Vermont Energy Partnership releases issue brief on renewable energy sources

The Vermont Energy Partnership (VTEP) today released its latest issue brief, “Renewable Energy Sources in Vermont: A Status Report.” Authored by VTEP Communications Director Guy Page, the issue brief details Vermont’s current renewable power capacity and projects likely development in the near future. It also provides analysis about the benefits and challenges of renewable power and demand-side management in meeting Vermont’s 21st century energy needs.
Key finding of the document include:
· At present, instate renewable capacity totals an estimated 84 megawatts. It is reasonable to project that in the next five years an additional 95 megawatts of instate and regional renewable electricity sources may come online.
· Efficiency efforts have reduced the rate of growth of electrical consumption but have not significantly reduced net consumption from year to year; nor is reduced consumption likely to occur without major, as yet untried measures.
· Even with the projected increases in renewable capacity, without the energy from either or both of Vermont’s two current base load sources, Hydro-Québec and Vermont Yankee, the state will face a significant power shortfall.
The issue brief can also be found at www.vtep.org or by clicking here.
VTEP publishes issue briefs on a periodic basis as part of its mission to educate Vermonters on critical energy issues. Previous VTEP issue brief topics include the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), wind power in Vermont, Vermont Yankee, and instate hydropower, among others. All of VTEP’s issue briefs are available online at www.vtep.org.
The Vermont Energy Partnership, based in Montpelier, is a diverse not-for-profit organization comprised of more than 90 member business, labor, and community organizations and professionals committed to finding clean, affordable and reliable electricity solutions for Vermont. Its mission is to educate policy makers, the media, businesses, and the general public about why electricity is imperative for prosperity, and about the optimal solutions to preserve and expand our electricity network.
Source: VTEP. Montpelier, Vt./May 18, 2010 –