Two Major Studies of U.S. Renewable Energy Prospects Released
The National Research Council released a major report, Electricity From Renewables: Status, Prospects, and Impediments, addressing the prospects for renewable energy in the United States on Monday. The conclusion: non-hydroelectric renewables could technically contribute up to 10 percent of U.S. electricity by 2020, and 20 percent or more by 2035.
Fully taking advantage of these potential low CO2-emitting sources for generating electricity will call for enhanced technologies, increased deployment, financial investments, and implementation of policies to drive increased adoption of renewable electricity. If renewable electricity is to grow significantly, large increases will be required in the manufacture and installation of these technologies, offering significant employment and economic opportunities.
Solar and wind resources, in particular, could offer significant amounts of electrical power in the United States, but will continue to require technical improvements to reduce costs and make renewable electricity technologies more efficient. Necessary improvements include the development of intelligent, two-way electric grids; large-scale and distributed electricity storage; and significantly enhanced, yet cost-effective, long-distance electricity transmission. Still, even with current technologies, renewable resources could contribute more than they do now.
Achieving widespread adoption of renewable energy will also require long-term and consistent policies that encourage the generation of renewable electricity, the report adds. In most cases, electricity from renewables is more expensive to produce than electricity from fossil fuels. In the near term, policy incentives, such as the renewable production tax credit, would boost the use of renewable electricity. Continued research and development into renewable electricity generation could lead to more cost-effective technologies. Overall, technological developments and consistent policy will need to be coordinated with manufacturing capacity and access to capital in order to accelerate deployment of renewable electricity.
Meanwhile, the Western Governors’ Association released a report that approved the first phase of the Western Renewable Energy Zones report, which identifies the most promising areas for large-scale development of renewable energy with low probabilities of environmental harm.
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