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Supplying the
United States with enough secure energy to meet its
projected growing needs is one of the major issues
facing the nation. Like every other state,
New Jersey
must look to its own future. The Case Energy Coalition
estimates that by the year 2030, the electrical
consumption of the nation will have increased 40%,
with a 13% increase in the Mid-Atlantic States alone.
The solution to meeting this demand does not lie in
promoting any one single resource, but by pursuing a
broad palate of energy sources already in use in New
Jersey today. Case Energy Coalition also cited that
51% of
New Jersey’s
energy is generated by its nuclear power facilities.
Natural Gas and Coal make up the next two largest
sources, providing 25.9% and 18.6% respectively. Oil
only accounts for 1.9%.
A
future of electrical stability will require focus on
all facets of the energy markets – conservation,
emerging technologies and renewables, along with
consideration of the traditional sources of
generation. Conservation and renewables have been a
priority here in
New Jersey, and are the main tenants of the emerging
Energy Master Plan. As statutorily required every ten
years, talks for the Plan began in June and will
continue through August. Public hearings will take
place in November after the first draft is released
and the final draft will be published in December
2007. The goal of the New Jersey Energy Master Plan is
to secure reasonably
priced energy supplies and services for the State’s
future needs while simultaneously balancing our energy
consumption with the insurance of consumer safety and
health in addition to the preservation of
New Jersey’s natural environment.
We should all work to identify and encourage these
efforts and further them along through the
introduction of emerging technologies.
Salmon Ventures Limited
applauds the State and the Board of Public Utilities
in its efforts to administer this Plan, but sees it as
only one step down the road that leads to a
sustainable energy future for
New Jersey.
As demand will undoubtedly increase,
New Jersey will need to consider how to obtain
sufficient electrical supply. A
blended use of energy sources and multifaceted
approach to new energy technologies must be pursued.
Nuclear energy is one important resource, providing
the State with half its power. The re-licensing of the
Oyster Creek Nuclear Facility and the construction of
new plants should be a part of the State’s agenda in
order to maintain current nuclear power production and
remain consistent with demand increases. But nuclear
power is certainly not the only answer, and there are
other methods to help account for future needs.
Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil
fuel, and it is projected that the world’s supply will
not peak until 2030. By making improvements to natural
gas facilities, constructing new ones, and investing
in the emerging technology of fuel cells, which will
provide a cleaner and more productive means of
converting gas into electricity, New Jersey can secure
and increase the natural gas contribution to match the
State’s needs.
Currently, wind and solar power are two
energy sources that are grossly underrepresented whose
production could be greatly increased. In September
2005, the 7.5-megawatt Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm began
commercial operation just outside Atlantic City,
producing approximately 19 million kilowatts-per-hour
of emission-free electricity; enough to power over
2,500 homes. This is this first wind farm in the State
and more are possible.
The New Jersey BPU with the US Department of Energy
sponsored the creation of New Jersey wind maps through
True Wind Solutions, finding that areas along the
Jersey Coast and Delaware Bay have fair to excellent
conditions for further wind energy production. Given
the State’s geography, this resource is abundantly
available; it simply needs to be harnessed through the
construction of more wind farms.
Like wind power, solar power is another
emission-free, reliable resource. Unless the sun burns
out, which is not estimated to happen for five billion
year, it provides the most dependable source of
renewable energy. Solar energy is clean and cost
effective, can be administered from a residential to
state-wide level, and is already one of the
initiatives of the State and BPU sponsored Clean
Energy Program. Part of this program included the
installation of solar panels in Toms River Regional
School District, saving it $400,000 per year. The New
Jersey American Water plant at Canal Road in Somerset,
NJ uses solar energy to power 15% of the plant and
save $125,000 annually. Solar panels can be placed
virtually anywhere, reducing cost and increasing
conservation for the benefactors.
The problem does not lie solely in
generating more electricity, but in making it reach
its customers faster and more efficiently. A major
protocol for the State to undertake is the renewal and
improvement of transmission lines and the energy grid.
This is crucial in not only conserving more
electricity, but in anticipating the higher demand of
electricity that the State will require. If New Jersey
looks to surrounding states to contribute to our
energy supply, new transmission lines need to be
installed.
As the world’s petroleum supply peaks and
the rest of fossil fuels follow, the country and the
world, not simply New Jersey, need to invest in
alternative, secure, and renewable energy sources. It
is foolish to think that there is simply one end-all
answer to our nation and State’s energy needs. Rather,
by continuing to invest and expand current sources,
slowly reducing our consumption of some fossil fuels,
and greatly taking advantage of new energy
technologies, New Jersey can meet its current needs
while providing a bright, secure and affordable
energy-rich future for its citizens. |
