opinion

Clean energy benefits Tennessee, saves American lives

Historically, Tennessee has been a pioneer in the power and energy sector.

A combination of vision, courage, technology and muscle helped fuel the electrification of the Tennessee Valley and also drove economic growth and lifted communities out of poverty — lighting the path to an electrified future. For decades, Tennessee has remained unique in the South with its diverse range of power resources.

We are now at the dawn of another energy era, both nationally and globally, and are headed for a revolution in renewable technologies, especially large-scale solar and wind power, as well as battery storage.

Tennessee, and the entire Southeast, will play a critically important role in the burgeoning clean energy revolution.

Accordingly, Vanderbilt University is hosting a forum Monday and Tuesday, where energy, health and economic experts from around the country will gather to discuss the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon emissions and stimulate growth of renewable energy.

For two days, these experts will discuss the challenges and opportunities as states, including Tennessee, plan ahead for their compliance with the Clean Power Plan.

As clean energy takes hold, and more Americans put solar panels on their roofs, grid operators will have to work smarter to incorporate these distributed sources of energy. This extra effort on the part of the electrical sector will come with distinct advantages for all energy consumers: the development of a more flexible and responsive power system that can more adequately respond to changes in energy demand. For a reliable energy grid, the Clean Power Plan makes perfect sense.

For example, grid demand is often highest when it’s the hottest, meaning that the greatest amount of energy is needed on hot summer afternoons. Fortunately, those sunny days are the exact time when solar power performs. What’s more, this abundance of solar power will mean power providers won’t have to rely solely on expensive, additional fossil fuels to meet the surges in demand.

Even without the Clean Power Plan, our country is heading down the clean energy path for purely economic reasons. With the constantly falling prices of renewables, more and more utilities have started embracing clean energy.

Here at home, the Tennessee Valley Authority has already begun the transition to a cleaner energy portfolio with the region’s first, and still only, wind farm as well as newly-announced utility-scale solar projects and continued retirement of coal plants. TVA staff will soon present their latest long-term energy plan, the Integrated Resource Plan, to its Board for approval — a plan that will most likely include more renewables and more energy efficiency.

In addition to renewable energy generation within the Valley, TVA is also purchasing wind-generated electricity from other states. Even though it’s buying clean power from other states, Tennessee’s economy is already benefiting from renewables. Over 2,000 Tennesseans are employed by the 151 different companies in the Volunteer State’s growing solar power industry.

The importance of this energy transition cannot be overstated, as it’s vital that we continue down the road that leads to the end of burning of fossil fuels for power. Our dependence on fossil fuels, in my opinion, not only causes climate change, it also endangers the health of our families, friends and neighbors. One recent study found that, if implemented strongly, the Clean Power Plan could save as many as 6,100 lives each year by moving the U.S. toward clean, renewable energy sources.

If you’re interested in exploring the effects of the Clean Power Plan, join us at the Vanderbilt University Law School in Flynn Auditorium at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday. More information about the event can be found here: http://cleanpowerplanMay2015.eventbrite.com.

Susan Richardson Williams is founder of SRW & Associates, which is a cosponsor of Vanderbilt's Clean Power Plan forum, and former Tennessee Valley Authority board member.