According to Bisconti Research, Inc., expanding the nation's energy portfolio will require informing the public about the size of the challenge. Currently, the federal government and the public have dramatically different expectations of how electricity will be supplied 15 years from now.
Nearly three-fourths of the public expect solar energy to be a major source of electricity and 65% believe wind will play a significant role in powering America's electricity grid. However, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects those sources will provide about 2% of our nation's electricity in 2020--slightly more than they provide today. (AWB has long supported development of all energy sources and has supported siting of wind farms which are under appeal in our state).
The public placed coal last, with only 14% expecting it to be a major source in 15 years. Coal is the fuel which supplies over half of our electricity today and will supply 58% in 2030 even if we bring all of the alternatives sources such as wind and biomass on line at that time.
The disconnect is 84% of Americans strongly support a "carbon-fee" mix of options to generate electricity. Expectations and reality are like trains speeding by one another in the darkness of the night.
As for nuclear power, which like hydro, produces no greenhouse gases, three-quarters of Americans associate nuclear energy with clean-air benefits and 63% favor nuclear energy to produce electricity.
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
