Sun, Wind Our Future

To the editor of The Post:

For future generations and the hope for a better world, we must make important choices regarding energy.

Whether you’re talking about national security, war and peace, the environment, children’s health or the cost of living, many people now understand that our dependence on fossil fuels comes at a very high price. You’re not just paying for it at the gas pump — you’re paying if relatives are dying in Iraq; or if you were born with birth defects caused by mercury released by a coal power plant; or if you have children who will live in a world stressed by climate change. We must break our dependence on fossil fuels and change how we use energy.

Some say nuclear energy is the solution, despite that it produces highly toxic waste which will remain radioactive for more than 100,000 years, with no means for safely storing it on such a time scale. Every nuclear power plant is at risk of having a catastrophic accident or being targeted by terrorists.

We have the technology and the know-how to meet our energy needs without running all these risks. A full-scale commitment to renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation would enable us to meet our energy needs, strengthen our economy, protect the environment and achieve energy independence. Energy efficiency and conservation have already saved Americans hundreds of billions of dollars and we have just scratched the surface.

What is possible with renewables? In January 2005 the Solar Energy Industries Association presented a plan to Congress that would reduce the price of solar electricity to 5.7 cents per kilowatt hour by 2015, making it our cheapest source of electricity. Under this plan solar photovoltaics could provide half of all new electricity generation in the United States by 2025, and the solar industry would employ 260,000 people. But we need a national commitment such as Germany and Japan are already making to solar energy.

Meanwhile, large-scale wind power is already cost-competitive in many markets, and solar thermal technology is producing as much energy globally as 300 coal power plants. Clean energy technology exists. We can combine this with better planning and design to further reduce our demand for energy, especially in the transportation sector.

The failure to establish a sustainable, renewables-based economy is a failure of leadership. Government has been subsidizing and supporting the fossil fuel and nuclear industries for generations, keeping us dependent on them. This can and must change. The cost of transitioning to a sustainable energy economy is insignificant compared to the costs of continuing on our present path. The benefits of this transition will be enormous and will be felt for generations to come.

Andy McDonald

Kentucky Solar Partnership

Frankfort