There is change afoot in coal country. A recent editorial in The Roanoke Times noted with interest the actions of multiple economic development organizations in Southwest Virginia and their efforts to attract renewable energy to what has historically been known as âthe coalfields.â You read that correctly, and it is undeniable that the realities of the coal industry have spurred creative thinking in Virginia and throughout the Central Appalachian region. So, what are those realities? During the past decade in the United States, roughly 100 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired capacity has been closed or transitioned to another fuel source. That is more than one-third of the nationâs coal-fired output from its peak of 314 GW in 2011 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Coal production levels have subsequently dropped, falling to the lowest level of production since 1978.