When President Trump promised to bring coal jobs back, he may have hedged a bit. Jobs in coal production have ticked up temporarily, but jobs in the renewable energy sector are surging while jobs at U.S. coal power plants evaporate. In the latest development, last week Wisconsin’s WE Energies announced that it will shut down its massive 1,190-megawatt Pleasant Prairie coal power plant in Wisconsin by next summer, terminating 158 jobs there.

Throughout the Obama administration, cheap natural gas was the driving force behind coal plant closures. Older coal plants built decades ago are nearing the end of their intended lifespans, and refurbishing a coal power plant is an expensive proposition. For plant operators, the economics favor switching to natural gas.

Aside from the low cost of fuel, gas turbines also provide for greater responsiveness and flexibility than coal. Gas stakeholders are building a case that gas power plants are more compatible with renewable energyand microgrid technology.

Read the full article by Tina Casey about renewable energy from TriplePundit