As temperatures have soared, so has natural-gas consumption, burned for the electricity needed to run air conditioners. The United States this week has twice broken its summertime record for daily gas consumption, and it could break it again Friday.
. Global coal demand in the first half of 2023 outpaced record demand from last year by 1.5 percent. The agency said that is likely to recede through year’s end, but whether it does or demand sets a record will depend primarily on the weather.
As a result, U.S. annual gas consumption rose nearly 50 percent from 2006 through last year, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Over roughly that same period, the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen more than 14 percent, according to Environmental Protection Agency data.
In the meantime, U.S. gas and coal demand — and emissions — are becoming even more strongly tied to the weather. Grid operators tend to use renewable power first, whenever they are available, because wind and sunshine are free. As demand rises, they call upon more gas- and coal-fired plants.
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