he energy industry is steadily evolving beyond fossil fuels and shifting to more renewable and sustainable sources.  This is fantastic news for the planet, but before this transformation can be complete, we must address the fossil fuel legacy of nearly 2 billion tons of coal ash stored in inefficient and environmentally perilous ways all over the United States.

Regulatory certainty is here, at least for Legacy CCR Surface Impoundments or CCR Management Units. Dewatering methods have been developed and in use and safe excavation methods are in play. However, how does this coal ash get properly re-stored is the last missing piece of the puzzle.

Beneficiation has provided some relief to this conundrum. Nevertheless, beneficiation timeframes greatly extend beyond desired regulatory and environmental protection timeframes. So the issue of storage still takes centerstage.

Utility companies usually establish methods and infrastructure with adequate manpower and resources to handle legacy CCR issues. But as new methods come to the market to deal with CCR more efficiently — yes, it happens — existing infrastructure may find itself calcified, too set in its ways. (“This is how we’ve always done it.”) Instead of being able to nimbly change course and adapt, it fractures or even collapses under the pressure.

Innovation doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. In fact, incremental innovation is most common; it builds on something that already exists.

You’ve probably heard the expression, “Thinking outside the box,” but how willing are you to put aside all your preconceived notions and do it?