The Climate and Energy Project of The Land Institute (CEP) is actually taking the long view on energy policy. They are not concerned with only one utility service area, one fuel source, or one economic sector. They are analyzing best practices regarding energy policy from around the country. Here’s an illustration from one of their recent papers:
The energy policy GPACE supports would continue to move Kansas toward currently accepted goals for electricity production by 2020, as illustrated by CEP.
- Maximize energy efficiency statewide – per already accepted goals – for both supply and demand side systems.
- Maximize Kansas wind energy production and integration – per already accepted goals – and based upon production not just nameplate capacity.
- Develop Kansas natural gas resources to firm wind and meet peak demand.
- Maintain existing coal-fired capacity, and back down outdated facilities as they reach the end of their operational lifespan with renewable energy production, native natural gas, and energy efficiency.
- No new investment in increasingly costly coal plants until national regulatory and economic picture is clear, and so called “clean coal” technologies are proven or abandoned.
- Maintain existing nuclear capacity, but no costly new nuclear plants until national regulatory and economic picture is clear.
The CEP illustration reflects the goals already embraced by Kansas utilities, not a shift in policy – unless that course is further hijacked by efforts like the proposed new coal plants.
GPACE believes there is much to gain for Kansas if we aggressively develop our native renewable energy resources and energy efficiency in the coming decade. Once we have maximized those options, and once the national policy regarding climate and carbon is more certain, the questions about using coal and nuclear energy to produce electricity can and must be addressed.
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