Reduce, reuse, recycle even applies to old power plants.
Across the world, developers are transforming old fossil fuel infrastructure into renewable energy hubs generating solar, wind, and geothermal energy, per The Economist.
As nations retire coal plants and continue their efforts to meet net-zero carbon goals, green energy projects can jumpstart using existing infrastructure.
Wells can be used for geothermal energy production, while existing connections to the grid can be adapted to generate and store solar energy. These facilities aren't as equipped for full-scale green energy output as brand-new buildings, but they can save developers valuable time and resources.
Citing the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Economist reported "there are around 170 ongoing or completed projects to transform old fossil-fuel power stations into renewable-energy plants."
With faster development and more energy, the price of renewables could drastically decrease, even more so than they already have. Solar costs have "plummeted by more than half over the past decade," according to the Visual Capitalist.
Not only are renewables better for your wallet, but they're better for your health, too. Renewable energy does create emissions during production, but it doesn't generate pollution during operation like fossil fuels. By switching to greener energy, we could prevent millions of premature deaths due to air pollution.
These emissions — methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide — damage our lungs and our planet. The gases trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, raising average temperatures.
Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels could help mitigate the effects of climate change, like extreme weather events and habitat loss.
Arash Dahi Taleghani, an engineer at Pennsylvania State University, believes reusing these fossil fuel facilities is the right choice, despite lower output and potentially higher development costs.
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"It makes no sense to just throw [them] away," Taleghani told The Economist.
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