149 views
Source:
Chattanooga Times Free Press
May 7 This story was updated Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 6:35 p.m. with more information.
Eighty-eight years after the Tennessee Valley Authority was created to harness the power of the Tennessee River, America s biggest public utility is turning to the sun, splitting atoms and natural gas plants to power its future.
The power shift outlined in a new strategic guide endorsed Thursday by TVA directors will phase out coal-fired power generation by 2035 to help limit the emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. TVA plans next week to give the required notice to begin the process of shutting down the two-unit Cumberland Fossil plant in Cumberland City, Tennessee TVA s biggest coal plant and by July TVA should give notice of its plans to close the nine-unit Kingston fossil plant in Kingston, Tennessee.
The Sunday 18 April Tullahoma News reported that Jack Daniels will soon join other Tennessee institutions/business customers who generate solar energy through photovoltaics (PV). I applaud their initiative. Nevertheless, the article about Jack Daniels also states that âTVAâs green energy leadership as the energy provider with the greatest amount of renewable generation in the Southeast.â That probably includes hydroelectric, which is technically renewable, but the article is about PV. The article states that TVAâs âGreen Invest has attracted nearly $2.7 billion in solar investment and procured over 2,100 megawatts of solar on behalf of its customers.â Procured? From whom? This is double-speak.
Image credit: Joe Raedle
Stay tuned in to our local news coverage: Listen to 90.7 WMFE on your FM or HD radio, the WMFE mobile app or your smart speaker say “Alexa, play NPR” and you’ll be connected.
Brick by brick, the stucco shell of a new flood-resilient public works building is taking shape blocks from the beach, the most visible sign yet of a small community’s enormous task staving off the rising sea.
“This is actually the highest point in the city,” Satellite Beach City Manager Courtney Barker said, adding that right next door to the new public works building will be a new fire station.
Published Oct 10, 2017 Updated Oct 20, 2017
There’s a historic transition underway in the US electricity sector, as coal power gives way to newer, cleaner technologies.
But exactly how rapid and dramatic has the transition been and what’s going to happen in the next few years?
The share of US electricity coming from coal fell from 51 percent in 2008 to 31 percent in 2016 an unprecedented change. New UCS analysis finds that, of the coal units that remain, roughly one in four plans to retire or convert to natural gas; another 17 percent are uneconomic and could face retirement soon.
The closure of a coal plant raises complex issues. While hugely beneficial to public health, closures also raise concerns about jobs and the local tax base for surrounding communities. Our community snapshots document these and other challenges, underscoring the need for a fair and thoughtful transition.