Since 2000, wind has gone from producing 0.3% as much as coal to 11%. You can see why the coal companies are in a panic, and trying to stop the expansion in wind energy.
Overall U.S. electricity production has not increased much since 2007, so any increase in wind, natural gas or solar means less coal is used. Electricity overview: http://www.eia.gov/beta/MER/index.cfm?tbl=T07.01#/?f=A Note the increased generation by the industrial sector (green line), rather than by power companies, starting in 1988. The EIA says that this year for the first time, solar power generated by individuals -- the so-called "behind the meter" sector, mainly rooftop PV systems -- has produced a significant amount of electricity. They will start tracking it in more detail soon. "EIA electricity data now include estimated small-scale solar PV capacity and generation" http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=23972 This is having a big impact in Hawaii, as I noted here before: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=19731 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/business/energy-environment/solar-power-battle-puts-hawaii-at-forefront-of-worldwide-changes.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/16/hawaii-solar-industry_n_4452177.html This is what I expect cold fusion will do, only faster on a much larger scale. Cold fusion, unlike solar, will allow the user to cut off all connections to the power company. I assume the user will buy a cold fusion generator large enough to produce all electricity, with no need for a power company backup. Of course it will also work at night, unlike solar. It will not need much of a battery. Maybe a super-capacitor will do. - Jed
