New report: generate power locally
November 12th, 2008A new report by the New Rules Project (a project of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance) titled Energy Self-Reliant States: Homegrown Renewable Power says that at least half of the fifty states could meet all their internal energy needs from renewable energy generated inside their borders, and the vast majority could meet a significant percentage.
Currently, federal energy policy is largely focused on harnessing renewable energy in a few states and transporting it hundreds or even thousands of miles to customers in other states. The report suggests that focusing on harnessing local renewable resources for local markets is a better strategy. Wind and solar, for example, can be found in abundance in virtually all parts of the country. Harnessing local sources could dramatically expand the number of communities and states economically benefiting from the use of renewable fuels while minimizing the transportation-related environmental impact of moving energy products long distances.
The report finds that while significant variations in renewable energy among states exist, in most cases, when transmission or transportation costs are taken into account, the net cost variations are quite modest. Homegrown energy is almost always cheaper than imports, especially when you factor in social, environmental and economic benefits.
A quick review identifies two major shortcomings of the report: heavy reliance on biomass, which is not a sustainable energy source; and, in the discussion of solar power, exclusive consideration of solar photovoltaics to the exclusion of solar thermal (or, as Joseph Romm calls it, baseload solar).
The Executive Summary is available here.