Team USA: Which Renewable Energy Race are We Really Running?
We talk about wind and solar, but the race we seem to be running is nuclear.
“Made in China.” Them are fighting words in the renewable energy race. And as The New York Times reported earlier this month, China is winning, now the world leader in the production of wind and solar energy technology. As noted by the CEO of a Beijing private equity fund that focuses on renewable energy, “Most of the energy equipment will carry a brass plate, ‘Made in China.’”
Fast forward to Friday at a renewable energy jobs summit in Aurora, Colorado. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu referenced China’s $9 billion per month investment in renewable energy — motivation to rally the troops, stating “America has the opportunity to lead the world in a new industrial revolution.” Yet his big announcement on the heels of that statement was less than impressive.
The federal government plans to invest $8 million in stimulus money toward helping 43 communities across the country make emergency plans to restore power systems in the event of natural or other disasters. Certainly it is a noble endeavor, but $8 million divided among 43 communities doesn’t sound like enough to make much of an impact.
Presumably these emergency plans will involve renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, though all the coverage I’ve read from the event notes Chu’s promotion of nuclear energy. In fact, nuclear seems to be the Obama administration’s golden child of renewable energy sources, as President Obama’s budget includes $54 billion set aside for nuclear power projects.
Though the administration is seemingly making strides toward the development of other renewable energy sources too (e.g., working with 11 East Coast states to expedite the process of offshore wind turbines), something tells me the only renewable energy race we’re truly intent on winning is the nucelar one with a sign at the finish line that reads “Made in the USA.”
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