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American Morning

Are Renewable Energy Sources the Future of Power Generation?

Aired May 17, 2001 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: On the topic of energy and increased costs and the crunch that is upon us, there is, of course, renewed talk of alternative sources of energy that don't pollute the air.

Our environment correspondent Natalie Pawelski takes a look at what's available and, bottom line: How much would it cost you to use it?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATALIE PAWELSKI, CNN ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The wind, the sun, ready sources of clean power. For decades, especially during energy crunches, they've been touted as the fuels of the future.

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By the end of this century I want our nation to derive 20 percent of all the energy we use from the sun.

PAWELSKI: Well, here we are, and only about 2 percent of the nation's electricity comes from solar and wind power. Cost is the main obstacle. Sunlight and wind are free for the taking, but converting them to electricity has proven more expensive than burning coal, gas or oil.

Analysts say that may be changing.

HAL HARVEY, THE ENERGY FOUNDATION: We've had sort of a technological miracle with renewable energy in the last decade. Prices are now down to less than 1/8 of what they were just 12 years ago.

JIM OWEN, EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE: Our industry, a lot of our members are very bullish on renewable power. People are interested in this, and a lot of our companies are eager to get out and develop this technology and harness it.

PAWELSKI: In some parts of the country wind farms are now the cheapest way to add new power generation, and wind power is the fastest growing source of energy in the U.S.

HARVEY: We're also the Saudi Arabia of wind. There's more wind in the Dakotas and in Minnesota than we need to power most of the country. PAWELSKI: Solar power is emerging as more of a niche power source for individual buildings and homes.

OWEN: We're finding that solar energy -- power from the sun really may make more sense in local settings rather than as something that can be delivered to the grid.

PAWELSKI: America's most successful renewable energy source, hydropower, is increasingly under attack. Dams generate 8 to 10 percent of the country's electricity, but they are blamed for driving salmon and other fish species to the brink of extinction, and analysts do not expect hydropower to grow.

(on camera): A study by researchers at five national laboratories says renewables like wind and solar could provide 10 percent of the country's electricity by the year 2020 if power companies and politicians make renewable energy a priority.

Natalie Pawelski, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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