Tough Sell on Energy? Focus Beyond the General Public

November 5, 2009 – Vol.14 No.33

TOUGH SELL ON ENERGY? FOCUS BEYOND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News

Americans don’t care about energy unless the price of gasoline is high. They don’t care much about climate change and global warming. For the most part, both of these statements are unfortunately true. If all Americans really cared about these these things the streets would be flooded with Priuses, buses would be overflowing with passengers and all the McMansions would be abandoned by now.

Obviously this hasn’t happened.

Recently, President Barack Obama laid out a transformational vision for green energy and a smart grid at the opening of FPL Energy’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Florida. OP-ED columnist Bob Herbert of the New York Times noted afterward that “The nation was not moved. The President’s remarks not widely heard.” Well Bob, it’s because Americans, for the most part, don’t care. When Obama was running for office the price of gasoline was out of sight. People were livid. They no longer are. People are concerned about jobs and don’t recognize the opportunities that could be created in a “new pathway for energy” that Obama mentioned in his speech. People will recognize the jobs when they see them.

All that said, Obama should still pursue his energy agenda: Enough people as well as business, industry, utilities, organizations, governments large and small care enough to create markets, to build an industry and an economy along the new pathway.

--- Utilities, for instance, seem united for a smarter grid. The willingness of Washington to pump billions into it is certainly welcome. But, a smart grid that reduces demand on existing power plants translates into fewer new plants that need to be built. Utilities don’t really like to build power plants. They do so because they have to.

A smarter grid will allow new innovations not available now and beneficial to power companies. Rate payers will know when electricity costs are high thus cut their use at those times, or conversely use power when it’s cheap. When plug-in hybrid cars become available the smart grid will allow for utilities to use car battery packs as remote energy storage devices, if drivers will allow. A further innovation will be energy storage devices for homes and businesses that not only create a place that utilities can tap into for electricity, but also be a back-up and emergency supply of power for the owners of the devices.

--- Utilities continue to be warming to renewables. Ten years ago many utilities may have scoffed at the notion that intermittent wind and solar energy could provide meaningful power to the grid. True, some utilities are building renewable capacity under state mandate, but also it seems that others are building renewable capacity, if anything, because it’s easy, quick and meets the needs peak power demand.

Building a conventional power plant can be a long, drawn out process that includes obtaining approvals for the site and its emissions as well as securing transmission lines and fuel supply even before the plant is built. Installing wind capacity certainly requires planning, approvals and transmission lines to the grid connection, but at least emission and fuel supply issues are eliminated. Solar is even simpler. The site, often an existing rooftop, is not often an issue, neither is a grid connection. A solar photovoltaic project can be built very quickly with little fuss, almost plug-and-play.

--- Utilities are also warming to the idea of distributed power. Small power plants, like small solar electric systems, can be added very quickly, in a matter of days or weeks to meet ongoing growth in demand. Why not build new capacity bit by bit when its needed rather than build new large power plants to meet some expected future demand?

--- Businesses saving cash might be what drives green vehicle demand. There seems to be a strong steady market base for these vehicles from consumers. But, as has been the case for a number of years now, business and industry, particularly those who operate fleets, seem quite willing purchase vehicles with high fuel economy even if the price is higher than conventional vehicles. For them, high energy efficiency may be the accountant’s decision. If the numbers work so that the more expensive vehicle with the high energy efficiency saves cash for the company, then it will be the choice. Ford is targeting businesses for its all-electric Transit Connect micro-van in part for this reason.

Obama does not need the approval of a majority of voters right now to keep his energy agenda moving. The utility companies, business, industry, state and local governments already are listening and seem ready to follow along. Global warming, the environment, and national security concerns may have nothing to do with energy transformation. It may just be dollars and good sense that do the job.