For more information contact Walter Sainsbury: (802) 522-0066.
Phoenix, AZ - As President-elect Obama and a new Congress prepare to meet today’s economic and environment challenges, Environment Arizona released a report that lays out a blueprint for how we can power Arizona and the rest of the country for the 21st century, protecting our environment while revitalizing our economy.
"We have a tremendous opportunity to move towards clean renewable energy," said Walter Sainsbury, Environment Arizona Program Associate. "With the economy suffering, the green industry can provide job creation and savings on the cost of energy. The solar potential of Arizona could aid in not only boosting our state’s economy but protecting our environment as well."
The Environment Arizona report makes the case that America has enough renewable potential to power the country several times over, providing the following examples:
• The space available on America’s rooftops alone could host enough solar panels to provide meet about 70 percent of our current electricity needs. Arizona receives over 300 days of sunlight a year which could potentially generate over 150 percent of our state’s current energy needs.
• Concentrating solar power, also known as solar thermal power, on just nine percent of the land area of Nevada could produce enough electricity to power the entire United States.
• The wind blowing over just five U.S. states—North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Montana and Texas—could produce enough electricity to power the entire United States.
• America’s Pacific, Atlantic and Great Lakes coastlines could host enough wind turbines to nearly match the capacity of all of America’s current electricity generators combined.
• Geothermal energy, heat from below the earth’s surface, has the potential to meet about half the total electricity production capacity in the United States today.
The group also points out that energy efficiency is one of America’s largest untapped energy sources. By adopting energy efficiency measures that pay for themselves in energy savings over time, our homes, businesses and factories can cut their energy use by at least 25 percent.
"It’s time that America became smarter and more efficient with its energy resources," commented Sainsbury. "We need to begin to combat the effects of global warming pollution before the worst becomes inevitable. Arizona has the capacity to become a leader in creating a clean energy future."
Read the full report here.
