A new report released by Environment America Research & Policy Center and the Frontier Group determined that the United States has the resources needed to quit fossil fuel and run an energy system on solely renewables. The study confirmed the U.S. has enough wind and solar resources to meet the country’s energy needs.
The study titled, We Have the Power: Reaching America’s Potential for Clean, Renewable Energy, concluded that “U.S. solar energy resources have the potential to meet America’s 2020 electricity demand more than 77 times over, and U.S. onshore and offshore wind resources could meet demand 11 times over,” according to EcoWatch.
“This report shows that between the sunshine and the wind, we have the potential to run our society on clean energy, today and in the future,” Susan Rakov, chair of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s (EARPC) Clean Energy program, said.
According to the study, the four key strategies to build an energy system entirely that runs on renewables includes:
- build out renewable energy
- modernize the grid
- reduce and manage energy use
- replace direct use of fossil fuels with electricity
“Time is of the essence. Policymakers must do all they can to accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels to an energy system in which the vast majority of our energy comes from renewable sources like the wind and sun.”
The study said that a transition to renewable energy will immediately help the environmental and public health challenges as well as the climate crisis the U.S. currently faces. The authors of the study urge policymakers at both the state and federal level to make bold commitments to renewable energy and quickly phase out fossil fuel dependence.
“How quickly America shifts toward wind and solar will be decided by how and when we lean into fully erecting the four pillars outlined in this report,” Emma Searson, 100% Renewable campaign director at EARPC, said. “Given the remarkable technological advances and progress we’ve made so far, we should feel confident in our ability to build each and every one of them.”
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