Vermont has a rich history of environmental awareness and action. Other states from across the country regularly look to Vermont for solutions to some of our most pressing environmental problems.  For Vermont to follow through on the historic commitments made by the Governor and the Vermont Legislature to reduce global warming pollution, creating a clean electricity future is a must.

Thankfully, Vermont has the renewable resources to make a clean electricity future possible. Doing so, in fact, will help grow Vermont’s economy and insulate Vermonters from electricity price shocks.

A Decade of Change lays out a clear and achievable vision for a clean, safe and affordable electricity future for Vermont.  Not only can we make this vision a reality, but we must for the sake of future generations and the health of our planet.

The first step in our decade of change will be to use less electricity and make sure that we use it wisely.  According to the Department of Public Service, Vermont’s electricity consumption in 2015 will be 16 percent more than we use today if we do not invest in conservation and efficiency.  But if we combine common-sense conservation actions with moderate investments in energy efficiency, we can instead bring down our generation needs to at least five percent below 2005 levels. 

The second step will be to start building our clean electricity future today with local Vermont resources.  Renewable electricity generated from Vermont resources can provide 55 percent of Vermont’s electricity needs by 2015, up from just 15 percent in 2005.  Download the vision overview here.

Here’s how:

• Vermont wind farms can provide 20 percent of our state’s electricity needs by 2015.  Wind farms will provide added price stability to the state’s utilities and will be sited on just a small fraction of the state’s 500+ miles of ridgeline.
• Vermont biomass or wood-fired generation can provide 19 percent of our state’s electricity needs by 2015.  Forests cover 80 percent of Vermont’s land.  Sustainably harvested biomass generation will support local forest-based economies while generating clean electricity.
• Vermont hydro-electric facilities can provide 10 percent of our state’s electricity needs by 2015.  Vermont utilities and independent dam owners can make moderate improvements to the existing dams in Vermont to make them run more efficiently, slightly increasing the total output from the dams.
• Vermont businesses and home owners can provide 4 percent of Vermont’s electricity needs through customer-sited generation projects by 2015.  Small-scale wind, solar, and hydro-electric projects together with combined heat and power projects will increase the reliability of our electric grid and decrease the need for additional transmission projects.
• Vermont farm and landfill methane projects can provide 2 percent of Vermont’s electricity needs by 2015.  Converting farm waste into methane and non-polluting by-products will help reduce air and water pollution, while capturing methane from landfills keeps the potent greenhouse gas from being released into the atmosphere.

The electricity that can be generated by Vermont’s renewable resources, together with a portion of the electricity we currently get from Hydro Quebec, can provide for 80 percent of our electricity needs by 2015.  The remaining 20 percent will be met through market purchases.

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) is committed to helping Vermont realize this vision. But concrete actions must be taken now to ensure that we can achieve this before it’s too late. The future of our environment, our economy, and our way of life depends on it.

Recommendations

• Retire Vermont Yankee as scheduled in 2012 by voting to not allow the plant’s owners to seek a new license;
• Reduce Vermont’s electricity demand by fully funding Efficiency Vermont to capture all cost-effective efficiency savings;
• Prioritize efficiency investments and renewable power supply options by enacting a loading order that calls for utility procurement decisions to be based on meeting new generation needs first with energy efficiency and demand response, then with renewable and distributed generation, and then the cleanest fossil-fuel generation.
• Bring renewable energy to all Vermonters by expanding existing programs to require that 50 percent of Vermont’s electricity supply is met through renewable resources by 2016;
• Ensure price affordability and stability by entering into long-term contracts for in-state renewable resources;
• Promote local ownership of renewable resource generation by helping interested municipalities to secure financing for economically viable projects;
• Support Vermont farm methane systems by creating a farm power tariff to provide farmers with avoided cost payment, and a three-phase distribution system tariff to ensure needs lines are built to rural locations;
• Solicit and screen 1MW – 10 MW renewable distributed generation projects by paying a per kWh incentive that compensates for the added security to our electricity system and the avoided transmission costs that such projects would generate;
• Foster renewable energy business growth in Vermont through granting the Vermont Economic Development Authority the ability to issue bonds to finance renewable energy projects, creating tax credits for clean energy research and development, and by creating a venture capital investment program for investment in Vermont-based, energy-related companies;
• Streamline government agency support for renewable projects by creating a renewable energy ombudsman that coordinates and facilitates planning and permitting for the state agencies involved.

While some progress has been made in recent years, these small steps will not keep pace with the devastation that threatens our future. The scale of our leader’s response to this crisis must match the scope of the problem. Vermont must do its part and should set an example for other states to follow. To do so will require tremendous leadership on behalf of our elected officials and action by each and every Vermonter.

The direction we need to head is clear. Getting there will require political will, citizen participation and statewide action, starting today.

See Also:

A Decade of Change, VPIRG's new electricity report outlines a vision for Vermont's renewable energy future. By 2016, Vermont can reduce its electricity consumption to 5% below 2005 levels and meet 55% of its electricity needs with Vermont-based renewable energy.

Appliance Efficiency is the cheapest and most effective way to stop global warming. Visit VPIRG's page on the topic to learn more about the issue and how you can start saving money today.

The New England Climate Coalition is a coalition of more than 160 state and local environmental, public health, municipal and religious organizations concerned about the drastic effects of global warming in the Northeast.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a cooperative effort by Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

VPIRG believes we can and should take leadership in our region instead of lagging behind - adopting our principles would move the region forward. The status quo is not working - time is of essence we can't just sit and do nothing which appears to be the Governor's position.