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21 March 2008
Expert Discusses Renewable Energy, Exploring New Ideas
Ask America webchat transcript, March 19
David Sandalow, an expert on energy policy and global warming, answered questions in a March 19 Ask America webchat on renewable energy.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
Ask America Webchat Transcript
Renewable Energy, Today and Tomorrow
Guest: David Sandalow
Date: March 19, 2008
Time: 8:00 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT)
Moderator: Welcome to today's webchat. The live webchat will take place today beginning at the top of the hour (1600 GMT). You may begin sending in your questions now.
David Sandalow: Greetings everyone and thank you for joining this webchat! My name is David Sandalow. I live in Washington, DC, where I write on energy and environment issues as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Last fall I released a book called FREEDOM FROM OIL, which discusses what the next U.S. President could do to help the United States break its oil addiction. I also advise Good Energies, Inc., which is investing in renewable energy around the world. I think that clean energy is one of the greatest opportunities of our time. I look forward to discussing it with you today.
Question [karan]: Is there enough potential in windmill power?
Answer [David Sandalow]: Yes, wind power has tremendous potential to generate electricity. Wind is providing a fast-growing percentage of power in northern Europe, California, India and many other places around the world. In many places, wind power costs no more than dirtier sources of power. People everywhere can benefit by exploring opportunities for wind power.
Moderator: If you are just joining us, welcome! David Sandalow is reviewing your questions now.
Participants interested in wind power might want to check out the following article, “Wind Energy Among Fastest-Growing Ways of Generating Electricity” from the U.S. Department of State’s online publication.
Q [LC Karachi Participant]: What would you suggest for a developing nation like Pakistan which is facing acute shortage of energy and where load-shedding has become a routine business. What steps could be taken with our limited resources? Can Pakistan go for tapping its Coal reserves (keeping in mind its economic constraints) which are they say 4th largest in the world? How can we use our immense solar energy for any productive use?
Saeed Rid, Lecturer Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan
A [David Sandalow]: I would recommend bringing solar and wind power to every city and village in the nation. Pakistan can skip over some of the dirty industrial practices of the 20th century and build a modern, 21st century energy infrastructure using decentralized sources of power such as the sun and wind. Multilateral financial institutions and other sources of capital can and should (assist) Pakistan with this work.
In the United States and many other countries, construction of new coal-fired power plants has slowed dramatically because of concerns about global warming. During the decades ahead, the world's energy systems will increasingly come from renewable power.
Q [firemistic]: Which countries nowadays have the most developed systems to renew energy?
A [David Sandalow]: Germany has done an especially impressive job of using renewable energy technologies. Spain, Denmark, Costa Rica and the State of California also offer interesting lessons.
Q [Dana2]: Why the US is not doing anything regarding CO2 emissions?
A [David Sandalow]: We are! Not nearly enough by any means, but more than half of our states now have serious programs to address this problem. Hundreds of U.S. cities have also committed to meeting the Kyoto targets. Major U.S.-based companies such as General Electric and Wal-Mart have taken important steps to become part of the solution. Legislation to limit the amount of heat-trapping gases from the United States as a whole is under very serious consideration in our Congress. All three of the leading candidates for President of the United States -- Senator John McCain, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama -- support this legislation. Most experts think it will become law in 2009 or 2010.
Q [princerobert]: What kind of opportunities for students in the clean energy industry?
A [David Sandalow]: I'm glad you asked this question, because this will be one of the most exciting and important fields for decades to come. In order to bring clean energy to billions of people around the world, we will need people with many different kinds of backgrounds, including engineers, business people, mechanics, farmers, political leaders and much much more. Whatever your background and interests, I hope you look into ways to work on clean energy!
Moderator: You can read about efforts by American corporations that have embraced environmentally friendly ways of doing business in the U.S. State Department’s new eJournal USA: The Greening of U.S. Corporations.
