LibGuides: Western Maryland Coal Talks: Alternative Energy Sources

Renewable Energy

What Is Renewable Energy?
The United Nations approach to climate action, and how renewable resources (i.e., solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, and bioenergy) can supply a continuous source of clean energy.

ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
Renewable energy won’t run out.	Renewable energy has high upfront costs.
Renewable energy has lower maintenance requirements.	Renewable energy is intermittent.
Renewables save money.	Renewables have limited storage capabilities.
Renewable energy has numerous environmental benefits.	Renewable energy sources have geographic limitations.
Renewables lower reliance on foreign energy sources.	Renewables aren’t always 100% carbon-free.
Renewable energy leads to cleaner water and air.
Renewable energy creates jobs.
Renewable energy can cut down on waste.

News

A polluting, coal-fired power plant found the key to solving America’s biggest clean energy challenge
The smokestacks on the aging Sherco coal power plant tower will connect to the largest solar project in the Upper Midwest.
Amazon will buy solar energy from a repurposed coal mine in Maryland
Amazon energy from a solar project in Garrett County, Maryland, that is being built on the former site of a 120-year-old coal mine. roject developer Competitive Power Ventures says the project will include 300,000 solar panels and will help the region avoid roughly 133,000 tons of CO2 – the equivalent of taking more than 26,000 cars off the road each year.
FSU Receives $1.48 Million From Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative
This award is part of a $46.4 million package supporting 57 projects across 184 coal-impacted counties through ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. POWER targets federal resources to communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations and coal-related supply chain industries.
How West Virginia's Coal Country Could Get a Clean-Energy Makeover
The project will turn two old surface mine sites in Nicholas County into a 250-megawatt solar farm while training former coal industry workers in the area for new trades in renewable energy.
In Md. Coal Country, a Push for Clean Energy — and a College Campus Leads the Way
Gregg Barnett, a senior at Frostburg State University, is working on a project to bring a microgrid, powered by clean energy, to campus.
Economic coalition identifies 19 old coal sites for cleanup and redevelopment in Central Appalachia

Coalfield Development

Coalfield Development
Coalfield Development focuses on ending the intergenerational cycle of poverty in Appalachia by rebuilding the region’s economy from the ground up. Coalfield creates new social enterprises in rural areas with stagnated economies, pioneering new markets in coal-dependent areas such as solar installation, local agriculture, bio-based manufacturing, tourism, and green-collar construction. Regardless of sector, each enterprise employs and supports people who face barriers to employment.

Coalfield has created hundreds of new jobs, trained over 2,000 people, leveraged more than $140M in new investment to the region, and helped revitalize over 250K square feet of formerly dilapidated property.

On average, participants have experienced an 80% increase in family financial assets.

In the past two years, Coalfield projects offset more than 1M pounds of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs).