ZPEnergy.com - Utilities must lead way to clean-energy model

BY DANIEL M. KAMMEN |Daniel M. Kammen is founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

When we hear criticisms of the Long Island Power Authority's experimental energy projects, we need to keep in mind that utilities have a critical role to play in making the transition to a clean-energy economy, which is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.

LIPA has spent $54 million in research and development since 1998, according to consumer watchdogs cited in Newsday, including ventures in fuel cells, windmills and solar power. Legitimate questions are being raised about accountability and oversight. But commitments to innovation always carry a certain amount of risk-taking, and there's no doubt of LIPA's need to be involved in R&D. In fact, a good case can be made that even a higher investment level was warranted - some of which is inherently risky.

Frustration with federal inaction in this field has generated a wave of energy innovations at the city and state level, including financial help for developing or deploying solar energy, wind power, and the capture of energy from landfills, as well as incentives to promote efficiency in homes and businesses. Utilities are vital players in this process, since they interface directly both with energy production systems (some of which they own), and with consumers.

Utilities are uniquely positioned to champion low-carbon energy supply and demand management options while putting into effect energy-efficiency and demand-management strategies to save ratepayers money and lower carbon emissions right away....

Full article: http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/


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