References and Links

As coal-fired power plants switch off, new businesses soughtPITTSBURGH (AP) — If the closed Mitchell Power Station on the west bank of the Monongahela River ever turns into anything industrious again, a sweeping 78-page document commissioned by the state economic development agency might have something to do with it. Like hundreds of coal-fired power plants across the country, the former FirstEnergy Corp. facility 18 miles south of Pittsburgh shut down in the last decade. It couldn't compete with cheaper energy sources, lower demand and stricter air pollution rules. After 65 years in operation, the Washington County facility last made electricity in 2013.

Net-zero energy homes have arrived — and are shaking up the US housing marketStarting in 2020, all new homes built in California will be required to include solar panels, the first statewide step to a future of zero-energy houses with the potential to produce as much energy as they consume. The U.S. has only 5,000 net-zero energy single-family homes today, but California's new requirement will add as many as 100,000 homes every year constructed with this goal in mind.

Coal-fired power plants finding new uses as data centers, clean energy hubsA St. Louis firm specializes in getting environmentally challenged properties ready for reuse, including coal plants.

25-acre Alexandria site may house new mixed-use projectPepco currently owns a 25.4-acre riverfront property in Alexandria, but the company is set on selling the site in subdivided parcels.

Setting Realistic Goals for Powering Data Centers With Renewable EnergyWhy 20-percent-renewable by 2025 is achievable, and how we can get there.

Adaptive reuse juices up an abandoned power plantThe 118,000-sf Seaholm Power Plant, an Art Deco industrial facility originally designed by Burns & McDonnell, provided power to Austin, Texas, from 1951 to 1989. It served as a training center through 1996, when it was shuttered. In 2005, Austin’s city council selected Seaholm Power LLC—a joint venture with four principal investors—to restore the site. The power plant was on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Its redevelopment marked the first time that Austin had made preservation of a historical landmark a significant objective.

Additional Resources:

2018 Getting to Zero Status Update and List of Zero Energy Projects

Net Zero and Living Building Challenge Financial Study: A Cost Comparison Report for Buildings in the District of Columbia

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