Aaron's Comments

Price, price, price. It is all about price at this point. These technologies all sound very impressive and definitely have a place in our growing energy needs. But price will ultimately dictate their staying power. If fossil fuels go up (through market or regulatory means) then of course you will see success with these uses. Hopefully the costs come down (and they have) where solar and other renewables can compete in an open market. I'm anxiously waiting for that day!

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balanced approach towards America's energy future"

I saw this same type of reasoning with the wind industry. When investigating into South Dakota's wind potential, many of these same factors that Aaron described was accounted for as well. The bottom line that was found was just simple economic principles of supply and demand. If there are inaccurate market signals (i.e. transparency, length of credits available, etc.) then it is very difficult to provide supply (which requires significant capital). Hopefully as demand increases (which may depend on the price of fossil fuels) then these supply mechanisms will be addressed and the necessary investment will be there.

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balanced approach towards America's energy future"

Sorry Clee, perhaps I should have stated that better. What was meant was the demand for Silicon use for PV materials. We know the energy demand will only increase as developing nations increase their standards of living with a growing population. The comment was merely on how price of solar may come down as certain new PV materials are being utilized.

Although I completely support the government taking the initiative towards renewable energy, I agree with Steven. This could easily blow back in Obama's face, seen as another lobbying influence in government. Part of me would love to see him do it (considering the amount of oil lobbyist influence in Washington already), but as Steven commented this runs the risk of being taken as another special interest group running our government.

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balance approach towards America's energy future"

CIGS and other solar technology still have a bit to go before they show to diminish the demand for silicone PV, which of course will boast the development of PV. The purposed feed in tariff in CA may also serve as a better short term means to address promotion of renewable energy, compared to the means of a cap and trade system being advocated in the America COMPETES act. Other countries have had success using the FIT system. However, we must realize that this is not a long term fix and that incentives towards improved research and development need to be present in mass amounts as well.

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balanced approach towards America's energy future"

People have been heating and cooling themselves with the sun alone for generations. Native American's used to build their houses inside cliffs facing south in order to capture the warm rays during the winter, and increase the shade during the summer. Today, we have a greater span of technology. Solar heating and cooling are already being developed for houses and is just another simple, and ancient way, towards sustainable living.

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balance approach towards America's energy future"

"$1.4 billion in venture capital flowed to solar companies in 2009. For an industry that had a total US volume of roughly $4 billion, this signals huge optimism about near-term growth". Although I believe this optimism to be true for the PV climate, lawmakers need to avoid any type of market signals that will serve as a hindrance towards the market. As we see with Germany pulling its FIT, specific, long term measures must be put in place that don't make solar dependent on handouts, but still allows an expansion of the market.

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balanced approach towards America's energy future"

I tend to agree with Tam (as far as the gaps in the market mechanisms). To me it seems that we have built up most of our infrastructure over the past century based primarily on cheap, finite, fossil fuels. It just makes more sense to me that we take the steps to diversify our energy needs for various reasons. A good analogy I once heard was think of a chain smoker: it is very difficult for one to quit smoking overnight, much like to ease off of fossil fuels. A doctor will normally tell you to take PREVENTIVE measures when trying to quit smoking. Thus draw a comparison where renewable energy, although not guaranteed to meet our energy needs (such as quitting smoking will not guarantee the patient will not die of cancer) serves as an insurance policy. We may well discover the holy grail of our energy needs and be so fortunate to have a TREATMENT based economy. But until such time, the volatility of the energy market is so narrow, it makes renewables hard to ignore. Of course, this is all opinion. Good discussion none the less!!

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balanced approach towards America's energy future"

The potential of geothermal is too much to pass on. We will always have access to the power of the Earth as long as there remains tectonic drift (in which effect we would most likely be gone by then!). So naturally, it makes sense to look at geothermal as a serious, long term contender towards energy generation. California has the advantage of being at a fault line, so it makes sense for them to exploit this. Not every place has this advantage, but none the less, geothermal has its role for future energy generation.

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balanced approach towards America's energy future"

"The evolution of decentralised energy systems will vary with the location, existing energy infrastructure, renewable energy resources available, and energy business ownership status." To meet the challenges of our energy future, there will certainly not be one single silver bullet. Instead, society may see a shift in which more ingenuity and creativity are needed to support ourselves and our cities through diverse means. The question then arises who will control the direction of this trend? Do we need government to step in or can people be educated enough so that demand will facilitate this? As this article and others suggest, it is a balancing game.

-Consumer Energy Alliance
"A balanced approach toward America's energy future."

Another example of how simple methods can easily help lessen our dependence on fossil fuels. Ancient civilizations have been using the sun for years. In this modern era, we are learning how to re adapt these old methods to meet the challenges of today. The sun is a free source of energy (so far), and simple tools such as water heating should be more readily used.
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Asia has sent a clear message that it will lead the green revolution. Strange as we western countries have criticized the dirty energy economies of these areas in events such as Copenhagen in 2009. They are truly leading by example. In order to stay in the race, the United States needs to drastically follow suit, and them some. This means setting better Renewable Energy Standards as well structuring the necessary financial instruments to promote renewable energy research and development on a substantial scale.
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Wave and tidal sometimes gets pushed aside next to wind and solar. But we forget that energy exists in many sources of our daily lives. Even if we could capture 5% of tidal energy, that amount would surpass our energy consumption! Congrats to the tidal companies for their progress. They are still young, but they will ultimately play an important role in a complete energy portfolio. Congress and everyone else should get on board to ensure that we continue to further develop wave energies practical use.
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A federal RES could perhaps levy the entire nation towards renewable sources, but there still exists alot of red tape before anything of the sort would ever get through. For starters, states that do not possess significant renewable energy sources and thus no RES would no doubt fight it. Also, the connection of the grid from state to state raises several issues. No doubt the nation needs a new approach to our energy landscape, but smart solutions require extensive resources. Hopefully congress adopts an approach that is both friendly to our plant and our economy.
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Biomass and biofuel production has sparked many debates and continues to do so. There is no question about the implications that biofuel could do to ease us off of fossil fuels. However, as long as these biofuels and biomass projects remain at a low efficiency, they will do little compared to oil and gas. That being said, there are many new exciting technologies that could change all that. Algae carbon capture techniques, second and third generation biofuels: these are slowly starting to come online. Hopefully with the improved funding, a significant commercial viable solution from biofuels will come forth.
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