We Need Energy From Many Sources

Date: 17 May 2012 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Media Coverage | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Florida Times-Union, May 17, 2012

There are a few key principles to remember about energy:

As more of the world moves to the middle class, energy needs will grow enormously.

“The absolute numbers are staggering,” writes Daniel Yergin, author of “The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World.”

He provides deep background on the energy challenges facing the United States and the growing world economy.

Solar grid parity

In the next 10 years, solar energy could become competitive with standard utility rates in some parts of the country. That could be true for 100 million Americans by 2021.

That’s the prediction from John Farrell of the Institute for Local Self Reliance. He is presuming a 7 percent annual decline in solar energy cost and a 2 percent annual increase in utility costs.

The cost of installed solar has dropped 10 percent annually since 2006, Farrell writes.

As solar energy increases, it changes many aspects. As Farrell writes, “When half of Americans can install solar for less than the cost of grid electricity, it makes a majority that favors local ownership of localized energy production long before solar power becomes a significant portion of total electric generation.”

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