Designing a Green Energy Plan

by Brad Peck

At the National Journal Margaret Kriz asks:

Last week, President-elect Obama announced plans for a massive new economic stimulus package that he said will include a plan to promote renewable energy and create green jobs. How would you design a green energy plan to meet those goals?

and Bill Kovacs answers (in part):

There is wide-spread support for developing as much new renewable energy as can be developed in a practical and efficient manner. Moreover, there is broad support for creating as many "green jobs" or any other type of jobs that we can create. OK, now we are done with the platitudes so what do we do?

1. Do no harm. We have a weak economy and we cannot abruptly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels while we hope to greatly increase renewable energy.
2. American business has created millions of "green jobs" for decades. In 1980 it took 20,000 BTU’s to create a Dollar of GDP; today it takes just 8000 BTU’s.
3. Any plan to create "green jobs" must define what a “green job” is so we just don’t move jobs from one category to another.
4. We need to desperately expand our electricity grid...
5. Let’s not burden the system with more and more government regulation like a mandatory federal renewable energy portfolio which will merely penalize states that do not have renewable resources and benefit those states that have more sun or wind.
6. And most important we need to fully recognize that the biggest impediment to expanding our renewable energy resources is the same impediment that blocks expanded use of domestic fossil fuel resources; it is the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome which is focused on stopping as much energy development as possible.

You can read Kovacs' full answer and other opinions on the expert’s blog.