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One Solution to Global Warming

July 30, 1999

The summer of 1999 continues to bring a series of record breaking heat waves that bring with them drought emergencies, fatalities, and the threat of blackouts. Those threats became real in Manhattan early in July as power was shut down to large areas of upper Manhattan. Many midwestern states are calling the heat waves "natural disasters".
The utility companies continue to plead with people to conserve energy. Meanwhile a variety of new appliances, air conditioners, personal computers and larger homes are creating increased demands on energy sources. In Long Island as elsewhere the demand for electricity is outpacing the utilities ability to produce it and plans are already in the works for new gas and oil power plants.

The irony of this is that this strategy is like throwing gas on a fire....it only makes it hotter. Burning more non renewable oil, gas, and coal to generate electricity so we can be more comfortable in a warmer climate will only make it warmer and doesn't address the real problem.
The last 10 years have seen record breaking temperatures and 1997 was the hottest year in worlds recorded weather history. Global warming which results from a build up of man made carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere, trapping the suns heat and warming surface temperatures is a reality today. In 1995 a UN appointed panel of 2,500 leading climate scientists announced that "....human behavior is having a discernible effect on climate change". One report issued by the panel concluded that the doubling of carbon dioxide by the middle of the next century will increase the average global temperature by as much as 3.5 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit).

The "Green house effect" as it is often called has been blamed in part for not only the recent heat waves but also droughts, floods, hurricanes and the spread of insect born diseases. One severe long term effect could be the rising of sea levels due to melting polar ice caps. Low lying coastal areas and island nations could be inundated and made uninhabitable in the next century.

The solution to this problem is threefold and actually very simple but politically very complicated. We must 1) use less energy, 2) use the energy we do more efficiently and 3) gradually shift from a fossil fuel based economy to a renewable energy economy.
In a treaty adopted at the climate change summit held in Kyoto, Japan in December of 1997, the US agreed to cut it's emissions by 7% by 2010. This ambitious goal must be ratified by congress and it appears unlikely it will due to scientific "uncertainties" and the fact that many developing countries are unwilling to sign the agreement (because they want to have the same standard of living that we do). The oil and coal industries have spent millions of dollars on a public dis-information campaign to persuade people that global warming isn't happening.

In order to become "politically favorable" it must come from an up-swelling of community activities that foster awareness and action in those three areas. The public (you and I) must take responsibility for our actions and our use and/or abuse of energy. The smallest actions like switching to compact fluorescent bulbs can make a huge difference. Others like making our homes more energy efficient, driving less and driving smaller cars and turning off lights when we leave a room will demonstrate our political will to effect change.

"Distributed" renewable energy technologies is the answer to the utilities cry for more capacity. Roof top solar hot water heaters, wind turbines, geo-thermal, solar hydrogen fuel cells, and photovoltaics (solar electricity) are all technologies that exist and work today! Any home or business with adequate southern exposures can produce it's own power and even be a net exporter of energy. Having distributed small power stations is a more efficient than large central power stations because of the huge transmission losses that occur in transporting power long distances. Most of all these systems produce zero emissions and negate the "need" to build new polluting power plants.

Photovoltaics (PV) are particularly suited for supplementing utilities peak loads as they produce their peak output in the summer months when the sun is the highest and the strongest. PV panels generate electricity cleanly and silently and the energy can either be stored in batteries or tied into the utility grid. Under "Net-metering" if your system is producing more power than you are using the utility is required the purchase your power. The meter actually spins in reverse.

While politicians debate endlessly over what to do some progressive utilities have taken the lead in introducing solar energy. Utilities in Sacramento, Minnesota, and Wisconsin now offer photovoltaic systems to their customers. And they have found that their programs are over subscribed and their customers are willing to pay higher rates for clean energy.

Most states have now passed or are about to pass utility restructuring legislation. This will allow competition in the generation and sale of electricity. Many, including Connecticut's, require utilities to invest in energy conservation and renewable energy sources. In fact Connecticut's legislation, that will go into effect on January 1, 1999, is one of the most favorable and has two major provisions for renewables:

House Bill #5005
Section 25: Suppliers must obtain at least 5% of their power from renewable resources such as solar, wind and fuel cells.

Section 44: The DPUC (Department of Public Utility Control) must impose a charge of at least .5 mils (0.05 cents) per kilowatt-hour starting Jan. 1, 2000 to go into a new Renewable Energy Investment Fund ramping up to 1.0 mil by 2004. The money, which is expected to amount to over 14 million per year, must be used to provide financial assistance for the commercialization of renewable energy technologies.

There is an additional fund set up to finance conservation and energy efficiency measures which will amount to 84 million per year.
It is hoped that these measures will jump start the industry creating jobs, energy self reliance and clean air.

Unfortunately our complacency in the current climate of unrealistically low energy prices makes it hard to bring about an "up-swelling" of grass roots support and change. When the price of a gallon of gas is less than a gallon of water it is hard to get people excited about things like solar.
There are in fact many groups working to effect change and it has been an uphill battle. It may ultimately come from the multi-billion dollar insurance industry which has the most to loose from the effects of a warmer planet.

Whatever happens, the sun continues to shine bringing with it an abundance of clean energy that is waiting to be harvested by you and me.

Recommended reading:
The Heat is On By Ross Gelbspan Perseus Books, 1997
Who Owns the Sun By Daniel M. Berman and John T. O'Connor Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1996