One of the problems we have in making a quick transition to clean energy in the US is the fact that energy production and distribution is typically regulated by states, and some states are not as smart as other states. Or, if they are smart, they are controlled by political forces intent on maintaining fossil carbon based fuels as our primary energy source, which of course, is a totally bone-headed policy.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the transition to clean energy, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. The easy way is to encourage the picking of low hanging fruit, such as solar panels on flat spots, at the same time we work towards tackling some of the more expensive projects that require more up front investment but that will eventually pay off. The hard way, of course, is the total collapse of civilization. Most imaginable post apocalyptic worlds don’t use to much fossil fuel!<\/p>\n
And, whether the hard way or the easy way is the most likely path at any moment in time is often a matter of what is happening on the state level. Here are a few examples of what is going on right now around the US.<\/p>\n
In Maryland, a state commission is calling for the state to pledge slashing greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030.<\/a> That sounds like a large amount, but it is actually a modest and easily attainable goal. They should probably be going for more.<\/p>\n \nThe goal \u2014 which if passed into law would be one of the most ambitious set so far by a state \u2014 drew unanimous support of the 26-member panel, which includes lawmakers, environmentalists, representatives of business and labor, and top officials in the Hogan administration.<\/p>\n The recommendation is likely to lead to legislation in the General Assembly, which must decide next year whether to stick with the goal it set in 2009 of reducing climate-warming emissions 25 percent by 2020. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Meanwhile, Texas and California are leading the nation in carbon emissions.<\/a> The overall pattern of carbon emissions by state (using two year old data because for some reason those who keep track of these things haven’t discovered twitter and spreadsheets) is largely a matter of population size and similar factors.<\/p>\n But while we might expect California to be high on the list, Texas is way way higher, to the point one wonders what they are up to down in the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n Data released this week by the administration shows each state\u2019s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions between 1990 and 2013. Texas doesn\u2019t just top the list, its emissions \u2014 641 million metric tons of carbon dioxide \u2014 are almost double those of California, the nation\u2019s second largest carbon emitter, which spewed 353 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n On a per-capita basis, Wyoming leads all the other states in greenhouse gas pollution.<\/p>\n In New Mexico, Santa Fe has an interesting program in mind. There, The Heath Foundation, a private 501c(3) representing the community interests of Jim Heath, has a plan<\/a>. Here’s part of it:<\/p>\n In Hawaii, there is a plan to charge up some big batteries with a big solar array, for use to meet evening\/nighttime demands<\/a>.<\/p>\n The nation’s leading residential installer is building the project near Lihu\u2019e on Kaua\u2019i\u2019s southeast corner. The project includes a 13 MW photovoltaic solar array, but is unique in that it includes its own solution to the intermittency problem that solar power faces.<\/p>\n The power generated by the PV cells will be used solely to charge a 13 MW battery array capable of providing 52 MWh to customers of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), the island\u2019s sole electricity provider. That means the solar cells will charge the batteries during the height of the day, and the batteries will discharge the stored power to customers during the evening peak between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.<\/p>\n “Anyone that’s been out to Kauai will notice that they have a lot of solar on the island and really don’t have any appetite at all for solar at midday,” Rudd said. “If anything, they were already in a bit of a curtailment state during certain days. So, they love solar, they want more because it’s cheaper than what they otherwise would realize, but they don’t need it during the day.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n New York State is working out the details <\/a>of how to deploy meters to allow the grid to become smart.<\/p>\n There is a big waste-to-energy project in the works in Oregon<\/a>.<\/p>\n And that is a sampling of the news that came across my desk just today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the problems we have in making a quick transition to clean energy in the US is the fact that energy production and distribution is typically regulated by states, and some states are not as smart as other states. Or, if they are smart, they are controlled by political forces intent on maintaining fossil … Continue reading Clean Energy: The State of the States<\/span> \n