Page 41 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

18 Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

While some fossil fuels like coal are still cheap today, they are the major
American and global atmospheric polluters. If the human and environmental
impacts of coal were calculated into its costs, then the real cost of coal energy
generation for power would soar. The GIR needs the same sort of economic, tax,
and fundingsupport or incentivesthat the 2IR receivedover a century ago. This is
a key action point for all American communities, regions, and states. And these
financial actions will enhance and reduce global warming as a result.
The result of 2IR was the creation, operation, and maintenance of big
centralized fossil-based power plants as Appendix C illustrates. They had to be
powerful to withstand the degradations over the vast distribution of a central-
powered grid system. At each conversion from AC to DC, the electricity loses
some of its capacity. However, there is so much of it at the beginning that it
does not matter several thousand miles away at the end. This results in the loss
of efficiency in transmission over power lines as well as the constant need for
repairs and upgrades.
Not so in the case of environmentally sound renewable systems. For best
results, they need local renewable power generation and distribution systems,
“smart local and onsite grids” that do not travel far and do not lose any of the
electricity to inefficiencies. The other way to do it is to hook into a transmission
line. This way it’s additive to existing energy distribution or so that the
transmission line acts as a “battery” for the renewable energy that needs storage.
Some have equated this to a model of the Internet where there is no one area for
control over data (or in this case power) but it is spread out and localized.
Energy independence will not happen tomorrow, just like the SUV and the
carbon-intensive economy did not become social and political realities
overnight. America spent a trillion dollars on the Iraq war, and it will probably
cost at least that much to turn America into the leader of the GIR. However,
national survival and international political leadership are compelling us to
quickly surpass what has begun in parts of Europe, Japan, and China.
Fortunately, some in America are taking the first step. Consider California,
where in the early part of the 21st century the world’s largest energy efficiency
program was implemented. The state is taxing the utilities’ ratepayers and
pushing that money back into making business and facilities more efficient.
California is putting about $3 billion into the 2010e12 energy efficiency cycle
with energy savings targets for the years 2012e20 of over 4500 MW, the
equivalent of nine major power plants.
New York City, which is struggling to hold onto its leadership in the
financial world, is facing severe capacity issues, particularly in Manhattan.
Taking a page from California, New York has embarked on a similar state
policyedirected energy efficiency effort. Other states like Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Illinois, and Missouri are coming along. But the heavy coal-burning
states in the mid-West are in denial mode and refuse to give up burning
coal, probably since the rancid and toxic residue is blowing east and not
spoiling their own environments.