What comes to mind when you flip on a light switch? Do you think of mercury contamination in our waters? Global warming? Winter smog warnings? How about 70,000 metric tons of radioactive nuclear waste being transported across the nation to be buried at Yucca Mountain? When faced with all of this, does anyone just want to turn the lights off?
Unfortunately, we can't just flip the switch on the power plants responsible for these conditions. Currently, the state generates over 90 percent of its energy from coal and nuclear power and, due to increasing energy needs, the state is considering building three new coal plants outside Milwaukee and relicensing two nuclear plants.
We need energy and that need is growing, but we do not have to increase risks to our health and the environment to meet these needs.
There are other options. But unless Wisconsin develops a comprehensive energy plan with a commitment to increasing renewable energy and investing in energy efficiency and conservation, citizens will be stuck with dirty and dangerous sources of energy for the next several decades. We will have lost the opportunity to set Wisconsin on a path towards a new energy future.
Fortunately, Gov. Jim Doyle put together an Energy Task Force to explore Wisconsin's potential to develop alternatives. The task force realized that Wisconsin has incredible potential to develop clean, renewable energy. They also recognized that investment in energy efficiency has economic benefits. The Energy Task Force developed a plan this past year to ensure that 10 percent of the state's energy comes from renewable energy (currently it's about 2 percent) and secure funding for energy conservation and efficiency. The legislature will now have to pass legislation that will put the Task Force's plan into action.
So what are the renewable alternatives that we want to see utilized? The first, and fastest growing, is wind power. Wisconsin is rated 18th in the country for wind power potential. With current technology we could produce between 10 and 20 percent of the state's energy needs through wind power alone. In addition to being clean, wind power also promises steady energy rates for the ratepayers. There is no fuel cost with wind power and investment in construction of wind farms can turn a profit in about seven years. As long as wind farms are properly placed, wind power is an attractive alternative to dirty, expensive coal plants.
Solar power is another alternative that should be utilized. There are two types of solar systems, photovoltaic and thermal solar. Photovoltaic systems convert sunlight directly into electricity, but unfortunately, due to cost and technology, they have more promise for tomorrow than they do for today. Thermal solar panels use the energy to heat water and homes. Buildings that utilize solar thermal panels can produce the energy needed to heat about 50 percent of their water and provide between half and all of their space heat. Solar thermal panels also provide steady rates and can pay themselves off in about four years. Many homes and businesses already utilize the technology, but our state's energy system would benefit from incentives to retrofit older buildings with panels and include them in construction of newer ones.
The last alternative that should be talked about is biomass. The term \biomass"" refers to using organic material, in any number of ways, to produce energy. Worldwide, biomass is the largest renewable energy used because wood qualifies as biomass. Burning of wood or other crops to produce energy does have advantages over burning nonrenewables (plants recycle carbon dioxide) but there are other ways to utilize biomass. Dairy farms that can afford to purchase anaerobic digesters can produce natural gas onsite. Anaerobic digesters on dairy farms provide economic relief to farmers and reduce waste and the excess energy produced can be pumped into the states transmission system.
The bottom line is that an investment in renewables provides the greatest benefits for our health, our environment and our wallets. Wisconsin needs legislation passed that puts the plans of the Energy Task Force into action. Wisconsin's Public Interest Research Group is working right here on campus to see that this happens. We expect legislation that benefits public, rather than private, interests. This is what turning on the lights could and should mean.
