http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/2/13/102858/012#1
Great to see biogas from the waste stream mentioned in this proposal.
20% of retail electricty from renewables by 2025, 30% of that to consist of distributed sources, like roof top solar and farm biogas. I think that's an accurate summary. So roughly 2% from renewable distributed sources by 2025?
Residential (retail electricity) is roughly 30% of grid power, times 20%, times 30%. No where near good enough.
Conservation to cut 20% of grid power use? Amory Lovins' home uses 120 watts, 10% of normal home power consumption, that includes his heating/cooling. Futhermore he gets more power than he uses from roof mounted solar.
No mention of geo heat exchange heating/cooling, a huge conservation advantage in very hot areas like Arizona. Retrofitted on all buildings over the next 12 years? Huge savings. Building heating/cooling accounts for 36% of GHG production on average in the US.
A better goal and bargaining position for greens?
100% of grid from a renewable distributed smart grid, conservation including geo heat exchange heating/cooling, and plugin hybrid vehicles and electric mass transit.
Shutter all nuclear and coal plants. Convert natural gas fired capacity to emergency backup. Use solid oxide fuel cell/turbine cogeneration with distributed generators powered by biogas as regular backup for wind and solar sources.
Forget about "clean" coal IGCC and geothermal. Geothermal uses too much water and IGCC is far too expensive as it (does not, no IGCC with cO2 sequestration has ever been built, not even experimentally) exists now.
Recycle water with a switch to drip irrigation coming from recycled grey water, composting toilets, and biogas plants that recycle waste water.
That's a better goal for 2025.
It can happen with a 10 cent per kwh subsidy direct to utility customers who invest in distributed wind, solar, or biogas. Homeowners with solar panels, businesses and farms with solar, wind, and biogas manure and crop waste recycling.
Try to get the author to visit and comment if you could Adam? It would be interesting.
