Energize America #3: guiding principles

June 15, 2006

NOTE: Images in this archived article have been removed.

This is the third part of the presentation of Energize America at YearlyKos. Earlier instalments are:

YK – Energize America presentation (part 1 – the energy situation)
YK – Energize America presentation (part 2 – how Kossacks built EA)

This part, which was presented by George Karayannis (Doolittle Sothere) describes the main goals of Energize America. Again, both the plan and the full presentation can be downloaded in pdf format from www.ea2020.org.

[EB editor’s note: Click on the slides to see an enlarged version. The slides are easier to read in the PDF of the entire presentation.]

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For reference purposes, the photograph of the panel, with Bill Richardson (Governor of New Mexico and Secretary of Energy under Bill Clinton) surrounded by the Energize America team: from left to right: Mark Sumner (devilstower), Jérôme Guillet (Jerome a Paris), Gov. Richardson, George Karayannis (Doolittle Sothere), Adam Siegel (A Siegel).

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Goals

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EA’s goals are an ambitious but critical first step towards achieving Energy Independence.  First, our `citizens’ energy plan’ seeks to cut oil imports 50%.  We aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) 50%, and we seek to create over 3M new jobs.

EA is comprehensive

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  • We have tried to maintain a strategic focus, so that the most important issues are dealt with seriously, and trust that the acts within EA2020 reflect that.  We are especially focused on Maximizing Transportation Efficiency, as the transportation sector is virtually completely dependent upon imported oil, which poses a serious risk to our continued economic prosperity.  The transportation sector consumes 2/3rd of all oil used in the US, and generates nearly 1/3rd of all GHG emissions.  Five of EA’s 20 acts, or fully 25% of the plan, targets the transportation sector.

  • We will Optimize Existing Energy Resources, to make the most of what we do have.  But this is not a blank check to drill like mad in ANWR or to loosen environmental protections.  In fact, EA2020 adds the often-hidden social and environmental costs to the calculus of energy policy.
  • We will Migrate to a Renewable Energy Base.  Aside from the obvious environmental benefits, renewable energy (RE) provides a rare opportunity for the US to once again lead the world – both in the development, manufacture and export of high-value RE systems, and in the reduction of GHGs.
  • We will Inform & Empower Customers, because smarter customers make smarter decisions.  We seek the broad deployment of real time pricing, `smart’ products that can deal with that information on behalf of customers, and flexible systems and a national grid that can adapt to these changes.
  • We want to Reward Conservation & Efficiency.  We want to make it not only cool, but financially compelling, and seek to create an energy-aware culture that thinks, and acts, differently regarding energy.
  • Finally, we seek to Foster Energy Self-Sufficiency.  We want to see more towns like Foster, IN, (pop. 533), which was in the news last week because they officially declared their intent to become energy independent using local resources – corn for biodiesel for transportation, and animal waste for electricity.

Transportation

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This chart above depicts how much oil is used per sector in the US economy – clearly showing the critical dependence in the transportation sector.

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National Fuel Efficiency

But what have we as a nation done for the past 20 years?  Pretty much nothing.  All gains in engine efficiency have been offset by weight and size gains from SUVs and trucks.

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Vehicle Fuel Efficiency

This chart from the Rocky Mountain Institute shows where the gas that we do use for passenger vehicle transportation goes – fully 87% of it is simply WASTED!  Only 13% goes to the `tractive load’, 6% accelerates the vehicle, and less than 1% moves the driver!!  Critics  like to ridicule ultra fuel-efficient vehicles as small and unsafe – which is patently false.  People WILL be able to still drive vans, trucks and SUVs in the future, but they will be much lighter, far stronger & safer, and dramatically more fuel efficient.

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Address All Modes of Transportation

EA2020 seeks to improve all modes of transportation, including passenger cars, heavy trucks, buses, rail and airplane fleets.  EA2020 does NOT favor any one technology or process, and instead relies upon market-based solutions guided by clear, consistent and strategic national policy.  EA2020 provides incentives but does not mandate how efficiencies are to be gained.  For example, EA2020 does not favor corn over any other form of biodiesel such as soy, switchgrass, algae or other methods.

Power

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Optimize Existing Resources

Most of our electricity comes from burning carbon.  This chart above of new electric capacity by year shows two important points:  first, that demand for electricity has skyrocketed in the past few years, and second, that that demand has been met almost exclusively with natural gas.  NG prices have more than tripled lately, forcing power plant operators to rush to convert them back to coal.

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Global Energy Stocks

This chart shows why the coal industry is so excited.  Coal, shown by the gray bars, remains fairly prevalent in the US, Russia, China, and other countries.  So, why is this a problem?

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GHG Emissions

Because power generation is the single biggest cause of GHG emissions, and coal is by far the worst energy stock in terms of GHG emissions.

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Global Average Temperatures

Scientists using core drilling in Antarctica have discovered that current CO2 levels are higher than they have been in 650,000 years!!  Even more troubling, the rates of increase in CO2 and Methane atmospheric concentrations is alarming.  EA2020 will reduce GHG emissions 50%, perhaps making it a `convenient solution to an Inconvenient Truth’

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Optimize Existing Energy Resources

EA2020 will ensure that the nation’s existing coal stock is used responsibly, and will enforce increasingly strict emissions limits.  EA2020 also embraces new technologies, particularly coal liquefaction and next-generation nuclear power.  No technology is more divisive in this country than nuclear, and EA2020 seeks to inform this debate and provide full and transparent objective data on nuclear power’s costs and benefits.

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Migrate to Renewable Energy Base

EA2020 will level the playing field for renewable energy sources including wind, solar and biomass – as well as other promising technologies such as tidal and deep water geothermal.  Again, EA2020 does not pick market winners but establishes a framework for all promising renewable technologies to emerge.

 EA2020 will extend the Wind Energy Production Tax Credit to 2015.  The US once led in wind power systems, but now Europe owns 90% of this market.  EA2020 will establish a 20M Solar Roof program – 10M for photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation, and 10M for solar hot water heating, which can reduce the electricity required for hot water by 66%.  The US once led the solar market, but now Japan alone owns 43% of this market.

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Inform & Empower Customers

EA2020 seeks to create an `energy-aware culture’ that thinks and acts differently regarding energy consumption and efficiency.  We believe it will take a new generation of citizens to come up with entirely new solutions to some of our existing energy problems.  EA2020 will enable all citizens to become energy providers, even if only to meet their own home or business needs.  Most importantly, EA2020 will align the goals of utilities and customers so that they are not working at cross purposes.

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Reward Conservation & Efficiency

EA2020 includes many important elements, including the “C the Light” residential program that provides 2 free compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) per household to provide both a direct financial benefit and tangible symbolic solution to large-scale public participation.  EA2020 includes tax credits and accelerated deprecation to enable businesses to more aggressively deploy energy efficiency solutions and to spur research and development in this area.

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Foster Energy Self-Sufficiency

EA2020 will create energy-secure homes, businesses and most importantly, communities.  EA2020 provides a clear & strategic national policy with local focus.  To kick-start this effort, EA2020 includes 50 high-profile renewable energy projects – one per state.  EA2020 combines strong federal leadership (e.g., siting, environmental protections) and select federal investment with significant private funding.   The federal government must lead by example, and together we must find the right mix of public/private participation.


Tags: Activism, Energy Policy, Politics