A movement toward locally grown… electricity?

As new research delves into the viability of renewable power, two trends are taking shape. First, it is increasingly clear that renewable energy potential in the U.S. far exceeds current energy consumption. Second, in many parts of the country, energy self-sufficiency is possible, and where its not, power needs could be met by local renewable generation.
About 36 states with renewable energy mandates could meet their needs with in-state power, and about 23 states could be fully self-supporting with renewable energy sources, according to a new report (PDF) issued by the Institute for Local Self Reliance, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
The report encourages people at all levels of society to take a closer look at in-home energy generation potential. In short: it’s not only hip to grow salad fixens in your backyard — now its cool to make your own electricity with backyard solar panels and residential wind turbines. Taking power generation local would add flexibility to the power grid, easing the need for nationwide power transmission and reducing costs of infrastructure like power lines during the transition to a greener energy mix, the think tank claims.
That said, variations in the cost of wind power between different regions in the U.S. can be as high as 30 percent — like it is between North Dakota and Ohio. For this reason, federal efforts have concentrated on renewable-dense areas like California and Arizona for solar and the northeast for wind. This centralized production of power, it is argued by the powers that be, is more efficient because it takes the fullest advantage of optimum renewable conditions.
For instance, Arizona and Sothern Utah average 300 days of sunshine and have very small populations requiring power. Denver, however, is fairly crowded and experiences storms year-round. Building more power generation facilities in Arizona and shipping the electricity produced to Denver is cheaper than buying land in Denver to build generation capacity that won’t ever be as efficient as it would be in Arizona.
But the Institute’s report insists that by the time transmission costs — sometimes spread out over vast distances — have been accounted for, it isn’t that much cheaper after all.
Incidentally, the U.S. Department of Energy has launched a web site intended to be a resource to help local governments develop sustainable solar energy programs. The information in the guide was drawn from successful solar programs around the country, analyzing what worked, why and how. The site offers up implementation tips and a few short case studies, as well as sections on how to drum up demand for local renewable energy through educational outreach and policy shifts. The site gives the distinct impression that the DOE has an interest in a grassroots movement toward renewable energy.
Regardless of how fast it catches on, the push to “buy local” is certainly expanding beyond weekend farmer’s markets. The benefits in the energy sector include much lower infrastructure costs, for sure, but also the creation of more permanent jobs tied to the local communities they would serve.
VentureBeat is hosting GreenBeat, the seminal executive conference on the Smart Grid, on Nov. 18-19, featuring keynotes from Nobel Prize winner Al Gore and Kleiner Perkins’ John Doerr. Get your early-bird tickets for $525 before Nov. 5 at GreenBeat2009.com.