(Proposal Summary)
Solving the issue of how occupations involved with coal could be salvaged with the industry's shift is complex. The one place I will be using as an example of a location where my solution proposal could be implemented is as a substitute for the job loss and shift to renewables at the Kayenta coal mine and Navajo Generating Station. There are many avenues in which one could travel to solve this complex issue and I will discuss some of them. |
(Audience)
The audience I would be targeting would be either local coal companies and those interested in getting a foothold in renewables. I am trying to impact Navajo employment and the energy market in the localized area of the southwest. The ones who would make it possible for this idea to be implemented would be investors, coal companies and local Navajo Nation government.
(Solution Description)
For a short term solution to remedy the hundreds of jobs that will be lost when both the Kayenta Mine and Navajo Generating Station shut down I suggest installing a solar farm. Arizona where most of the navajo nation resides is known for the amount of sunlight it receives. I suggest building a solar farm to both substitute the energy and job loss due to the Generating station closing. The Navajo Generating Station output 2,250 megawatts of power and combining the acreage of the plant with the acreage of the Kayenta Mine covered approximately 44,080 acres. The Tengger Desert Solar Park in China is currently the largest solar farm in the world. It has an output of 1,547 mega watts and covers a only 2,500 acres of land. The cost in 1976 of the kayenta mine was approximately 650 million dollars. Considering inflation the original cost of the Kayenta generating station alone is approximately 3 billion dollars today. The Tengger Desert Solar Park cost in 2016 679 million dollars.
The jobs that installing the millions of solar panels would provide to the Navajo community would be a vital transition from the Navajo Power Generating Station. The issue is that long term running costs and maintenance of solar farms is quite low so this would not provide the same number of long term jobs for the community. The long term jobs would come from the super cheap very available electricity that was just installed.
The solution for the power plant so that it may provide energy during night hours would be either a molten salt, super capacitors, or compressed air storage solution. While battery storage is much more efficient it is vastly more expensive than molten salt storage or compressed air storage.
This solution would bring both renewable energy at a cheaper price than coal energy. It would also bring the necessary jobs and economic boost to the communities in the Navajo Nation.
The audience I would be targeting would be either local coal companies and those interested in getting a foothold in renewables. I am trying to impact Navajo employment and the energy market in the localized area of the southwest. The ones who would make it possible for this idea to be implemented would be investors, coal companies and local Navajo Nation government.
(Solution Description)
For a short term solution to remedy the hundreds of jobs that will be lost when both the Kayenta Mine and Navajo Generating Station shut down I suggest installing a solar farm. Arizona where most of the navajo nation resides is known for the amount of sunlight it receives. I suggest building a solar farm to both substitute the energy and job loss due to the Generating station closing. The Navajo Generating Station output 2,250 megawatts of power and combining the acreage of the plant with the acreage of the Kayenta Mine covered approximately 44,080 acres. The Tengger Desert Solar Park in China is currently the largest solar farm in the world. It has an output of 1,547 mega watts and covers a only 2,500 acres of land. The cost in 1976 of the kayenta mine was approximately 650 million dollars. Considering inflation the original cost of the Kayenta generating station alone is approximately 3 billion dollars today. The Tengger Desert Solar Park cost in 2016 679 million dollars.
The jobs that installing the millions of solar panels would provide to the Navajo community would be a vital transition from the Navajo Power Generating Station. The issue is that long term running costs and maintenance of solar farms is quite low so this would not provide the same number of long term jobs for the community. The long term jobs would come from the super cheap very available electricity that was just installed.
The solution for the power plant so that it may provide energy during night hours would be either a molten salt, super capacitors, or compressed air storage solution. While battery storage is much more efficient it is vastly more expensive than molten salt storage or compressed air storage.
This solution would bring both renewable energy at a cheaper price than coal energy. It would also bring the necessary jobs and economic boost to the communities in the Navajo Nation.