Renewable energy sources account for biggest chunk of new U.S. energy sources in 2007

Renewable energy sources are gaining enough traction to account for the biggest piece of the pie when it comes to gains in U.S. electrical output.

General electrical capacity increased by 2.3% in 2007, according to Electrical Power Annual 2007. Total 2007 electrical capacity was boosted to 4,157 million megawatt-hours, up from 4,065 MWh in 2006.

Net summer capacity increased by 8,673 MW, with wind power accounting for 5,186 MW.

Renewable energy remains but a drop in the bucket, however. Renewables generate 105 million MWh annually, just 2.5 % of total electrical capacity.

The Obama administration needs to put more money into this sector. Reducing energy costs - and doing it more cleanly - will be a bellweather issue this century. We need to get a head start on the world so we can export the technology.

Even the oil-rich Arabs see the future in green cities

If you haven't seen any of the magazine articles about Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, you might find it interesting to know that the world's first city designed to be green from the ground up will be in the middle of a desert, in one of the most oil-rich areas on the globe.

This city - which has a goal of producing net zero waste - will be home to 50,000 people. People will get to work via automated smart cars. Eighty percent of water will be recycled, reducing overall water use by 75% compared to other cities. It will have a 55-acre, 10 megawatt solar electricity generating plant that is being designed by Enviromena Power Systems.

Here's an article on Greenbiz.com that has some basics. For a more in-depth look, go to the Masdar City Web site.

Here's a video promoting the city.



The end goal of Masdar City is much more than having a green city. It is about perfecting the technology to build such cities. See, when the oil is gone, Abu Dhabi will need other ways to make money. And Abu Dhabi, which sits on 9% of the world's proven oil reserves, still sees a future in exporting energy. Just a different kind of future.

Here's what the Masdar Web site has to say about the project:

The Masdar Initiative is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted investment in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies as well as sustainable design. Masdar is driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), a wholly owned company of the government of Abu Dhabi through the Mubadala Development Company. In January 2008, Abu Dhabi announced it will invest $15 billion in Masdar, the largest single government investment of its kind.

That's the kind of thinking we need here in the United States. Hopefully President Obama's green initiatives can provide some spark and capital. I would much prefer to see taxpayer money going toward the future than to bailing out banks. What's lost is lost. We need to find our way forward.

Seriously, if we could do something like this for $15 billion, that's chump change compared to what our government has already handed over to the banks.