Group pushes renewable energy power

The Huntsville Times

Group pushes renewable energy power

Thursday, April 02, 2009
By BRIAN LAWSON
Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com

Congress urged to act, but nuclear's role likely problem

A group of 3,200 Southern businesspeople, clean-energy advocates, farmers and academics is calling on Congress to act on a bill requiring a sharp increase in electricity generation from renewable sources.

They argue in a letter to Democratic congressional leaders that a renewable energy standard would spur significant economic development in the South, create thousands of jobs and bring more money to farmers and rural communities.

The energy would come from renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass, such as wood pulp.

House Democrats introduced a bill Tuesday calling for 25 percent of U.S. electricity generation to come from renewable sources by 2025. Currently, the U.S. gets about 3 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.

Electricity providers also would get credit for meeting the proposed 25 percent standard if they use hydro power, but hydro is not included in the list of renewables the bill seeks to promote.

Challenges facing renewable energy standards include the lack of available space in the Northeast for wind turbines and the high cost of generation compared with fossil fuels.

The political challenge, advocates say, is how the large utilities, which would be directly affected by the bill, will respond in the debate. The utilities have been pushing for a new wave of nuclear power plants, but the bill doesn't include nuclear in its renewables list.

TVA, which provides electricity in seven states, hasn't taken a public position on the renewable standards proposal. Spokesman John Moulton said Wednesday that the utility wants half of its electricity generation provided by "clean and renewable energy" by 2020.

A key difference between the bill and TVA's plan is the role of nuclear power. TVA has invested billions in nuclear energy and wants to expand its nuclear portfolio. Moulton said nuclear generation can reduce greenhouse gases and help the environment.

Stephen Smith, director of the Tennessee Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, which organized the group's letter, said Wednesday that Congress is likely to complete a version of the bill before Memorial Day.

He said Congress needs to reject the "baseless assertion" that the Southeast could not meet a renewable standard by 2025.

"Wind, solar and biomass could provide 15 percent of that standard in the near term, by 2015," Smith said. "We are in a position where today's technologies could create tomorrow's jobs."

Jeff Deyette, an analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said studies he's conducted find that a renewable standard could create 200,000 more jobs than sticking with traditional fossil fuels. He said

the manufacturing infrastructure and worker know-how in the South also could lead to a significant jump
in new manufacturing of wind turbines, solar panels and related technologies.
He said less reliance on fossil fuels also would stabilize electricity prices for consumers, citing less
volatility in the coal and natural-gas markets.