First, the photo truly is of a combined-cycle gas plant. In fact, the steam generated from the plant is used on industrial sites in the area….much better then additional electric demand.

I’m not aware of any “obvious” solutions to shutting down a coal plant (or a gas-plant for that matter), and I’ve been all-ears for some time. Wind and solar generation are not direct-replacements for hydro, coal, or nuclear plants; neither in availability nor cost effectiveness. (How do you heat your home on a calm winter night?) Wave, biomass, and geothermal sources are great concepts, but are far too costly for immediate implementation and are still many years away from being viable.
All things considered, I’ve starting researching nuclear energy and am beginning to see it as an overlooked solution, with a bad rap — but I digress, that’s a different conversation for another day.

Rather than rip on what you don’t understand — do some research. I would rather read a report with substance, such as what alternatives are currently being discussed: other base-load energy alternatives in which utilities should invest, distributed generation resources available to individual businesses or homeowners, and energy conservation technologies and practices.