how one small city sowed the seeds for its own green new deal - electricity storage

Hollyyork, Massachusetts, has the last coal from the state-
A few years ago, the largest solar power plant began planning the shift, and planning required the cooperation of activists, employees and companies just before the coal-fired power plant was shut down, the experience of this small city can be used by other communities in the United States. S.
Consider turning to renewable energy, as those dealing with climate change look forward to big government plans such as the Green New Deal, and little Holly York in Massachusetts is showing how to make thisthe-
Winning the war requires change on the ground.
How is this city with only 40,000 people from having the last coal-
As more cities and states set a target of 100% renewable energy, the power plant in Massachusetts claims that owning its largest solar farm could be a valuable blueprint.
It's not easy, and certainly not overnight.
But with great foresight and recognition that the present is the time to actively prepare for a future that is completely different from the past, hollyyork has made a series of conscious decisions that are already rewarding.
From Coal to solar power: new solar farm in Mt.
Tom, Holly York and former Mt.
The Tom coal plant is located on the kanadick River in the Pioneer Valley of beretts, just east of Berkshires.
According to the hollyoke website, hollyoke is the first planned industrial city in the United States, once the world's largest paper producer, nicknamed "the city of paper ".
As the climate warms, Amazon's White House is increasingly cutting down forests in its "new attacks" on climate science. Thousands of Blowfish died when climate-warming young climate activists met with world leaders, Hollywood's coal plant for half a century of climate change mt.
Tom powered Holly York's factory.
It also emits typical pollutants from coal-fired power plants.
Hollyyork is historically an immigrant city.
According to U. S. media, about half of the population is Latino or Hispanic, and nearly 30% live in poverty. S. Census figures.
When the coal plant was put into production, the incidence of asthma was about twice the state's average, and residents had long complained about health problems. As Mt.
Tom's operator, called GDF Suez at the time and now ENGIE, is under legal pressure and new federal emissions regulations and employees are worried about their work ---
Hollyyork is worried about tax losses.
As natural gas became more popular, profits at the plant were reduced by 2010, and by then only dozens of employees were left behind.
State and federal emissions rules make operating costs higher.
Retirement: Mt.
At Tom coal plant, 2014 riverine, Connecticut, the factory was finally closed.
But hollyyork is ready for the opportunity to start the community's transition to clean energy.
Despite years of efforts to achieve results, but today
Tom is the largest solar farm in the state and consists of 17,000 solar panels.
ENGIE, the operator of the solar power plant that supplies power to the local power grid, also runs 3-
MW power storage facility in Mt.
Tom, who opened last year
The storage unit takes power from wind and solar installations and releases it to the grid when needed.
Hollyoke Gas & Electric is a utility company that sells electricity to residents of hollyoke, owned by the city, and now about 90% of the electricity comes from carbon.
Free energy including nuclear energy. More than two-
According to the HG & E 2017 annual report, the third of these comes from renewable sources such as solar power plants, water, electricity and wind energy in NGI.
There are no more fully operated coal-fired plants in Massachusetts.
On the road from coal to renewable energy, hollyyork has several constituencies: local activists, residents, former factory employees and elected officials.
The key to their success is that these groups organize ahead of time. -
Before deciding to close Mt.
Tom is formal.
"What's unique about this situation is that the plant is going to be closed on the wall and it says," said Aaron Viga, a representative of the Province of Massachusetts, who is a member of the city council of hollygon, at that time, it seemed likely to be Enji (then GDF Suez)
Ready to close the factory ten years ago. Mt.
Only when electricity demand peaked did Tom start working ---
The least efficient way to run.
Power plant operators like ENGIE supply power through the grid to utilities like HG & E, in which case these utilities sell power again to customers in the regions they serve
Therefore, when ENGIE cancels the application with the city of hollyoke, it is required to be in Mt.
Tom, it's a tip.
The news of the factory shutdown is nearby.
"This is a very exciting opportunity for the community to come together," Vega said . ".
Learn from other activists that Lena Entin is a community organizer working with local resident groups of neighbors.
She is now working with another group mobilized by Holly York-the poisoning Action Center.
On the other side of the state, a coal plant off the coast of Salem plans to shut down gas, and Entin says the Holyoke Community does not want to do so.
The group saw its opening.
"We learned from our experience with activists and toxic action centers in these places that we need to conduct a retrospective study ---
Feasibility Study Report
Even before the company announced the closure of the site, "said Entin.
We don't want it [the plant]
Close and keep-
It may open later.
Our idea is, "Who knows if the economy is going to get better.
We don't know that.
We do not want any chance to emerge, nor do we want the risk of a new government coming in to welcome coal.
"A small town in Texas leads the country in the use of solar and wind energy.
The coal movement called "beyond coal" is also involved, providing expertise gathered from other campaigns.
Union members promote meetings with factory officials to ensure that older workers are "bridges" to retirement benefits, better severance pay and potential training for new jobs or transfers within the company ".
City officials also pushed for a meeting at the plant. Pressure grew.
Enji finally offered to retire.
Clarence Kay said that the age employee was a "bridge" plan to receive a pension and that he had worked in the factory for 32 years.
Kai started his own business-
Time still working in MtTom.
He now runs his own company, Pioneer Valley fiberglass swimming pool and spatime. It's expanding.
"This is a very important thing," said Kay, who helped negotiate a solution . ".
"Overall, the company did a very good job, giving most of us what we needed during such a difficult transition.
"As a global company, Enji has withdrawn from coal-fired power plants around the world and stopped operating in the United States. S.
According to the company's annual report for the year, the company completed this task in total in 2015.
So while the Trump administration supports coal and makes its revival an energy priority, Holly York is one step ahead of the federal government's change --level policy.
"We think that Holyoke is a good example and works very well with the mayor and other public officials, the environmental activists and our client Holyoke Gas & Electric, in order to transform the coal business that has existed since 1960 into a cleaner, more modern business, "Julie Vitek, a spokesman for Engie, told CBS MoneyWatch.
Alex Morse, mayor of hollyyork, said, "bigger than our city," he received $100,000 from the state for the areuse study of 128acre Mt.
Tom site is the key to closing the factory in a "responsible way.
"For Morse, this includes important approvals from residents, employees, activists and city and factory officials to ensure that planning work goes smoothly when the plant is closed.
"As mayor, you have to give full consideration to what impact the shutdown of coal plants will have on taxes, unemployment," Morse said . ".
He has also taken a new approach to bringing revenue to hollyyork, including embracing the new legal cannabis industry in Massachusetts.
When it's off, Mt.
According to the Reuse Study, Tom provided hollyyork with an annual tax of $315,000.
Morse said the report allows all interested groups to "come up with a set of principles that most people in the community can support ". Having a city-
The power companies that have it are also helpful because profits are more important than serving the community, Morse said.
Morse said state and federal support is crucial because individual cities like hollyyork are just "a small part" of climate change, and the 22-year-old hollyyork was elected mayor for the first time, it is now his fourth term.
According to hollyoke Gas & Electric, the electricity storage facility is partially paid through the astate grant, which will also be used to plan, measure and analyze the state of its work.
"There is no other place on Earth ---
Our region, our state and our country-
"Our efforts are in vain," Morse said, when asked if Holyoke provided an example for the community wishing to join the Green New Deal.
"We need to be bigger," he said . ".
"Because we can't protect hollyyork alone from the climate change disaster.
It is much bigger than our city.