SolarTown Goes to Capitol Hill for Renewable Energy Forum
Today in Washington, DC, the U.S. House of Representatives hosted the 14th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The EXPO brought together nearly 60 unique businesses, trade associations, government agencies, and policy research analysts to speak on the potential the renewable energy industry and related energy efficient technologies. The expo showcased 57 exhibits, presentations by members of Congress, by Executive Branch officials, and by the exhibitors themselves.
The Caucus Room was abuzz with activity as interested spectators and viewers walked amongst the various booths and displays. All forms of renewable energy were well represented at the convention, including biofuels, biomass, geothermal, water, wind, and good representation from the solar energy industry. (The nuclear industry was not represented, at least not at this forum.)
Michael J. McAdams, President of the Advanced Biofuels Association, spoke about the current attitude towards biofuels, saying that there was not yet enough demand and not enough political will to stimulate the necessary action that would make biofuels a contender in the transportation market.
In the Veterans’ Affairs Committee Room, many of the exhibitors gave their own presentations. The presentations covered everything from policy issues to energy efficiency to passive solar/intelligent design. Presenters described their businesses, discussed the current state of affairs regarding their topic, and offered their own opinions on what should be done in the future. Dan Delurey of the Demand Response & Smart Grid Coalition spoke about the convergence of smart grid and energy efficiency. He described smart grid technology as the ability to “reach out to a virtual power plant” and believed that optimizing such a grid for residential and commercial use should be a top priority for government officials.
Regarding solar power, Christopher O’Brien of Oerlikon Solar discussed the symbiotic nature of the solar manufacturing and solar technology sectors in the United States. He believed the two industries must collaborate if the U.S. solar market wants to be competitive on a larger scale. SolarTown spoke to a representative from Abengoa Solar, a research and development firm that has sponsored a number of large-scale solar plants around the globe. According to Abengoa, one of its most successful programs is the Mojave Solar Project in California, a 250 MW concentrated solar power plant that runs entirely on solar power. The generated energy is sent to regional utility services: enough to supply electricity to about 90,000 homes, offsetting over 431 kilotons per year of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Renewable Energy Expo was a success. It was able to bring together visitors from a variety of backgrounds – senators, tourists, interns, solar enthusiasts, and scientists – in an effort to educate the public on the importance of renewable energy technologies. The point was driven home is that our economic and national security is at stake as the current energy crisis continues, and this event showed that we need to have a sustainable mindset if we are ever to overcome our reliance on traditional forms of energy.