by Lisa DiCaprio
How can we power the world with renewable energy? Mark Z. Jacobson, a distinguished environmental engineer, addressed this question recently, with great specificity, in a presentation at The New School in New York City.
Drawing on various sources, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Jacobson provided the scientific/technical basis for the state to transition to 100 percent renewable energy. He detailed the kinds and numbers of renewable energy installations and devices as well as the land mass required for this transition. He included, for example, the footprint and spacing for onshore wind turbines.
Actualizing New York’s potential will require identifying appropriate locations for renewable energy installations based on the built environment (see as a model the NYC solar map at www.nycsolarmap.org), upgrading transmission lines, expanding financial incentives and mechanisms, and increasing government mandates, such as the renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Atmosphere Energy Program at Stanford University, is a prominent advocate of renewable energy. He is best known for his 2009 Scientific American article, “A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030,” which he co-authored with Mark Delucchi. In 2011, Jacobson and Delucchi published an update, “Providing all global energy with wind, water, and solar power,” which appeared in two parts in Energy Policy.
For Jacobson’s PowerPoint, a video of his presentation, and links to his articles on powering the world with renewable energy, see: http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/susenergy2030.html.
See also the website for the Solutions Project, mentioned by Jacobson, which is now under construction: http://www.thesolutionsproject.org.
Lisa DiCaprio, a member of the New York City Group, teaches at New York University.