In May, 22.3% of the electricity generation for the United States came from renewable energy sources (wind, hydro and solar). That’s 6.3% more than the amount coming from coal and equal to the amount generated by nuclear. This news comes on the heels of a report that, during 2019, renewables supplied more U.S. electricity than coal for the first time since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The fossil fuel industry likes to pretend renewables are theoretical technology, the stuff of science fiction, with practical deployment impossible for years, maybe even decades into the future. However, these latest numbers tell the real story: renewable energy is a science fact, and we are all using increasing amounts of it to power our homes and businesses.
The momentum has become inexorable. Last week the first offshore wind turbine in the U.S. was installed off the coast of Virginia. That has major ramifications for New England, which is blessed with some of the strongest, most consistent offshore wind anywhere in the world. And proposed projects off the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island got a major boost last week as the U.S.Coast Guard gave its blessing to the proposed layout of offshore wind turbines, declaring the plan safe for boating.
The future of renewable energy is approaching so rapidly the nation of Spain is looking to make all new energy generation projects 100% renewable, completely banning new fossil fuel initiatives. Newton, MA City Councillor Emily Norton recently made the case that new fossil gas projects should be scrapped in favor of a 100% renewable strategy.
Yet the gas industry keeps trotting out the tired, deceptive rhetoric that its product represents a “bridge” to a clean energy future. This con job continues despite the fact that gas is a high-emission fossil fuel. The “bridge fuel” argument has always ignored the serious climate damage caused by methane gas spilling into the atmosphere from the fracking process and the leaks that occur at every point along the transmission system. No matter how the industry tries to spin it, gas emissions need to go down, not up, in order to fight the worst effects of climate change. Claiming otherwise is like saying that putting a filter on a cigarette makes it safe. It won’t kill you quite as quick, but it’s still terrible for you.
New gas infrastructure projects aren’t a bridge to a cleaner future. The only destination they offer is a world that burns more fossil gas and suffers more climate destruction. It’s time to quit building them, cold turkey. The bridge to a cleaner future and a climate that’s no longer in crisis is renewable energy. The technology has arrived. It’s supplying much of the power we currently use. We just need to commit to it and put more of it into production. Welcome to a better bridge.