhat stagnant while demand is steadily increasing. That is the point I was making. Your figures back this up.
False. Coal is being replaced by natural gas [eia.gov] because it's the more economical option.
You gloss over why natural gas is the more economical option. Coal plants are burdened by expensive emissions controls and regulatory requirements that make them too expensive to operate. Minus these, they would still be competitive economically. I'm not arguing against such controls, merely saying emissions are the drivers of the economics.
Even combined-cycle gas turbines running on natural gas are being shut down
False. There is literally nothing to support this.
I worked at TVA during the time frame in question. CCGT's are peak load assets but were being run constantly to make up for lost capacity when coal plants were shuttered. Maintenance cycles were being deferred. The net result was more unplanned shutdowns.
Solar capacity is going up, along with wind, but not nearly enough to replace what's going away.
False. See the table at the top of this post.
I did see the table. Did you? From 2011 to 2021, total coal generation dropped from 1,733,430KMWh to 897,885KMWh, a difference of 835,545KMWh. During that same time solar added 164,422KMWh, wind (aka "Renewable Sources Excluding Hydroelectric and Solar") added 256,261KMWh. That's a deficit of 414,862KMWh, not even factoring in the ~12KMWh loss in nuclear. Solar and wind are not making up the difference lost to coal shutdown. Natural gas.is making up the difference, and, as stated, these are not designed to be base load generation and hence unsustainable.
Government researchers have been tracking heat waves for more than 100 years. According to data from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, the annual heat wave index for the contiguous 48 states was substantially higher in the 1930s than at any point in recent years. In some years in the 1930s, it was four times greater or even more. Additionally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a large database of daily temperatures that goes back to 1948. NOAA used 1,066 weather stations located across the U.S. to collect this data.
According to NOAA, huge swaths of the U.S. have experienced a significant decrease in abnormally hot days recorded since 1948, especially in the Midwest and northern and eastern Texas. Although it’s true that some parts of the U.S. have seen the number of hotter-than-usual days increase over the past 70 years, most weather stations have shown no meaningful changes or even declines.
When your reasoning is based on incorrect information, you can justify any response. The truth is that your viewpoint is a delusion used to validate your own prejudices.
This maxim equally applies to your comments. My points stand and your own data does not refute it.