Published: May 14, 2008 07:15 pm            

Green power to the people

When you flip the switch you expect power. You expect the lamp to light, the toaster to toast or the music to blare. Yet, in many parts of the world power is not readily available. We often call these countries “backward,” yet it’s only been a few generations since the United States developed the capabilities to light, toast and hear music at the flip of a switch. And the “progress” that began around the turn of the 20th century now has its share of problems.

About half of the electric power in the U.S. is derived from burning coal. A fossil fuel like oil and natural gas, coal is a non-renewable energy source. Although there are sufficient supplies of coal available in the U.S. to supply electricity for years to come, the problem is that coal burns “dirty.” According to a recent New York Times editorial, “Coal-fired power plants are big contributors to global warming. In the United States alone, they generate half the country’s electricity and nearly a third of its emissions.” But coal is big business in the United States and change doesn’t come easily in spite of the facts. Earthjustice, the leading U.S. not-for-profit environmental law firm, was founded in 1971 as the legal defense arm of the Sierra Club. It states, “coal-fired power plants currently dump 2 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere annually, which exceed the emissions of any other source. NASA’s top climate scientist has said the most immediate thing needed to ward off global warming is to stop construction of new, dirty coal-fired power plants.” Legal action by this group has helped stop funding of several new coal plants.

While some may cite coal as cheap energy, there are many hidden costs, including air and water pollution, as well as health issues seldom considered in the cost of burning coal. In its 2008 State of the Air Report (www.stateoftheair.org), the American Lung Association gave Indiana’s Marion County an “F” for failing to meet EPA standards for Particle Pollution (Boone County was not measured). It gave Boone County a “C” for its number of High Ozone Days. Furthermore, Indianapolis was ranked No. 18 on a list of Most Polluted Cities, Short-term Particle Pollution. The air pollution reflected in these rankings contributes to premature deaths, increased asthma attacks, decreased lung function, respiratory infection, lung inflammation and worsening of lung diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. And they result in increased health care costs as well.

Yet, we continue to demand more coal plants. Indiana’s Governor is bent on building a new one in Edwardsport even though Indiana has two of the Dirty Dozen, the 12 Biggest Polluting Power Plants in the U.S. (Source: ScienceDaily.com). The Gibson Generating Station in Owensville is the “fourth largest source of greenhouse gases from power production in the United States. The nearby lake was recently closed to fishing due to high selenium levels.” The Rockport Generating station in Rockport ranks No.12, producing more than16 million tons of CO2 annually. Building a new coal-burning plant in Edwardsport would add more air and water pollution in southwest Indiana, an area that is already overburdened by dirty air from coal.

While lifestyle changes are encouraged to reduce energy usage, there is no question that new sources of energy must be found to meet demand. Much optimism is being placed on clean and renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. Wind and biomass have special importance and possibilities for Indiana. Rather than wasting our financial resources on dirty energy, Indiana needs to encourage these sources. Diversifying energy sources also lessens our reliance on fossil fuels.

Even our utility companies have recognized the importance of clean renewable energy sources. Both Duke and REMC, providers of electricity to Zionsville residents, offer “Green Power” to their customers. Under these programs, the companies purchase either clean energy directly from available sources or third party renewable-energy certificates, which offset CO2 emissions and encourage the development of renewable, environmentally friendly energy.

Duke’s GoGreen Power can be purchased for as little as $5 per month. This purchases two 100 kilowatt-hour blocks of green power. Additional blocks can be purchased in increments of $2.50. Although Duke just recently began offering its GoGreen Power in Indiana, the company does not promote it well or make it easily accessible on its Web site. To find it, do a GoGreen Power search on the site, or go to http://www.duke-energy.com/indiana/products/gogreenpower.asp?sec=right_col or call 1-800-423-5401 to sign up.

On the other hand, Boone REMC, which serves rural Zionsville residents has offered its green Enviro-Watts program since 2000. The program is prominently displayed on the company’s home page and at http://www.bremc.com/greenpower.html. With the REMC program, residents pay a penny and a half more per kilowatt hour to purchase green energy. In turn, REMC purchases clean energy directly from Indiana landfill gas generation plants and from a wind farm in Illinois. Visit the Web site or call (765) 482-2390 to sign up.

Adding Green Power to your utility choices helps clean the air in Indiana and encourages the development of clean renewable energy sources. It’s one easy way to support clean air, clean water and clean renewable energy, and it sure beats building another dirty coal plant.



Lynn Jenkins is a Zionsville resident and publisher of a new magazine, Indiana Living Green. E-mail her at Lynn@IndianaLivingGreen.com.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.