Industry Leaders Comment on Release of Sustainable Energy in America 2013 Factbook

Following the release of the Sustainable Energy in America 2013 Factbook – a dynamic look at the rapidly changing US energy landscape – industry leaders and board members of the Business Council on Sustainable Energy made the following comments at a press conference yesterday. 

“Natural gas and renewables have gained market share rapidly as conventional coal-fired resources have come off line,” said Ethan Zindler, Head of Policy Analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “Costs are coming down across the industry from natural gas plants to major solar power generating projects demonstrating the growing economic viability of these new energy technologies. Energy efficiency is also making a major impact and as a result energy demand has fallen steeply.”

“Market trends in the renewable energy sector are exciting. The industry has grown in a significant and sustainable way,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “For example, there has been a 500% increase in the solar industry in the last four years. We are seeing growth in all sectors of solar. Going forward, however, it is important that we continue to develop new technologies and develop stable, long-term energy policy to reduce costs and allow access to the electricity marketplace. 

“Natural gas and renewables complement each other in todays’ economy,” Resch added. “The use of these energy sources will expand and replace old forms of energy, thereby reducing our carbon emissions while creating economic growth in the U.S .” 

“Energy policy has to be in line with economic reality, and we need to continue to make strategic investments in our infrastructure in order to move towards an all of the above energy policy strategy that encompasses both natural gas and renewable energy,” said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the American Gas Association. “It is the combination of gas and renewables that offers the country a clean energy future.” 

“Success in the clean energy industry is twofold,” said Lisa Jacobson, president of Business Council for Sustainable Energy. “We have demonstrated over the last ten years that not only can we reduce emissions and carbon output but we can also have economic growth as a country.” 

So will who use the Factbook?  Mark Wagner, Vice President, Johnson Controls, Inc. and Chair of the BCSE’s Board of Directors said, “The Factbook provides the baseline for policymakers, reporters, analysts, investors and industry professionals to determine the potential impact of proposed policy changes to clean energy technologies.” 

The complete report and associated materials are available at this site.

[source: http://feeds.importantmedia.org/~r/IM-greenbuildingelements/~3/xYLA3nVKOB8/]