“… Coal-generated power is US$30-40 per megawatt-hour cheaper than natural gas …In absolute terms, generation from wind and solar has increased by 1,250 terawatt-hours (TWh) since 2015, while natural gas-fired generation has increased by just 140TWh. Although coal generation has increased 1,700TWh over the same timeframe, its market share has fallen from 70% to 61% … policymakers in both LNG exporting and importing countries should approach industry arguments about the necessity of LNG as a “bridge fuel” from coal to renewables with skepticism. Evidence from China — touted by the industry as a key market for LNG displacement of coal — shows that LNG is expected to play a minimal role in supporting the clean energy transition in the country’s largest coal-consuming sectors …” , as explained here.
Although cheap, solar and wind in Michigan are simply not reliable enough to provide our baseload electric.
The combination of gas and coal makes the most sense for our baseload electric in Michigan.