Coal to remain world's top power source over next 20 years

Global energy demand will rise as much as 40% in the next 20 years, IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates chairperson Daniel Yergin said. "In our scenarios for the future we expect by 2030 to see growth somewhere between 30% and 40% off a much larger base in demand. That's a very large number," he told the World Energy Congress in Montreal.
Demand for energy had grown by 40% since 1990.

"Between 1990 and 2010, about 1,4-billion people were added in countries where the per capita income was less than $10 000 a year," said Yergin.
"In the next 20 years we expect to see about three-billion people moving into that range of $10 000 per year of income. That will have an enormous impact on energy demand."
IHS Cambridge Energy Researches saw oil's share of the energy mix declining in the longer term, while coal would remain the biggest source of power.
Shale gas could be a significant source of power going forward, said Yergin.
"The shale gas revolution probably counts as the biggest energy innovation since the beginning of the 21st century."

Source: Mining Weekly