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Executive Summary
Our current reliance on
dirty, unreliable sources of energy such as coal, oil and nuclear power for
electricity generation has left this country with a legacy of asthma attacks,
oil spills, radioactive waste and global warming. This legacy also includes
volatile price fluctuations, costing consumers dearly on electricity bills and
threatening the reliability of our electricity system. Fortunately, America
does not have to wait a generation for the safe, clean, affordable energy future
it deserves.
Only two percent of our
electricity comes from clean, renewable sources. However, renewable energy technology
has advanced commercially to the point where it is now ready for wide-scale
development. Huge untapped wind, solar, geothermal and biomass potential exists
across the country. The technical potential of wind, clean biomass, and geothermal
resources in the United States is four times greater than our current total
electricity consumption. The wind that blows in just four states—North
Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska—is enough to meet the electricity
needs of the entire country. The sun's energy that hits the surface of the Earth
every minute is greater than the total amount of energy that the world's human
population consumes in a year. By applying America's technological know-how,
we could generate more electricity from these clean renewable sources and less
from dirty energy sources.
Renewable energy also is
the best economic choice. Increasing investment in renewable energy and energy
efficiency programs will boost local economies and save consumers money, all
while protecting the environment. Renewable energy sources also are "homegrown"
energy sources that keep money spent on energy in the local economy. Several
studies have shown that investment in renewable energy creates more jobs than
business-as-usual and sparks economic development in local—particularly
rural—economies by generating new sources of revenue for landowners, school
districts and local government. In addition, diversifying the electricity mix
to include renewable energy shields consumers from price spikes in the volatile
fossil fuels market.
Because of the dramatically
improved economics of renewable energy, state governments, municipalities, businesses,
farmers, ranchers, and individuals across the country are embracing renewable
energy as a way to boost the economy and save money while protecting the environment.
Many states, most recently New Mexico, have implemented a renewable energy standard
to mandate new electricity generation from renewable sources. Often the testing
grounds for innovative policy, states will remain critical in increasing renewable
energy generation; however, to ensure that all Americans can enjoy the benefits
of clean, renewable energy, we also need national standards.
In order to encourage increased
energy production from renewable sources, we should implement policies at the
national level that include the following:
• A clean energy standard,
known as a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), to increase the amount of electricity
generated from renewable sources of energy to 20% of power generation nationally
by 2020.
• A public benefits fund
to provide funds for energy efficiency programs, investments in promising renewable
energy technologies, and low-income assistance programs. A national fund would
provide matching funds to the states to help enhance state programs.
• National and state net
metering standards that allow consumers who generate their own electricity from
renewable technologies (e.g. a small wind turbine, a rooftop solar panel) to
reduce their electric bill by getting credit for any power generated.
• A five-year extension
of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) to encourage new energy generation from renewable
sources, including wind, solar, geothermal energy, and clean biomass-specifically
excluding municipal solid waste incinerators. The Production Tax Credit is critical
to making renewable energy price-competitive with conventional energy sources,
such as oil, coal and nuclear, which are heavily subsidized by the federal government.
The extension of the credit will enable the renewable energy industry to develop
and improve its technology, drive costs down even more and provide Americans
with clean electricity generation.
This report examines 35
states and their potential for electricity generation from renewable resources
using state-of-the-art technology. We highlight success stories from Washington
State to Maine that point to the enormous untapped potential for clean power
generation from renewable resources and how businesses, counties, individuals
and others are benefiting financially from renewable energy in action.
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