| It's almost hard to imagine. Mankind has had access | | | | Conservation first: The watt that you don't need to |
| to electricity for only 130 years. In just over a | | | | generate is the cheapest and cleanest energy of all. |
| century, we have extended transmission lines, light | | | | Conservation is a habit that each of us can embrace. |
| bulbs and refrigeration to nearly 5 billion people around | | | | By recycling, turning off the lights and turning down |
| the world. This extraordinary feat has elevated | | | | the thermostat, or taking the bus or metro, we can |
| three-quarters of humanity out of the daily toil | | | | collectively reduce the need for that next power |
| experienced by our pre-Edison generations. Still 25% | | | | plant. During times of utility crisis, consumers have |
| of humanity lives without access to electrical services | | | | responded with 10-20% cuts in use. We do know |
| - spending their days in labor, fetching water and | | | | how to conserve -- and it requires constant |
| wood, preparing food and farming simply to survive. | | | | education. |
| In the past four decades alone, we've landed a man | | | | Energy efficiency next: This means doing more with |
| on the moon and launched satellites to explore the | | | | less. Increasing the efficiency of a power plant |
| universe. How large a task, given our technology, to | | | | means more power using less fuel, or more miles per |
| electrify the rest of humanity? | | | | gallon for an automobile. Continuous improvement in |
| It is ironic that the very choices we have made to | | | | technology enables us to get the same amount of |
| achieve our unprecedented prosperity may also bring | | | | work while using less energy, materials and/or time. |
| about our downfall. In 1950, there were only 2.5 billion | | | | Entirely new businesses are created by increasing |
| people and a global economy of $7 trillion. Today, we | | | | energy efficiency, for example, IGCC turbines, |
| have 6.6 billion people and a $66 trillion gross world | | | | compact fluorescent light bulbs, hybrid cars, energy |
| product. Burning fossil fuels in the first half of the | | | | star appliances and automatic light sensors. |
| 20th century at that time had a relatively small | | | | Then we get to new power generation. In this new |
| ecological footprint. However, today's impacts are felt | | | | priority model, the renewable energies get primary |
| markedly on every continent, coastline and in our | | | | focus. In the past few years, renewables have |
| commonly shared atmosphere. The old energy model | | | | become mainstream -- providing cost-competitive, |
| - based on a hierarchy of choices -- to this day | | | | secure and reliable power into utility grids. Today, five |
| prevails in many utility boardrooms and national | | | | nations meet almost all their electrical needs from |
| capitals. The priority has been something like this | | | | renewables: Brazil, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand and |
| (percentages are of global electricity mix): | | | | Norway. These nations use primarily large hydro, |
| Build large hydropower dams (16%), coal-fired (40%) | | | | whose benefits also include agricultural irrigation, |
| or nuclear (16%) power plants. Defined as centralized | | | | municipal drinking water, recreation and flood control. |
| plants, their power was fed into regional transmission | | | | Denmark, Germany, Spain, Japan, India and the US |
| grids. The voltage was then stepped down into | | | | are now incorporating utility-scale wind, solar and |
| distribution lines which delivered electricity to our | | | | geothermal power. A little known fact: using just 4% |
| cities and industries. As the demand for energy | | | | of the world's deserts, there is sufficient solar |
| increased because of economic and population | | | | radiation to power all the electrical needs of the |
| growth, the answer has usually been to build more of | | | | world! In addition, the winds of the American plains |
| the same. | | | | could supply all the needs of the United States. |
| With the development of the jet engine for air | | | | Renewable resources maps clearly reveal an |
| transport, the power industry found a quicker and | | | | abundance of clean energy potential on every |
| cleaner way to generate power. Consequently, | | | | continent. |
| natural gas (20%) became the fuel of choice for new | | | | It is critical to understand that renewable energy at |
| power plants that could be sited and on-line within | | | | this scale requires the transmission grid to get this |
| months instead of years. A few oil-rich nations still | | | | power to market. The grid acts as the freeway for |
| burn petroleum (7%) to keep the lights on. | | | | electrons. Some of the optimal solar, wind and |
| Considered last priority were the renewables: solar, | | | | geothermal sites are in remote locations, even |
| wind, geothermal, biomass, small hydro and ocean | | | | neighboring nations, and requires transmission access |
| energies (wave, currents, tides, and ocean thermal | | | | to deliver this clean energy for our daily use. |
| energy conversion). Called "alternative resources" by | | | | Last in line are the fossil fuels and nuclear. Natural gas |
| utilities, these resources have been marginalized for a | | | | is the cleanest burning fuel. Compared to burning coal, |
| variety of reasons. Utilities argued that renewables | | | | natural gas emits just 25% of the carbon dioxide and |
| were intermittent, diffused, remote and insufficient | | | | releases no nitrous and sulfur oxides or particulate |
| to meet demands of our modern society. | | | | matter. In the context of climate change, natural gas |
| Almost as an afterthought, energy efficiency and | | | | beats coal hands down. In fact, many climate |
| conservation were given lip service. Energy efficiency | | | | scientists assert that no new coal fired plants should |
| is about using better, smarter technology: i.e. getting | | | | be built unless the carbon dioxide can be sequestered. |
| more output from a power plant while using less fuel | | | | There are currently 430 nuclear power plants around |
| or having washing machines and refrigerators that | | | | the world. Each one has a stockpile of radioactive |
| use half the energy. Conservation of energy requires | | | | waste that is deadly to humans for 25,000+ years |
| that people turn off the lights and their computer | | | | (half-life of waste fuel). Construction, facility |
| monitor and was dismissed as a 'personal virtue but | | | | protection, decommissioning, waste storage costs -- |
| not an energy plan.' | | | | all are higher than all other options . . . and all nuclear |
| But the world has now changed. Our addiction to | | | | plants are essentially high-tech ways to boil water to |
| fossil fuels for both power and transportation is | | | | generate steam to turn a turbine and generate |
| increasing CO2 levels at unprecedented rates. It | | | | electricity. |
| seems certain that a 'market price per ton of carbon' | | | | We now have more elegant, sophisticated and |
| will soon be enacted and will dramatically alter the | | | | cleaner ways to generate and deliver electricity to |
| cost equation for all fossil fuel producers and | | | | our society going forward. Remaining addicted to |
| consumers. We now realize that the energy system | | | | fossil fuels is damaging to our environment and bad |
| we built over the 20th century may now also cause | | | | long term policy. It is unsustainable. Aggressive |
| tremendous disruptions in the 21st century. | | | | policies that encourage conservation, energy |
| A new energy paradigm is required, one that flips the | | | | efficiency and linking renewable resources are the |
| old energy paradigm upside down. We propose that | | | | new priorities. Flipping our energy choices upside |
| policy-makers, utilities and ratepayers analyze energy | | | | down will drive innovation and investment towards a |
| choices in the following priority order: | | | | de-carbonized future . . . and just makes sense. |