Forum called to look at ways TVA can increase use of renewable sources

Forum called to look at ways TVA can increase use of renewable sources

By JIM WILSON
Knoxville News Sentinel

KNOXVILLE — A forum on renewable energy sources will be held Thursday at the Knoxville Convention Center.

The event, sponsored by the Knoxville Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature a panel discussion on the future of renewable energy in the region.

The forum will focus on ways the Tennessee Valley Authority can increase its use of renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and biomass.

"Renewable energy is a growing industry, and we want to explore how TVA can play a role in this sector," said John Smith, president of the Knoxville Area Chamber of Commerce.

The panel will include representatives from TVA, local businesses, and environmental organizations.

The event is open to the public, and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide input on the future of renewable energy in the region.

"Renewable energy is not just good for the environment, it's also good for the economy," said Smith. "By investing in renewable energy, we can create jobs and stimulate economic growth in the region."

The forum is part of a larger effort by the Knoxville Area Chamber of Commerce to promote sustainable development and economic growth in the region.

"Renewable energy is a key component of our economic development strategy," said Smith. "We want to make sure that Knoxville is a leader in this industry."

The event will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center, located at 1000 S. Central Ave. in downtown Knoxville.

For more information, visit the Knoxville Area Chamber of Commerce website at www.knoxchamber.com.

By Ed Marcum (Contact)
Friday, April 17, 2009

Marie Eckstein, an executive with Dow Corning, held up a glittering chunk of metal before the audience gathered Thursday for a TVA Congressional Caucus on renewable energy.

"You won't see this in nature," she said, as light flickered off silver facets of the fist-sized object. "This is a non-naturally occurring metal. It is polysilicon metal, and this is what we will be making in the Hemlock Semiconductor facility in Clarksville (Tenn.)."

Eckstein, Dow Corning vice president and chief administrative officer, was one of seven presenters at a public forum looking at options for the Tennessee Valley Authority to increase its use of renewable-energy sources for producing electrical power. Hemlock is partnering with Dow Corning to build a $1.2 billion facility in Clarksville to produce polysilicon, which is used to make solar panels. Another presenter was Free Flow Power, which is in the preliminary phase of a project to generate hydro power by fields of underwater turbines on the Mississippi River.

The forum was called by U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina. They were joined by Rep. Lincoln Davis of Tennessee.

Several energy-source options were discussed, but some observers said there was an undercurrent that favored nuclear power over options such as wind and biomass. Glenn Mauney, director of business development with Wind Energy Consulting and Contracting, said a statement by Alexander that an unbroken line of windmills from Chattanooga to Bristol would produce only one-fourth the power of Watts Bar Unit 1 gives a false and unsightly impression of windmills, which would actually be clustered in fields.

TVA is facing anticipated new federal standards on renewable energy as Congress is considering legislation that would require utility companies to produce at least 20 percent of their energy through renewable-energy sources by 2021. To prepare, TVA set a goal at its April meeting to purchase as much as 2,000 megawatts of renewable and clean energy by 2011, toward an eventual goal of producing half the electricity it sells through clean- and renewable-energy sources by 2020.

Alexander said energy independence will likely take reliance on a host of options, from solar, biomass, wind and renewable sources, but coal, nuclear and natural gas will be needed as a "bridge" toward a future in which all these options are practical.

There is debate over whether nuclear power should be considered a renewable-energy source, but Alexander said this option would be essential in helping TVA meet the proposed renewable-energy guidelines and that he plans to introduce an amendment to allow TVA to count nuclear power as a renewable source.

TVA Chairman Bill Sansom said nuclear power is an important option, and he noted that Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials recently toured TVA plants.

"They are pleased with what we are doing, and they like the idea we are trying to do one (nuclear plant) at a time and then move to the next one," he said.

The one renewable source that will not work well for Tennessee is wind power, Alexander said. This may work well in states with more continuous wind currents, but not in Tennessee, which doesn't, he said. He produced a graphic showing a windmill, which might be as high as 400 feet, towering over Neyland Stadium and talked about what an eyesore they would be across the state.

The idea got some support from panel member Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

"The simple lack of capacity makes generating large amounts of power from wind an impractical option in the Tennessee Valley," Mason said. "In the near term, cost factors might make it attractive to buy power from the wind corridor that stretches from Texas to the Dakotas."

Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance of Clean Energy, said the forum seemed to slight wind and biomass energy sources over others and highlight nuclear power. He noted that the draft version of TVA's Renewable and Clean Energy Assessment report ranked wind power in the moderate range in terms of feasibility as a renewable power source.

"I think it is significant that two of the most important workhorses of renewable energy - wind and biomass- were missing from this forum," Smith said.

Business writer Ed Marcum may be reached at 865-342-6267.