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64% of US States Could Supply 100% of Their Own Power From Renewable Energy, New Rules Project Shows

October 17, 2009 By 15 Comments
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Wind has the potential to supply the most states all their own energy now. The surplus could be shipped to other states, once we have big transmission out of state, and storage. But, the study points out:

“If 75 percent of our gasoline were replaced by electricity it would increase electricity consumption by about 20 percent. On the other hand, it would also establish a system of widely distributed and abundant storage that would change the very underpinnings and assumptions of an electricity system designed without storage in mind.”

There’s also off-shore potential:

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About Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer writes at CleanTechnica, Earthtechling, and GreenProphet and has been published at Ecoseed, NRDC OnEarth, MatterNetwork, Celsius, EnergyNow and Scientific American.

As a former serial entrepreneur in product design she brings an innovator's perspective on inventing a carbon-constrained civilization: If necessity is the mother of invention: solving climate change is the mother of all necessities! As a lover of history and sci fi, she enjoys chronicling the strange future we are creating in these interesting times. 

Follow Susan @dotcommodity on twitter.

  • http://Web arta shokrollah

    Hello,
    I’m Iranian and I’m living in the Philippines with my family.
    I have many plans for producing hydroelectric, but here there’s no forum to introduce my project.
    Kindly send the Emails and addresses of these forums to me.
    Thanks
    Arta Shokrollah

  • Uncle B

    Fact is America will go through a liquid energy to Electrical energy convulsion as fast as Asians demand their share of remaining light sweet crude oil in the world! Remember: Asians bid with gold backed, and production backed Yuan on world markets for all resources, oil included and will run prices up beyond what the weakened U.S. fiat, shystered, (See: http://www.viewzone.com/fakegold.html)

    paper dollar can afford! America’s own satellite reconnaissance have provided no new drill targets in the whole world! Oil will skyrocket and very soon! Save for the wisdom of China to institute Electric Bullet Train networks to save on transportation costs (400% more efficient) the great oil wars are about to begin! The Saudis pray daily and pump sea water into their wells to get the last oil out to America, and Turkmenistan is already visited by Russia and China, only 350 miles away, with pipelines making Halliburton(Dubai)’s pipe-dream up Afghanistan already obsolete! All these factors and a very weak U.S. dollar, $1200.00 buys only 1 oz. gold today! will make for astoundingly expensive gasoline at the pumps and very soon. America will shift to Electric Power from Solar, Wind, Wave, Hydro, Tidal, Geothermal and Nuclear sources because it has all these. Unfortunately none of them can convert readily to liquid fuel energy, and all of them go to Electric energy quite well! America has just enough oil of her own to maintain military defenses, not more! The change-over from liquid fuel to Electric power is inevitable! Electricity is all America naturally has! Gentlemen! Charge your batteries, the plug ins are coming!

  • Uncle B

    Fact is America will go through a liquid energy to Electrical energy convulsion as fast as Asians demand their share of remaining light sweet crude oil in the world! Remember: Asians bid with gold backed, and production backed Yuan on world markets for all resources, oil included and will run prices up beyond what the weakened U.S. fiat, shystered, (See: http://www.viewzone.com/fakegold.html)

    paper dollar can afford! America’s own satellite reconnaissance have provided no new drill targets in the whole world! Oil will skyrocket and very soon! Save for the wisdom of China to institute Electric Bullet Train networks to save on transportation costs (400% more efficient) the great oil wars are about to begin! The Saudis pray daily and pump sea water into their wells to get the last oil out to America, and Turkmenistan is already visited by Russia and China, only 350 miles away, with pipelines making Halliburton(Dubai)’s pipe-dream up Afghanistan already obsolete! All these factors and a very weak U.S. dollar, $1200.00 buys only 1 oz. gold today! will make for astoundingly expensive gasoline at the pumps and very soon. America will shift to Electric Power from Solar, Wind, Wave, Hydro, Tidal, Geothermal and Nuclear sources because it has all these. Unfortunately none of them can convert readily to liquid fuel energy, and all of them go to Electric energy quite well! America has just enough oil of her own to maintain military defenses, not more! The change-over from liquid fuel to Electric power is inevitable! Electricity is all America naturally has! Gentlemen! Charge your batteries, the plug ins are coming!

  • http://greenoptions.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

    Tim, read the study I linked, then. It is about a 50 page pdf with multiple comparisons.

    But the states wanted to know how much bang they could get for their buck IF THEY SPENT NOTHING on transmission, so this study was for how much renewable power was right in their own state’s ‘backyards’.

    Like; if solar was all right on peoples roofs: what was the potential generation and cost?

  • http://greenoptions.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

    Tim, read the study I linked, then. It is about a 50 page pdf with multiple comparisons.

    But the states wanted to know how much bang they could get for their buck IF THEY SPENT NOTHING on transmission, so this study was for how much renewable power was right in their own state’s ‘backyards’.

    Like; if solar was all right on peoples roofs: what was the potential generation and cost?

  • Tim

    I would like to see some comparisons between the costs to build and install the various generation sources. Then compare that to the cost of the new transmission lines. I also think that the cost of building new generation should be incorporated into the cost of generation.

  • Tim

    I would like to see some comparisons between the costs to build and install the various generation sources. Then compare that to the cost of the new transmission lines. I also think that the cost of building new generation should be incorporated into the cost of generation.

  • Bman

    I luv Canadians… don’t be a hater Ty.

    The fact is, the potential or capability to produce renewable power is not the issue. The issue is getting producers to retrofit businesses to use or produce renewable energy. Most companies simply aren’t willing to loose profits to change their “system”. THAT is the problem we must overcome. As consumers, we must strong-arm gov’t and private business to do things “our way” or loose our business.

  • Bman

    I luv Canadians… don’t be a hater Ty.

    The fact is, the potential or capability to produce renewable power is not the issue. The issue is getting producers to retrofit businesses to use or produce renewable energy. Most companies simply aren’t willing to loose profits to change their “system”. THAT is the problem we must overcome. As consumers, we must strong-arm gov’t and private business to do things “our way” or loose our business.

  • Ty

    I live in one of those ‘Northern States”. We get O% Of our electrons from Canada. So MD? STUFF IT!

  • Ty

    I live in one of those ‘Northern States”. We get O% Of our electrons from Canada. So MD? STUFF IT!

  • http://greenoptions.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

    No, this study did not count out of state power currently, but potential for in-state power, only.

    Thanks for your electrons though, Canada. We like the green ones.

  • http://greenoptions.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

    No, this study did not count out of state power currently, but potential for in-state power, only.

    Thanks for your electrons though, Canada. We like the green ones.

  • MD

    Being from BC Canada, I have to wonder how much of the power shown in the Northern States includes renewable from Canada.

    BTW the last number I have are 50,120 million kWh exported from all of Canada (2007)

    Now you need to realize, the USA gets a helluva bargain on this power while everyone in BC gets shafted – and the IPP’s get shafted by the Provincial Governments who in turn are shafted by back room deals Federally.

    Sorry – had to add that so people realise where some of their electrical power comes from…

  • MD

    Being from BC Canada, I have to wonder how much of the power shown in the Northern States includes renewable from Canada.

    BTW the last number I have are 50,120 million kWh exported from all of Canada (2007)

    Now you need to realize, the USA gets a helluva bargain on this power while everyone in BC gets shafted – and the IPP’s get shafted by the Provincial Governments who in turn are shafted by back room deals Federally.

    Sorry – had to add that so people realise where some of their electrical power comes from…

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