It’s sustainable, it’s an inexpensive and reliable energy supply, it creates local jobs, and it saves the state billions of dollars in pesky pollution-related costs: it is a new energy infrastructure powered by wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) in New York. The study supporting the plan is proposed just in time before Gov. Cuomo must decide whether to approve hydraulic fracturing in the state.
The study finds that converting to wind, water, and sunlight is economically feasible and can stabilize the costs of energy. It is all-encompassing and calculates the number of new devices and jobs created, amount of land and ocean areas required, and policies needed for the infrastructure change. The plan following the study will fulfill all of New York State’s transportation, electric power, industry, and heating and cooling needs with renewable energy. That sounds like a wonderful idea – but will it work?
The statistics alone are very optimistic yet hopeful. In the study, the authors claim that if New York switched to WWS, air pollution-related deaths would decline about 4,000 annually and the state would save about $33 billion. Under the plan, 40 percent of the state’s energy would come from local wind power, 38 percent from local solar, and the remainder from a combination of hydroelectric, geothermal, tidal and wave energy. And all vehicles would run on battery-electric power and/or hydrogen fuel cells to boot. Sounds like a great idea to us.
This is a great article packed with many more statistics and facts about an encouraging plan to reduce pollution and save the state money. If it were only as easy as raising taxes.
EarthGarage – Greener Car. Fatter Wallet.