Changing the energy mix
A July report from SAFE, a nonpartisan energy security think tank, and the Energy Security Leadership Council argues a diversified domestic industry will allow the U.S. to curtail its reliance on foreign countries for oil and other energy sources.
The report argues that a “shift to new technologies” is “critical to national security, as dependence on a volatile and manipulated oil market constrains U.S. foreign policymaking and affects the flexibility and activities of the military.”
Skyrocketing electricity demand
“Unlike fossil fuels, renewables do not require fuel inputs, making them immune to price volatility,” it reads.
“We all agree in Washington that we expect there to be growing demand for electricity,” Avery Ash, SAFE’s senior vice president, told The Hill. “The only immediate solutions are the sorts of renewable energy such as wind and solar that are both quick to deploy and already in the interconnection queue.”
Rollbacks risk U.S. competitiveness
Even if the private sector continues to invest in clean energy technology, Ash worries that if there is not enough electricity to meet demand, sectors such as artificial intelligence or EVs will confront hurdles.
“The real question is not how do we meet the power needs of today, but how we meet the energy power needs of tomorrow,” said Ash.
If the U.S. does not meet those needs, he added, “It’ll be very hard for us to compete globally, when we think of all the industries the U.S. wants to be a leader on going forward, the U.S. will not be competitive.”
Read the full story: “Trump’s war on wind, solar rattles clean energy industry.“
