Coal-Powered Energy Research

About this episode

Gwen Holdmann discusses the controversial decision to build a new coal-fired power plant at the University of Alaska and the research that informed this choice.

In Fairbanks, four trainloads of coal arrive every day to power and heat the University of Alaska campus that's known for its cutting-edge research on integrating renewable energy technologies. Building a brand new coal-fired power plant in the 21st century was, to put it mildly, a controversial decision. But believe me when I tell you—we researched the heck out of it. Today on the show, I'll walk you through the backstory of how, when it came time to replace our campus power plant, we ticked through all our options and ended up with the newest coal plant in the country — and, some would argue, possibly the last. Closing the Gap is hosted by Gwen Holdmann. Tony Williams is our producer and engineer. Jennifer Pemberton is our writer and editor. Music is from Blue Dot Sessions.

People in this episode

Host: Gwen Holdmann

Topics covered

• coal energy
• renewable energy
• power plant
• University of Alaska
• energy research

Keywords

• coal-powered energy
• University of Alaska
• renewable technologies
• power plant
• energy research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Alaska, Blue Dot Sessions

Places: Fairbanks