May 1, 2010

How Green Is Green Power?

Melinda E. Taylor

The demand for "green" electricity — electricity produced from renewable sources like wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, and biofuels — is at an all-time high in the U.S. Over the past decade, solar and wind capacity have increased dramatically due largely to mandatory renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which have now been adopted by 27 states.

The environmental community strongly supports the use of RPSs to encourage investment in wind and solar power because of concerns about global warming and air pollution associated with traditional power plants. As wind turbines and solar facilities have proliferated, however, the environmental impacts of these "clean" fuels have come into focus. The result is a dilemma for environmentalists and a challenge to conventional notions of what constitutes a "green technology."

Renewable Energy Is Poised for Strong Growth

Over the past decade, wind power capacity quadrupled in response to strong demand. Solar power also expanded rapidly: It increased by 9% in 2007 and another 17% in 2008. Even with this dramatic growth, less than 5% of U.S. electric power currently comes from renewable fuels.

The Obama administration has made the expansion of wind and solar power a cornerstone of its energy policy with the goal of doubling renewable energy capacity by 2012. Congress provided unprecedented public investment through the economic stimulus package last year, as well as tax credits and incentives. Finally, the administration has signaled its willingness to allow extensive swaths of public land to be used for renewable energy and transmission lines, over the protests of advocates for parks, wildlife, and wilderness.