February 27, 2009
Green Transmission Superhighway Needed for Renewable
Energy to Reach Full Potential
Washington, D.C., United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the Solar Energy Industries
Association (SEIA) have released a white paper titled "Green Power
Superhighways: Building a Path to America's Clean Energy Future," detailing
current inadequacies of the U.S. electric transmission infrastructure and
offering policy solutions to address them.
Inadequate transmission capacity is a significant barrier to renewable
energy development in the U.S. The release of the paper comes at a critical
time. President Obama and Congress have made strong commitments to renewable
energy as a driver for jobs creation and economic growth, but the nation’s
renewable energy resources can not reach their full potential without
renewed investment in the country's transmission infrastructure.
“Just as President Eisenhower’s vision of a modern interstate highway system
transformed commerce and transportation in our nation, the benefits of this
kind of investment by our generation will far exceed the costs. We need a
modern electron superhighway to power our nation’s 21st century economy with
clean, renewable energy,” Bode said.
Bode said that close to 300,000 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity is held up
in the pipeline due to transmission limitations. Resch echoed her comments,
saying installing transmission will require a cohesive plan from federal,
state, and local interests. Additional transmission capacity will be
neccessay to reach President Obama's goals.
“President Obama has issued the bold challenge to double renewable energy
generation in the U.S. in three years. This will not be achieved without
renewed investment in our electric transmission infrastructure to ensure
that the regions with the best solar resources are connected to population
centers where they are needed most,” Resch said. “At the same time, new
investments will create thousands of good-paying jobs in areas hard hit by
the recession.
Click here to download a copy of the white paper.
To subscribe or visit go to:
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com |