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Vermont leading the way in 21st Century energy policy

COMMISSIONER’S PRESENTATION: Elizabeth Miller, commissioner of the Department of Public Service, speaks about the energy plan at 9:20 a.m. Oct. 12 during the 10th Annual Vermont Renewable Energy Conference at the Sheraton Burlington Conference Center in South Burlington. 

Voice of the Free Press: Focus on renewable energy reflects Vermont values, Burlington Free Press, Oct. 2, 2011, The proposed goal is to meet 90 percent of Vermont’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2050. The plan calls for controlling the amount of energy we use through conservation and increased efficiency, as well as encouraging alternative power sources.

That Vermont represents the tiniest fraction of the global energy market offers both a challenge and an opportunity.

On the challenge side, the state is likely to have little influence in getting the big energy producers on one end, and those who develop technology that affect energy consumption on the other, to make changes that match Vermont’s goals. That means that in some respects Vermont must wait for the rest of the world to catch up to our vision.

As for opportunities, Vermont’s relatively small scale and entrepreneurial spirit opens the way for experimenting with new ideas and technologies that would be more difficult on a larger scale.

Given the governor’s history, no one should be surprised that nuclear energy — Vermont Yankee in particular — has no long-term future in the Shumlin plan. The fate of Vermont’s sole nuclear power plant that supplies about a third of the state’s electricity needs is now up to the federal courts. The state wants to see it closed in 2012….

Any long-term energy plan — especially one that looks decades into the future — will require much flexibility. The specific steps needed to get to the renewable energy goal will change as energy prices and availability, consumer habits and technology evolve. The important thing is to be able take advantage of the best opportunities and methods as they become available.

October 3, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general