Send me some sun from the west

During a conference call briefing, Rhone Resch, President and CEO of
the Solar Energy Industries Association and Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association announced the release of a joint
publication, "Green Power Superhighways: Building a Path to America's
Clean Energy Future."

The plan for the proposed "green super highways" is to develop a new
infrastructure to take advantage of the potential power in the
southwest. "There is a very important reality that has to be
addressed. Although the U.S. is home to an inexhaustible amount of
renewable energy, much of these resources are not located in areas
where the electricity is needed most." said Resch.

Bode stated that the concept of having a new high-tech electron highway
is critically important in order to make a new economy work. "It's
technically feasible because the technology for high voltage lines is
very efficient," said Bode, and "the bottom line is we are not asking
for money, we're asking to remove policy barricades that are holding
us back."

Resch stated that there is a critical role that the federal government
needs to play in insuring that these new transmission lines are placed
in the right locations, in an expedited manner, and that they are
financed properly. "We are using 19th and 20th century technologies to
tackle 21st century challenges," concluded Resch.

by Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Breezing ahead to 2030: A wind energy plan that could save billions

Wind energy could increase to 20 percent of the total electricity supply by 2030, according to a report conducted by the Department of Energy (DOE), which would create 500,000 jobs. A panel of energy experts in conjunction with the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus held a briefing on the finds of the report.

The plan, "20% Wind Energy by 2030," has a variety of possible outcomes: by 2030, $98 billion would be spared in carbon dioxide regulation, water consumption for hydroelectric energy would drop 17 percent, and $1.5 billion in revenue would be gained for communities across the country.

Jim Walker, Vice Chairman of the Board at enXco, referred to the United States as the "Saudi Arabia of wind" because the United States has one of the most abundant supplies of wind available for energy conversion. Walker said areas such as Oklahoma and the Dakotas are ideal for wind energy. Other states, such as a California, have specialized areas of ideal wind capacity, so certain regions do not have strong enough wind for conversion.

Construction of new transmission infrastructure could fix this problem. A network of new power lines from coast to coast could transfer energy from places of high wind capacity to those of low capacity.

Greg Wetstone, Senior Director of Governmental and Public Affairs for the American Wind Energy Association, said solving the energy problem is a bipartisan agenda. From Green Peace and the Sierra Club on the left to the Edison Electrical Institute and National Association of Rural Electric on the right, there are allies on both sides, Wetstone said.