Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
alternative energy a top priority. In an address to Congress in February
2009, he said, “The nation that leads the world in creating new sources
of clean energy will be the nation that leads the twenty-fi rst century
global economy.”
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The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
provided more than $70 billion in direct spending and tax credits for
clean energy and transportation programs, including $11 billion toward
developing a smart grid to transport electricity; $4.5 billion to make
federal buildings more energy effi cient; $2 billion in grants for advanced
batteries for electric vehicles; $8.4 billion for mass transit; and $20
billion in tax incentives and credits for renewable energy, plug-in hybrids
and energy effi ciency. Added to these funds is an eight-year extension of
the investment tax credit for solar energy, a three-year extension of the
production tax credit for wind, new rules that allow utilities for the fi rst
time to participate in investment tax credits, and a new provision that
allows renewable energy developers to receive up to a 30 percent govern-
ment grant instead of a tax credit. And perhaps in either 2010 or 2011,
additional supports will be put in place, such as a national renewable
portfolio standard and perhaps a cap-and-trade system for carbon
emissions.
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable and nonpolluting sources
will require many decades, no matter what the government and private
companies do. But the future is bright for wind, solar, geothermal, and
hydrogen as energy sources. Of these four, only wind is now in wide-
spread use.
Developments such as fuel cells for automobiles are attacking a giant.
The internal combustion engine has been around for more than a hundred
years to reach the limits of performance and reliability that current users
expect and is supported by a solid refueling and repair infrastructure.
But the future for alternative and renewable sources of energy is bright.
The grandchildren of today's teenagers will wonder what took their
grandparents so long to wise up.
