Staff editorials
2011
The 2011 Powering a Nation staff has spent the last 10 weeks developing a project that shows the complexities of our relationship with coal. We hope that you will see how coal powers our lives and get a sense of what that means for people on different sides of the issue.
2010
Ten weeks of reporting and research have resulted in the UNC News21 team understanding U.S. energy needs to undergo sea change. Industry, government and consumers must redefine their roles, actions and relationships with one another to deliver us from the fossil fuel era.
Why should I care about electricity?
GUEST EDITORIAL BY BRYAN HANNEGAN PH.D., VICE PRESIDENT, ENVIRONMENT AND RENEWABLE ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Imagine a world without electricity: no computers or cell phones to stay in touch with your workplace and no television or video games for your kids. We can’t shop online, pay our bills, catch up on the news or even read a book on one of our electronic devices. Once the sun goes down, we retreat to our homes, lit by dim kerosene lamps or fireplaces. Productivity stops, and we seemingly return to the dark ages.
Electricity – produced from fossil, nuclear or renewable resources – is the backbone of a prosperous society. As electricity use increases, so does gross domestic product, a fundamental measure of economic health and prosperity. That is why developing countries such as China and India are building new power plants on a massive scale to ensure that there is sufficient electricity to continue their explosive economic growth for the foreseeable future.
Here in the United States, our economy is fueled by a mature power industry that has produced reliable and affordable electricity for generations. However, many of our existing power plants will face issues of aging, tighter limits on air and water emissions and potential new greenhouse gas controls. At the same time, we are integrating new, “smarter” elements into our electricity grid (such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) and adding variable renewable energy resources like wind and solar into our energy mix. These actions will challenge us to maintain the reliability and affordability we have all come to depend upon to drive our economy, power our industries and support our standard of living.
Our research at the Electric Power Research Institute is more than just about how to keep the lights on. It is about finding the most effective, efficient and environmentally sound ways to harness the energy from the world’s natural resources to produce affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity today and for future generations.