Sarah Palin goal of 50% renewable energy use signed into law

One of the first things Barack Obama did, once he took office, was to announce a pretty ambitious goal of having the United States get 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2025. To date, little if anything, has been done by the Obama regime to reach this goal.

On January 21, 2009 (Obama’s first full day at work) Sarah Palin, writing in the Wall Street Journal, praised this initiative strongly, while reminding Obama that conventional sources of energy will always be needed. She also announced that she was working on the goal of having Alaska get a full 50 percent of it’s energy from renewables in that same 2025 time frame.

"We aren’t going to be getting away from a petroleum based economy anytime soon. As we reported here, quoting a study from 2008:
…… untapped reserves are estimated at about 2.3 trillion barrels, nearly three times more than the reserves held by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Counties (OPEC) and sufficient to meet 300 years of demand-at today’s levels-for auto, aircraft, heating and industrial fuel, without importing a single barrel of oil.

That’s three centuries worth of oil. Longer than The United States has been a nation!" Crazy on a ship of fools.

Apparently, “renewable” already includes “geothermal, wind, solar, hydroelectric, hydrokinetic, tidal and biomass.” “Biomass” means “wood,” and many Alaskans, especially in the Bush and in the Southeast, already use wood to heat their houses, a considerably energy intensive undertaking in the Alaskan winter (away from the Pacific coast, which enjoys a subtropical climate).

Solar is almost entirely useless in the long polar night but may provide a trivial power source in the summer. Tidal power, although vast, remains technically challenging to harness in an economically viable manner. So let’s drop those two almost entirely.

Given the fierce winds in some parts of the state, wind power may be feasible. That leaves hydro and geothermal. I don’t know much about Alaska’s geothermal development, but given the large number of active volcanoes, it might lead to a bonanza, but transmission to areas of population (and hence need) could prove problematic. Various forms of hydro power are definitely possible in the less ice-choked regions of Alaska, especially the steep rain forests along the coasts.

So let me attempt to put this goal in practical terms: Alaskans will continue to burn wood to heat their houses during the long winters, will install hydropower capabilities along the coast and in steep, well-watered terrain, and will investigate and attempt to tap geothermal resources.

Assuming the federal government doesn’t impede the construction of reservoirs, hydroelectric dams, transmission lines, and other technologies, this goal might not sound so unreasonable.

No “magic wand” needed, at least not in Alaska.

Biomass: With 11.9 million acres of productive forestland (forest not in Park or Wilderness areas) and the ability to grow up to 3.5 million cords of wood a year, Alaska has the potential to develop a biomass industry that could supply abundant, cheap power to many towns. Wood is already an important renewable energy source for Alaskans, with over 100,000 cords per year used for space heating statewide. Alaska’s waste wood and wood products could provide an excellent source of fuel to help lower heating costs in many Alaskan communities. An estimated 2.3 million acres of forests in Alaska have been impacted by bark beetle infestations, and thinning of these forests is necessary for overall forest health.

Geothermal: Alaska’s location on the Ring of Fire, a volcanic arc circling the Pacific Ocean, means there are many opportunities for geothermal development in the state. There are over 130 volcanoes and volcanic fields that have been active in Alaska in the last 10,000 years, and an additional 100+ sites where thermal springs and wells have been identified.

Hydroelectric: Alaska’s largest source of renewable energy, already supplying 24% of the state’s electrical energy. The state has many rivers with considerable potential to expand on this.

Solar: Although Alaska’s northern location presents the challenge of minimal solar energy during the long winter when energy demand is greatest, solar energy fulfills an important role in space heating and off-grid power generation.

Tidal: One of the world’s largest tides occurs in Turnagain Arm, just south of Anchorage – tidal differences can be more than 35 feet.

Wind: Alaska has abundant wind resources suitable for development, mostly located in the western and coastal portions of the state. The availability of wind resources in combination with the high cost of diesel electricity generation in much of rural Alaska makes wind power an economical and clean alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

Palin’s proposal called for letting each local community decide what type of energy production was bet suited to that particular area. Some coastal communities are well suited to tidal, many villages along Alaska’s rivers to hydro, others to geothermal, etc.

- JP

LOL

THere is a potential hydrp souce near Anchorage that could provide 100% of the power currently generated by gas turbine (Beluga power plant).

One small problem.

The STate will not issue the needed permits to even begin prelim work.

The agencies headed by those hand picked by sara when she was Gov. Parnell is no better.

The upcoming election for Govenor could be interesting. But I am not going to buy any popcorn.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.