Solar, wind, biomass and other renewable power sources, along with energy efficiency, can cut man-made greenhouse gas emissions up to 80 percent by 2030, a panel of scientists at a Denver solar energy conference said Thursday.
“We wanted to look in detail at what renewables can do, and identify the path we need to be on,” said Chuck Kutscher, chairman of the Solar 2006 conference.
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which traps heat and is raising global temperatures.
A third of the reductions would come from energy efficiency in industrial plants and commercial and residential buildings.
A quarter of the reductions would come from wind power.
“We have to act fast – we’re at a tipping point,” said Kutscher, a solar researcher at the Golden-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Most renewable energy sources do not produce carbon dioxide, the most prevalent greenhouse gas.
Other options such as nuclear energy or capturing of carbon dioxide emissions present environmental and safety concerns, Kutscher said.
John Holdren, a Harvard University energy analyst, said renewable energy had great potential, but was hesitant to say that it alone was the answer.
“It’s better in my judgment to keep all the options on the table,” Holdren said, stressing the need for fast action.
Renewables satisfy about 3 percent of all U.S. consumption.
Kutscher said the renewable energy sector has the capacity to supply as much as 50 percent of national power needs by 2030.
To meet that goal, improvements in energy efficiency would have to offset future growth in energy demand, Kutscher said.
Colorado passed Amendment 37 in 2004, requiring that 10 percent of all electricity produced must come from renewable sources by 2015.
Staff writer Joel Grostephan can be reached at 303-820-1201 or jgrostephan@denverpost.com.
