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San Isabel Propane

Realities of Renewable Energy

Ask anyone to describe renewable energy, and nine times out of 10 they will include either wind or solar power in their answer. The two have become iconic symbols of “green electricity,” and rightfully so.

Wind energy has been harnessed and used to improve the quality of life for thousands of years. Solar power is unique in that it taps the most basic yet fundamental generation source available: the sun.

A recent survey conducted by Bisconti Research, Inc., asked Americans where they think most of our nation’s electricity will come from in 15 years. The vast majority—72 percent—answered solar as number one, followed by wind energy. In actuality, solar is expected to generate a mere 0.2 percent of our nation’s electricity by 2030; wind will generate just 2.4 percent. We will continue to rely on fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, as well as nuclear power and hydropower, to produce most of our electricity needs.

But this doesn’t mean we’ll be hearing less about renewable energy in coming years. In fact, the opposite is true. Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have already passed laws creating renewable portfolio standards, often called RPS for short, which require electric utilities and other retail suppliers of electricity to add a specific percentage of renewable energy to their power supply mix by a certain date. More states are expected to follow this trend, and a federal mandate could be passed by Congress this year.

In meeting these requirements as well as adding renewables as part of a diversified, cost-effective generation portfolio, electric cooperatives will draw on the innovation they’ve been known for since their humble beginnings 75 years ago. Electric co-ops span our nation from coast to coast, serving in 80 percent of all counties. Of course, in some locations, the wind may not always blow and the sun may not always shine. Where wind and solar power can be generated, transmission lines to move the electricity where power is needed may not currently exist.

But wood chips and slash from timber operations, switchgrass, and even peanut shells can all be burned to boil water, create steam, and turn an electric turbine. Methane rising from decomposing landfills and mounds of chicken, cattle, or hog waste can be captured and burned as well. Pipes can be sunk in the ground to capture the natural heat and steam created under the earth’s surface. A river’s steady current can be diverted and used to manufacture power without the aid of a dam. Even the constant bobbing of offshore buoys from ocean waves or the movement of tides can be harnessed to generate an electric current.

Electric cooperatives lead the utility industry in the amount of renewable power supplied to our consumers, and we’re ready to share our experience with policymakers as they consider ways to make more green power available. As a member of San Isabel Electric Association, Inc., you have the power to actively engage members of Congress and focus their attention on the many ways electric co-ops are working to provide a safe, reliable, and affordable supply of power in a environmentally responsible manner.

If you haven’t already done so, please get involved in the “Our Energy, Our Future”™ grassroots awareness campaign at www.ourenergy.coop and ask your representatives on Capitol Hill this important question: Are you willing to work with electric cooperatives to ensure our nation has reliable power at a price consumers can afford?

Electric co-ops support national energy and climate change legislation that can be sustained politically and economically over the decades necessary to make a difference. To help make this happen, we need your help. Please visit www.ourenergy.coop today.