Alternative energy sources to be discussed

Wind, solar and other renewable energy account for only a 6 percent share of national energy consumption, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

That's down slightly from 7 percent in 1998 and essentially unchanged since the Energy Information Administration starting tracking data in 1989.

With that in mind, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy will host the first of three energy workshops this morning called "Making Renewable Energy Mainstream" discussing energy efficiency policy down to the state level. The others will be in Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

"A key barrier to implementing new renewable energy projects remains the financial obstacle of overcoming high startup and production costs," the ACEEE says. The group is presenting the workshops to encourage project developers and businesses to take advantage of government incentives to explore alternative energy sources.

The event starts at 9 a.m. at the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park, 800 E. Leigh St.

For more information on this or the other workshops, contact Brad Penney, workshop moderator, at (703) 532-1427 or bpenney13@comcast.net.