The rapid rise of renewable energy in the country, flooding wholesale electricity markets at very low generation costs in recent years, has made generation from fossil-fired plants unprofitable in many cases.
While the larger utilities now are trying to mothball several gigawatts in coal-and gas-fired capacity, they simultaneously warn that this may lead to supply bottlenecks on days with little solar or wind power generation, and are demanding a capacity market system that rewards generators for keeping reserve plants available.
