Important Innovations

  Rise of Solar Power                                   Source:  Stock Image of Solar Panels A Greener World According to the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol, solar is the "new king of the world's electricity markets".  In its annual World Energy Outlook, the IEA forecast that solar power will overtake coal as the largest means of energy production in 2025. Solar vs Coal The question is how did the world reach this green turn of events?  The answer is that in many countries, solar power is now cheaper than coal and gas.  Also, a number of nations have set strong targets to cut emissions and reduce fossil fuel use.  And, solar projects have become less expensive to manufacture and install. Fast Forward The IEA projects that over the next ten years, renewable energy will equal 80% of new power generation.  However, there is one big need to support the switch to renewable energy:  an investment of at least $460 billion in energy grids

Massachusetts' Brayton Point Power Station Towers Demolished in 2 Seconds Source: Stock Image of Brayton Point, MA. New Wind Energy Coming to Replace Coal Fired Plants Brayton Point in Somerset, Massachusetts on Mount Hope Bay was the last coal-fired generating plant in MA.  It stopped production in 2017 as environmental groups pushed for cleaner sources of energy generation. Landmark to Old Energy Demolished Today its two, 500 foot cooling towers were demolished by controlled explosions in two seconds. The plant had burned coal since 1963. Anyone who has travelled the I-195 corridor through Fall River, MA over the Braga Bridge going to Cape Cod or south to New York City is very familiar with these landmarks of old energy. They are now gone and are making way for new energy systems like wind. New Base of Wind Energy The new owner of the property is Commercial Development Co.  They say they plan to convert the property into a multi-use facility, primarily to support

Coal Plants Going Green with BioMass End of Coal - International Trend The UK plans to end coal powered electricity by 2025.  So what happens to the huge coal plants left behind?  The largest power plant in Western Europe, Drax in the UK that now burns coal, is going green.  By 2023, it won't burn coal.  It will burn only biomass and natural gas.  The biomass is wood pellets smashed to powder to generate electricity. Coals' Big Grid Connections Coal has been a big player in the global electricity market.  Coal companies have expensive connections to national grids and cutting those connections may not be easy. Nonetheless, the UK has gone from coal being 45% of its power mix in 2012 to a very low amount today.  The UK, like many other nations, is committed to cutting the dirty air emissions from coal.  There's a drive to find alternative uses for the coal plants as nations convert to alternative energy. Big Money to Convert to Biomass It's very expensive to co