06-09-04

Very few conferences change the world, but 1,000 people from 90 countries gathered in Denver with their fingers crossed. The eighth annual World Renewable Energy Conference differed from some green-minded gab fests in its emphasis on practical solutions.

These were true believers. One after another the participants could demonstrate that renewable energy is no longer pie-in-the-sky but a practical answer to many energy problems.

More could have been accomplished already if the US government had embraced efforts as extensive and consistent as in Asia and Europe. At the end of last year, the entire United States had only 464 MW of wind energy capacity in place, according to the World Renewable Energy Network. (One MW can supply about 1,000 homes.)

Compare that to Germany's capacity of 14,609 MW; Spain, 6,202; Denmark, 3,110; and Italy, 904. US solar energy production was about 127 MW last year, compared to 331 MW in Japan. Those other countries have smaller populations and economies than the United States, yet America's diverse climate provides opportunities for both solar (think Arizona) and wind (for example, Wyoming). Other countries have done better by achieving a long and non-partisan focus on renewable energy. The consistent public policies help the private sector secure financing and achieve economies of scale still not seen yet in the US.

Since the 1970s, federal support for renewable energy has come in fits and starts, with Congress changing its mind more often than most people change their socks. For example, tax breaks for home solar energy systems, available in the 1970s, vanished by the 1980s. And nearly every budget cycle, advocates have had to fight to keep the lights on at the National Renewable Energy Labs in Golden. (NREL hosted the world conference in Denver.)

At the conference, the US Department of Energy said it will offer $ 77 mm in federal grants for renewable energy research, focusing on hydrogen fuels. Audience members said privately that while the DOE's announcement was welcome, the overall Bush administration energy policy still mostly emphasizes fossil-fuels production, including oil and gas drilling. Moreover, continued funding for the research projects is uncertain, as Congress hasn't passed this year's budget.

Very often, US advocates of renewable energy encounter stiff resistance to having the government support the key components to make renewables work: research, support for start-up businesses and creation of markets.

Yet the philosophical opposition doesn't stand up to historical scrutiny: Early in their development, other energy sectors also got government support. When the transcontinental railroad was built across the West in the 19th century, Uncle Sam gave the railroads every other section of land along the route. The properties were rich in coal, making the railroads among the largest US mineral producers. The nuclear business has been nursed by the government since the first atoms were shattered more than a half-century ago. US Navy ships now patrolling the Persian Gulf represent a form of government support for the oil business.

The lack of consistent renewable-energy policies has left our country more dependent than ever on imported energy and all the more vulnerable to global political upheaval.

Consistent federal support is crucial for economic stability -- and national security. Renewable energy should be debated in the presidential and congressional campaigns.

Source: DenverPost.com