March 20, 2010
UTNE READER

Power to the People

December 20, 2002
By Nick Garafola, Utne 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

Greg Watson and the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust have the job of allocating $140 million to develop renewable energy technology for Massachusetts and New England. The green energy options are plenty, but the problem lies in educating people about the current green energy alternatives and how to start reaping their benefits. Some of the programs they’re most excited about are regional microgrids and consumer aggregations (energy co-ops). This is an opportunity for a large group of people to use their collective purchasing power to find the lowest price for energy in the market. Watson and his organization stress the fact that there are alternatives to relying on fossil fuels and nuclear energy and that very soon we should expect to harvest energy from multiple green sources from within our own homes and communities.

RELATED CONTENT

“It’s the same ecological issue--diversity,” says Watson. “We don’t want to become overly dependant on any single source.” This diversity will come in the form of solar power, wind farms, and fuel cells--batteries that combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce water and energy. Off-shore wind power is a major focus for Massachusetts right now because 170 wind turbines are being built off the coast of Cape Cod. The turbines have the combined capacity to produce 420 megawatts, about the same yield as a small coal-fired plant. Some Cape Cod residents worry about the unsightliness of the turbines, but most agree that global warming produced by our current energy sources could be a far greater burden.
--Nick Garafola

Go there>> http://www.oriononline.org/pages/oa/02-3oa/Watson.html

Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

Add Your Comment

We’d like to know what you think. To comment, please use this form. E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments. First time registrants: You will receive an email confirming your email address. Once you confirm, your comment will be posted. Questions about our comments policy? Click here.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Utne Reader?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Pay Now & Save $6!
First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Want to gain a fresh perspective? Read stories that matter? Feel optimistic about the future? It's all here! Utne Reader offers provocative writing from diverse perspectives, insightful analysis of art and media, down-to-earth news and in-depth coverage of eye-opening issues that affect your life.

Save Even More Money By Paying NOW!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of Utne Reader for only $29.95 (USA only).

Or Bill Me Later and pay just $36 for 6 issues of Utne Reader!