Today's congressional proposals to mandate the use of renewables have won significant public support because renewables are widely viewed as environmentally benign and largely "free." As the following facts and observations illustrate, reality is more sobering.

NGSA has collected these statements from a wide variety of studies and reports to help Congress and the public more clearly understand the costs and the risks of using renewables. While these reports have not been endorsed or sponsored by NGSA, they illustrate a broad base of concern about mandated use of renewable fuels.

Cost

A 24 megawatt double flash facility (one of the four types of geothermal technologies currently in general use) can produce electricity at 7.3 to 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour. Costs would be higher were it not for the 1.5 cent per kilowatt hour federal subsidy and the 10 percent federal investment tax credit.²

Land Use

Most geothermal resources are located at remote sites, many in national parks.

The cut-off point for cost-effective use of geothermal resources is approximately 194 degrees F. Only seven states have significant amounts of geothermal resources at this temperature or above. Five other states contain small pockets of these resources.²

Environment

The most heavily exploited geothermal field, The Geysers in California, is projected to decline 10 percent annually during the 1990s.²

Geothermal sites require as much as 100,000 gallons of cooling water per megawatt per day.⁴

Many geothermal projects emit hydrogen sulfide.⁴

References

¹ Pimentel et al., "Renewable Energy: Economic and Environmental Issues," BioScience, Sept. 1994.

² Resource Data International, "Energy Choices in a Competitive Era: The Role of Renewable and Traditional Energy Resources in America's Electric Generation Mix," April 1995, released by the Center for Energy and Economic Development (an arm of the coal industry). Available at <http://www.conx.com/ceed/elecgenmix/default.html>.

³ Center for Energy and Economic Development, response to the National Renewables Energy Laboratory's comments on Resource Data International's "Energy Choices in a Competitive Era: The Role of Renewable and Traditional Energy Resources in America's Electric Generation Mix," November 1995. Available at <http://www.conx.com/ceed/elecgenmix/default.html>.

⁴ Robert L. Bradley, Jr., "Renewable Energy -- Why Renewable Energy Is Not Cheap and Not Green," released by the National Center for Policy Analysis, Summer 1997. Available at <http://www.public-policy.org/~ncpa/studies/renew/renew.html>.

⁵ National Petroleum Council, The Potential for Natural Gas in the United States, (report to the Secretary of Energy), December 1992.

⁶ National Center for Policy Analysis, materials related to the 1997-98 national high school debate on renewables policy, Summer 1997. Available at <http://www.public-policy.org/~ncpa>.

⁷ Statistical Abstract of the United States 1993, Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1993.

⁸ Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, Annual Energy Outlook 1997. Available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/fueloverview.html#forecasts.

⁹ Charles Bragg, "Conservation Notes," Newsletter of the Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society, December 1995. Available at http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ca/santamonicabay/V19N4.HTM#conservation.

¹⁰ Keith Axelson, "Do the Blades Go Deasil...or Widdershins...or Does It Really Make Any Difference?" Newsletter of the Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society, May 1995. Available at <http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ca/santamonicabay/v18n8.htm#Do The Blades>.

¹¹ Herbert Inhaber, "Energy Conservation is a Waste," Wall Street Journal, July 28, 1997.

¹² Public Citizen, "State-By-State Survey Shows Renewable Energy Use Expanding Rapidly," April 18, 1995. Available at <http://www.citizen.org/CMEP/renewables/renproj.html>.

This page was last updated September 9, 1997.