Recently Al Gore and T. Boone Pickens have both made some pretty exciting statements about moving the U.S. from a fossil fuel-based economy to one based on Solar and Wind Energy. Can it be done? Maybe, but I think they really understate the challenges. In fact they lay the blame to the current energy crisis on the Federal government when in fact "we the people" are the real obstacle.

It is time for some straight and honest talk about what is stopping us from really embracing renewable energy and how we can gain some traction.

Don't Ignore the Facts
It is time for some straight and honest talk about what is stopping us from really embracing renewable energy and how we can gain some traction. Both the solar and wind energy industry have improved in the last 10-15 years. It's relatively simple to site a solar or wind power project. A growing number of investors are willing to risk their capital now that natural gas and coal costs have increased. However, getting the power to where it's needed is one significant obstacle that is incredibly difficult to achieve. In fact, without changing the way we site new interstate power lines, renewable energy will dramatically fail.

The lack of interstate power lines is one of the chief reasons why we have not seen more large solar and wind energy projects built. Texas and California are the exceptions, but remember the power generated there is transmitted and used within State boundaries. However, when you try to send that power across State lines that when the fun begins. People just don't want to make sacrifices for people in another State let alone a big city. The fact is that the high demand for electricity or what the pros call the "load centers' are located in places like Chicago, New York City, Washington DC, Miami, Houston, LA and San Francisco. While the wind blows hard and consistently in places like North Dakota and the Midwest.

Over 70 percent of the existing high voltage electric transmission lines are owned by the electric utility companies. These companies are monopolies and are regulated by the States and Federal government. The federal government owns the remaining transmission system in the West. It's operated by federal agencies like Bonneville Power, Washington Area Power Administration and Southwestern Power Administration. The Tennessee Valley Administration owns the transmission system in it's jurisdictional area.

Simply put, the electric utilities who own the high voltage electric transmission lines are not enthusiastic about allowing electricity generated by solar and wind energy to use their transmission systems. That's because their transmission lines are near capacity and they are required to serve their existing customers. Even if there is excess capacity available, the utilities make life miserable for solar and wind energy generators who need to use the power lines to get their power to the above load centers. Also in case you are wondering, new interstate power lines are the exception to the rule. To build one you must meet the requirements of every State it will go through and just about every local government. No one can do that.

I don't really think that utilities can even get behind solar and wind energy either. Sure, some utilities do because some progressive States like Texas and California require that a certain percentage of their electrical energy be generated from renewables. Despite what you hear in the press, most utilities are still focused on very large power projects. They are infatuated about nuclear, coal-fired and natural gas fired power plants. It's what they do and besides why would they want to see solar and wind energy successful and jeopardize the monopoly they have.

"We the People" love NIMBY (Not in my backyard)
Americans for the most part will all tell you that they want more renewable energy. However, the situation is drastically different on the ground. "We the People" routinely oppose renewable energy projects and misuse the environmental review process or the State permitting process to delay or deny projects. If we fail there, we then call her State or member of Congress and exert pressure to fight the project. If that fails, we sue the government in court. We do this because we don't accept the environmental risks, don't believe the project is needed or think that our little peace of heaven should be disrupted for some city slickers. We also truly believe and try to make a case to build the project some where else in some other town. This is played out in hundreds of projects each year. We always point out that there's a better alternative in the next town, state, etc. The problem is that the next town is doing the same thing. Just google "energy projects opposed" and you will see what I mean.

Many politicians and the Presidential candidates say we need a sound energy policy. John McCain likes nuclear while Barak Obama likes technology and renewables. In reality, Congress passed a new energy law in 2005. It's a reasonable approach especially in getting interstate power line projects built. However, the States and environmental groups with the support of members of Congress are fighting the very law they passed. Clearly nothing gets done quickly because people put local needs above the needs of our country and States are unwilling to subsidize people in States where the power is needed.

Can we really produce all of our electricity with renewables?
Without changing environmental laws and upsetting the States, I don't believe it is possible. However, I do believe that renewables can produce at least 30 percent of our energy and possibly up to 50 percent if we really think out of the box.

I think that there are opportunities to build solar and wind energy project that are being overlooked by the energy industry and our politicians. How come? Well most people have grown up thinking about large power plants producing millions of watts located far away from people. As discussed above, many wind and solar projects are routinely delayed and many never see the light of day because there is no way to the power where it's needed. Either they can't get approval from the hundreds of government agencies to build a new transmission line or they are being told that the existing lines are at full capacity.

I think about renewable energy projects differently and so should Messrs Gore, Pickens, McCain, Obama and Pickens. To overcome the risks of building solar and wind energy, I would look at proposed projects that do the following:

1) Avoid or limit the negative effects of NIMBY,
2) Much smaller in size, but can be replicated easily,
3) Are closer to where the power is needed,
4) Can be done by the residents, commercial and government organizations.
5) Builds a renewable energy industry.

Two of these types of projects involve installing solar roof panels and roof top wind energy projects on every multi-family building and commercial buildings. That in a sense can be the new frontier for solar and wind energy. Just think about every home and building having solar panels and/or wind turbines producing clean energy. Sure, there are barriers to doing these projects, but they are manageable. They may require federal and State legislators to shift their focus to multi-family housing and provide then energy tax incentives and grants to see these projects come to life. Many buildings with solar and wind energy on their roofs can decrease their electricity bills by 10-30 percent.

Don't fight the the World's Love Affair with Cars and Trucks
Right now with rising gasoline projects, many people are advocating more use of public transportation. This is fine in urban areas, but people will still need their cars. In fact, by the year 2030, many experts predict that the number of cars and trucks will double to 2.3 billion world-wide.

Think of trucks and cars as solar electric energy generators and them to produce electricity. The electricity could power electric or hybrid cars and trucks and any excess power could be sent back to the power grid. That would make the power grid greener and offset the need to burn coal and natural gas to produce power.

This is not folly, in fact Toyota and other car makers are going to offer this option right now. See treehugger.com article and the article in technology review.