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Key barrier seen to 'green' power

Need for power lines seen in remote areas

WASHINGTON -- The dearth of power lines in remote areas where the wind blows hardest and the sun shines brightest stands as a major barrier to the nation's use of renewable energy, a Senate committee was told on Tuesday.

A handful of states, including Texas, Minnesota, California and Colorado, and a committee organized by Western governors, is actively planning improvements to transmit electricity generated by solar, wind, geothermal and other natural sources.


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  • But witnesses told the Senate energy committee that building transmission lines is costly and lengthy. The federal government can do more to resolve problems with federal siting and permitting, and with loan guarantees and allocating the costs of power line projects.

    The Energy Department in a report last month said wind energy alone could supply 20 percent of the nation's electricity needs by 2030 but transmitting power to where it is needed would be an obstacle.

    Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., used the hearing to promote a bill to finance construction of transmission systems that would be dedicated in large part to geothermal, solar, wind and other renewable sources.

    The bill written last September is an outgrowth of Reid's campaign to discourage Sierra Pacific Resources and other generators from building coal-fired power plants in eastern Nevada.

    The 1,500 megawatt Ely Energy Center planned by Sierra Pacific Resources includes a 250-mile transmission line reaching south to Nevada Power and its customers in Las Vegas and north to Sierra Pacific Power in Reno.

    Utility executives have said the transmission corridor makes sense only if coal-generated power is the main part of the traffic. Reid took aim at that during his testimony.

    "Utility executives like to say that we can't afford to build transmission lines that carry only or mainly renewably generated electricity," Reid said. "They like to say it just doesn't pencil out.

    "But if they say that, I just don't think they've really tried very hard or very seriously to crunch the numbers," he said. "Cost is an issue but it is not an excuse for inaction."

    The Reid bill would designate zones with potential to generate at least 1,000 megawatts of electricity from renewables and then provide companies with financing to build hookups and transmission lines into the power grid.

    If no private companies invested within two years, the government would have $10 billion in bonding authority to finance the transmission lines, which would be required to carry at least 75 percent of their load from renewables, he said.

    "The federal government has to add its weight and support to help convince the pencil pushers of the necessity and cost-effectiveness of investing in renewables." Reid said.

    Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@ stephensmedia.com or (202) 783-1760.

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    Rigoberto Flores M wrote on August 25, 2008 10:38 AM: Tenemos clientes para Productos de Alta tension Electrica: CABLES,HERRAJES Etc. Transformadores Electricos baƱados en aceite... Etc.
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    Jack wrote on June 18, 2008 10:15 AM: common sense? writes"Say, how about other issues, like the fact that solar and wind generators are extremely inefficient producers of electricity?"
    Solar energy is 80 percent more efficient and simple to set up than 20 years ago. I additionally ask you how efficient solar powere really has to be since the sun will continue unabated for about 100 billion more years. Anything we collect from the sun is a bonus.


    2zero wrote on June 18, 2008 10:06 AM: Solar is a great solution in Vegas. In the form of "distributed generation".

    Every roof of every house, building and parking lot could and should be a platform for solar electricity.

    No need for transmission lines.

    For the nay sayers; this solution will not replace the utility power grid but it will provide power during at the time and during the days more power is needed; = less (coal) power plants!


    Shawn K wrote on June 18, 2008 08:12 AM: Common Sense;

    1. France has trouble with it's nuclear waste; some sent to Russia some sent to US.
    whereisfrnaceswaste

    2. French reprossesing plant being pressured to shut down by European countries affected by French reprossesing waste.
    cheneywrongonfrenchnuke

    3. You couldn't be more wrong about solar efficiency.



    Jack wrote on June 18, 2008 07:58 AM: Tom Atriedes writes "Oh, like the Bush home in Kennebunkport?"
    Sorry Tom but I refer you to the Ted Kennedy home in Chesapeake. Ted is the one who blocked the windmills because of his view at his house, not Bush.
    As I wrote in another post, the US government will not encourage Solar Energy because they make trillions in taxes from fuel and you cant tax the sun.
    By the way, 30,000 people are killed every year in cars on our roads. that is ten thousand times the number of deaths attributed to three mile island.
    PS anybody else like that first line about how remote hot areas are, thus making solar hard to use. LV has two million people and a huge power infrastructure. It was bout 110 here yesterday. more lies from Washington.


    Tom Atriedes wrote on June 18, 2008 07:43 AM: "...or when the fans block pretty views from politicians' vacation homes. Then wind -- bad." Oh, like the Bush home in Kennebunkport?

    And where do we plan to store the nuclear waste? Nuclear energy has been just as inefficient and very expensive.

    It's time for a change, and the costs involved in building transmission infrastructure should be stimulating to the economy--provided the materials come from America and the construction teams are American.


    wise up wrote on June 18, 2008 07:37 AM: Nuclear energy?

    Remember the old adage "if something can happen, sooner or later it will happen..."

    Willing to gamble on a nuclear meltdown? Especially a publicly run corp that the shareholders are screaming for bigger profits and the plant manager is cutting expenses, i.e. safety measures.

    Obviously "Common Sense" is either too young to remember 3 mile island or chernobyl, or too old to remember anything.

    Not in my backyard!


    Common Sense wrote on June 18, 2008 06:28 AM: "Cost is an issue but it is not an excuse for inaction."

    Yeah, especially when it's OUR money you're spending, right, comrade?

    Say, how about other issues, like the fact that solar and wind generators are extremely inefficient producers of electricity? Oh, that's right -- inefficiency is never an problem for our government, either.

    Whatever you do, don't mention the word "nuclear" to them. Their faces get red and their eyeballs spin. Never mind that it's efficient and time-tested. Never mind that France powers an entire nation with nuclear energy. Forget all that pesky logic, and stuff.

    Nuclear -- bad. Wind -- good. Except when the fans kill pretty birdies, or when the fans block pretty views from politicians' vacation homes. Then wind -- bad.

    But that's okay. The politicians just move the fans out of their back yards, and raise taxes to "pay for" pretty birdies untimely deaths.

    Then wind -- good again.

    Now, everyone get back to work and pay your taxes.