It may seem like the west coast and the New England states are the only parts of the US paying any attention to the need to shift to renewable sources of electricity. It's an understandable assumption; after all, some of the country's most aggressive proposals to combat greenhouse gas emissions and move away from fossil fuels are coming from these regions. Fortunately, that perception, while understandable, is wrong. Renewable projects and proposals can be found across America. Some are small, some are big, but all move us in the right direction.
Some examples, pulled from today's stories at Renewable Energy Access:
Eight percent by 2012 is a cautious plan, but is probably the right approach. As technology improves and renewable energy prices continue to fall (and fossil fuel costs rise), more reliance on renewable power will be an obvious step, not something needing a government mandate. A modest proposal, for now, serves as a wake-up call, alerting industry and consumers alike to the problem and the possible ways of solving it.
While none of these are individually revolutionary, they underscore a larger point: regardless of the choices made by the national government, corporations and state governments can make a difference. Small projects, like the hockey arena pv system, can serve as functional examples of making renewable power work; bigger programs, like the Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan, help to seed the ground for investment and innovation. And in a way, the lack of an aggressive federal push to move to renewables might in the end prove useful. As the various projects, programs and approaches succeed or fail, we have an opportunity to learn what works, what needs work, and how to tell our story.
