Issues: Energy

From suburban New Jersey to urban Los Angeles, millions of Americans are powering their homes with clean electricity that doesn't produce any air or global warming pollution. They are filling their gas tanks with fuels that do not increase our dependence on foreign oil or endanger our national security. How do they do it? It's simple; they tap America's renewable energy resources.

A few decades ago, only back-to-the-land types made serious use of solar panels and windmills, but today renewables have gone mainstream. The latest technology has brought the price of renewables down dramatically, making them more cost-competitive. Demand is booming -- large utilities, municipal power companies and suburban developments are seeing the value in wind, biomass and solar power.

Wind power is the fastest growing form of electricity generation in the United States, expanding at an average annual rate of more than 20 percent. Solar energy employs more than 20,000 Americans in high-tech, high-paying jobs. Ethanol producers make 4 billion gallons of fuel a year, equal to 2 percent of our national gasoline use.

This market growth -- and all of the environmental benefits that come with it -- have given clean energy political muscle. Nearly 20 states have passed renewable portfolio standards that require utilities to generate a percentage of electricity from clean energy resources. Now supporters are pressing for a national standard that would require 20 percent of the country's electricity to come from renewables.

That means wind farms and solar power plants could soon be energizing your home -- and you too will be helping reduce pollution and prevent global warming just by switching on your lights.

Overview | Wind | Solar | Biomass

last revised 12/22/2005