I went to the Themester Event on Renewable Energy Development in Indiana. Program Manager over Renewable Energy for the Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED), Travis Murphy gave the presentation. OED- Office of Energy Development: is the Indiana state energy office, responsible for Indiana energy policy development and implementation as an arm of the Lt. Governor’s office. Hoosier Homegrown Energy which is the state's strategic energy policy. This policy leads state’s efforts to develop alternative fuels, clean coal technology, and a variety of other renewable technologies including those derived from wind, solar, biomass, geothermal.
Currently Indiana is heavily dependent upon “cheap” coal for energy. Vast resource locally (500+ years) currently import over 49% as a result of sulfur-rich composition of local coal. 94% coal fired electricity. Indiana also has an energy intensive economy, particularly electricity. Summer electricity demand in 208 was 27079 MW includes buffer (EIA, 2008). Resulting from an economy based on manufacturing, casting, forging, agriculture, distribution.
Renewable energy has a lot of advantages environmentally, socially and economically. A key advantage is that using renewable energy will have reduce the need for importing energy. As stated above Indiana import 49% of their coal. Other advantages are it will reduce our dependence on oil (fuel), provide more job opportunities and will not degrade the environment.
Indiana is in a great location to utilize wind power. This based on the fact that Indiana has the 14th best 100m wind resource in US. Indiana receives a lot of high winds, and Indiana has the capability to sell their wind energy to other states such as Washington D.C. and other east coast states. Indiana currently has 1139MW of utility-scale wind online, equaling to 800 turbines. The OED should be working with Duke Energy to get then to utilize wind power. Some electricity company's give options to have a certain percentage of electricity to come from wind or solar. Duke does not have that option, but I think it would make Duke more competitive and more likes by the public if they do link up with wind or solar power.
Indiana is also utilizing Biofuels in the form of Ethanol, Biomass, Solar, Hyro, Geothermal. Personally I think utilizing used vegetable oil, and grease as biofuel is better to use then ethanol. I asked Mr. Murphy if Indiana was utilizing vegetable oil and his reply was that there is not enough to do on a large scale. But there were local projects going on where restaurant waste oil was collected, turned into bio fuel for buses. On a large scale ethanol is apparently more practical. Currently Indiana has 12 completed Hoosier ethanol plants. 11plants providing 938 million gallons of ethanol annually. Indiana is the first in the country to create a biofuels corridor of pumps for E85. 95% of our convenience stores are blending ethanol with their gasoline (E10); E15 recently approved through EPA for ’07 current vehicles.
Re: Ethanol. What impact would increased ethanol production have on food prices?
ReplyDeleteNick, it would drive the prices down of course!
ReplyDeleteI recently visited some family I have in Southern Indiana and it was interesting to hear their opinions on a new coal plant that's going in somewhere in the state. They acted as though there would be no question that it would be good for the state (particularly on the job front). I'm curious about how we can infiltrate these groups to get them to think about the larger implications. Just. one. little. thought. about the implications.