Q [LCIslamabad]: I am Sadaf, a Lincoln Corner user and student of International Islam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. My question is "how can we utilize garbage in the production of energy, because it is a great disaster for the world?"
A [David Sandalow]: Thank you Sadaf. In many places, garbage can be burned to produce energy. In some places, methane emissions from waste can be captured to produce energy as well. There are experts around the world who can help with designing ways to do this safely and cheaply.
Comment [febrinaaquariza]: Let’s make our world more green!!!
Q [IRC ANTANANARIVO2]: Good morning Mr. Sandalow: the following questions are from a civil engineer, Mr. Nourdine an American Corner contact in Diego Madagasca: how could we make sure that the renewable energy will not increase pollution and climatic degradation? Following the increasing needs of energy in the world, can the renewable energy satisfy and match with this growing needs? Thanks much for answering my questions.
A [David Sandalow]: Thank you Mr. Nourdine. Renewable energy sources produce much less pollution and global warming gases than other sources of energy. For example, substituting solar or wind power for power from fossil fuels is an essential part of the solution to the global warming problem. Renewable energy is especially important for villages without connections to electric grid. For such villages, solar and wind power can often bring electricity cheaper and with much less pollution than fossil fuels.
Q [Dana2]: Why US did not accede to Kyoto treaty?
A [David Sandalow]: Some people in our country were afraid it would be too expensive. Personally, I didn't agree with the decision. I think that building a clean energy industry and meeting the challenge of global warming will be one of the great economic opportunities of our lifetimes.
Q [Denisse Varela]: 1. How the Next President Can End the United States' Oil Addiction? Can you summarize it? 2. On the other hand, I don't think any of the possible next US presidents is seriously considering renewable energies in their speeches. What can we do?
A [David Sandalow]: The most important part of the solution -- cars that connect to the electric grid. We all grew up with cars that use only one fuel -- oil. But it doesn't need to be that way. Technology is available today to produce cars that run on electricity. I've been driving one for months! These electric cars are a great way to use renewable energy technologies -- such as solar and wind power -- to power our vehicle fleets.
Moderator: Participants in today’s webchat may be interested in the photo collection “Creating a Clean-Energy Future” in the U.S. State Department’s photo gallery.
Q [karan]: How do you see the future of the power sector in India?
A [David Sandalow]: India has enormous renewable energy resources. The Indian government has adopted aggressive goals for deploying renewable power. I think these clean energy sources will grow very rapidly in the decades ahead. Coal will continue to be dominant, but shrinking in percentage terms. Natural gas and hydro power -- both cleaner than coal -- will also be important.
Moderator: Welcome again everyone. David Sandalow is busy reviewing your many questions. We ask for your patience.
Q [firemistic]: How does America use energy, wasting or economic?
A [David Sandalow]: The United States has many opportunities to use energy more efficiently. That's one reason I think we can fight global warming while growing our economy! Fortunately the energy efficiency of the US economy has been improving for several decades, but there are still many ways to save money and energy. One simple way that many Americans are talking about -- switching to energy-efficient light bulbs. Recently our Congress passed legislation to phase out old-fashioned, inefficient light bulbs over the course of the next decade.
Q [Chat Participant]: What about China -- oil addiction just beginning there! If US and others reduce the use of oil, won't China just utilize the excess supply to move economy forward using the cheaper resource while west rely on more expensive alternatives?
A [David Sandalow]: Yes, China will play a central role in the world's transition to clean energy. Chinese leaders are keenly aware of the vulnerabilities created by oil dependence and have adopted stringent fuel economy standards for their vehicles. China also has aggressive goals for improving the energy efficiency of its economy and for deploying renewable power. To be considered a world leader by people in many countries, China will need to clean the air in its cities and work to become part of the solution to the global warming problem in the decades ahead.
Moderator: We wish to thank David Sandalow for joining us today. The webchat is now closed. A full transcript of today's webchat will be published (usually within one business day) to our Ask America homepage.
(Speakers are chosen for their expertise and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of State.)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
