Alternative Energy and the Recovery Act

Last week, President Obama, as part of the Recovery Act, announced the dedication of $3.4 billion to further advancing smart grid development. This, of course, is good news for renewables in many different ways.

Smart grid technology facilitates integrated renewables into the mix, enabling solar, wind, etc. to replace a larger overall portion of our energy needs.

All grid improvements bring us closer to the day when high-voltage direct current (HVDC) removes the importance of the geographic location of the source of the power. Considering that we have solar thermal on the southwest, wind in the plains, geothermal in the mountains, and hydrokinetics mainly in the east, this is critical to our cause.

I’m happy to see the degree that the stimulus package is aimed at cleantech, and hope that millions of jobs will be created in this sector in the coming few years. I would like to think that the decision-making process re: the exact allocation of grants is as clean as the projects themselves – but that’s another matter.