Green Energy Transition in West Virginia

Abstract

Historically, West Virginia has had a large dependency on coal, both for energy and wealth generation (West Virginia State Profile and Energy Estimates, 2020). Rural communities in the area often rely on coal industries for financial stability, as it traditionally has been one of the top suppliers of jobs in parts of West Virginia (Butowsky, 1994). This dependency on coal has created larger environmental and economic concerns which will need to be considered in the future. Political, economic, cultural, and social pressures in the area often make it difficult to find sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel industries, namely coal. This creates issues in terms of economic viability. Local communities sometimes rely on fossil fuel industries, which can create an unsustainable job market. This can create issues with job security, education, and health in these areas. Also, due to rapid technological advancement, workers specifically trained for coal jobs often do not have the vocational skills to transition to new technologies, including the technologies required for the green energy transition. Direct link to website containing embedded hyperlinks within the infographic: https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/green-energy-transition-wva/home This product is a learning artifact from the Spring 2021 semester of the Honors and UAP SuperStudio courses (UH-4504, UAP-4914, and UH-4514). Course instructors: Ralph Hall, Nikki Lewis, Amy Showalter, Zack Underwood, Anne-Lise Velez, and Daron Williams