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| 8/3/2006 12:00:00 AM |
Shauna Riley |
| 202.225.3515 |
| Biggert, Honda hosted field hearing on opportunities and challenges of energy technologies |
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http://sanjose.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=63
Opening Remarks of U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13th)
Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy
Committee on Science
Renewable Energy Technologies – Research Directions, Investment Opportunities, and Challenges to Deployment in the United States and the Developing World
Wednesday August 2, 2006
San Jose, California
I want to welcome everyone to this hearing of the Energy Subcommittee of the House Science Committee on the status of efforts to develop renewable energy technologies and expand their use in the United States and around the world.
It’s an honor for me to be here in California today in the district of my friend, colleague, and the ranking member of this subcommittee, Mr. Honda. I hope we made life a little easier by bringing this hearing across the continent to you, rather than making you come to us in Washington, where the temperature is expected to top 102 today.
There's no better place to explore the contributions of renewable energy research than here in the Golden State. California has made extensive use of hydro, geothermal, solar and wind resources, which supply over ten percent of the state’s electricity compared to just two percent nationally. In other words, we still have a long way to go.
California is fortunate to have an abundance of each of these renewable resources. I can't say that the same is true of my home State of Illinois. It's too flat to make significant use of hydro power. It has no geothermal resources unless you count some of the steam tunnels that run under the city of Chicago. And the sun, when it shines, just doesn't shine enough. And while the Windy City has one renewable resource that is its namesake, only recently has technology enabled us to capture the strong yet volatile winds in Chicago and in other parts of the State. When you say “renewable energy” in Illinois, most people think of corn and ethanol and soybeans and biodiesel.
Renewable energy is a growing, global industry, and our international competitors are taking renewable energy R&D; very seriously. Government investments in renewable energy technologies in Europe and Japan have meant growing market shares for wind and solar power generation equipment for those countries, while the U.S. market share is declining. As a nation, we can’t afford to sit on the sidelines.
That’s why I introduced H.R. 5656, a bill that focuses federal research efforts on some of the greatest challenges to expanding our use of renewable energy. Among other things, the bill directs researchers to focus their efforts on making solar electricity cost competitive by 2015. In addition, the bill would establish a program to demonstrate advanced solar technologies in every state. In this way, we may actually learn to capture the power of the sun even in places like Illinois in the wintertime.
In addition to targeting federal research efforts at improving the efficiency of turbines and the cost competitiveness of wind power, the bill also supports the development of the genetic and biological technologies to make ethanol from feedstocks other than corn. I’m happy to say that the Science Committee approved the bill unanimously, and it now awaits action in the full House.
As we discuss our investments in this kind of renewable energy research, the challenge is to ensure that we not forget the demand side of the equation. Energy use of all kinds has environmental consequences. We should be aware of them, understand the tradeoffs, and make decisions that are fully informed by the facts.
That is why renewable energy R&D;, the topic of our hearing today, is so timely. If we are to be successful in addressing the threat of climate change, we have to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. That means not only improving energy efficiency, but also greatly expanding our use of renewable and non-greenhouse gas-emitting energy technologies such as nuclear power. And because of population growth and economic expansion, we must expand our use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies faster than the growth in our consumption of energy. As you can see, making progress on the development of renewable energy is every bit as important as making progress in increasing energy efficiency.
We also should keep in mind that energy efficiency improvements do not automatically lead to reduced energy use. In 1900, a light bulb cost roughly $20 in today’s money; today it costs 40 cents, lasts at least 10 times longer and uses a fraction of the electricity to generate the same amount of candlepower.
As the price of light – that is fixtures, the bulbs and the power to operate them – dropped over time, we have figured out ways to use more light – and more energy. Think of just how many new sources of lights there are in the home: recess lighting, task lighting, lighting in and under cabinets in the kitchen, lights on appliances, lights in the yard. You should see Chicago from the top of the Sears Tower: there are lights as far as the eye can see in every direction except Lake Michigan. Only a century ago, the term “light pollution” would have been laughed at.
That brings us back to why we are here today. Americans want affordable energy and a clean and safe environment, and yet, because we’ve undervalued renewable energy research, we act as though the two are mutually exclusive. That’s not true of the witnesses we will hear from today. They understand the potential of renewable energy technologies. They invested in the necessary renewable energy R&D; -- some independently, and some in partnership with the federal government. But in all cases, they have success stories. I want to thank this remarkably accomplished panel for sharing their insights with us as we assess the challenges and opportunities associated with the deployment of renewable energy generation both domestically and in developing countries.
But before I introduce our panel, I’d like to turn to the subcommittee’s distinguished ranking member, Mr. Honda, for his opening statement. |
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