(Adds comments from Exxon CEO, think tank representatives.)
By Ian Talley and Henry J. Pulizzi Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- President-elect Barack Obama Thursday vowed to double U.S. production of alternative energy in the next three years and make government buildings and homes more energy-efficient.
Environmental groups hailed the pledge, but some in the industry questioned whether the goal was realistically achievable.
"To finally spark the creation of a clean energy economy, we will double the production of alternative energy in the next three years," Obama said while unveiling new details of his economic stimulus plans.
"We will modernize more than 75% of federal buildings and improve the energy efficiency of two million American homes, saving consumers and taxpayers billions on our energy bills," he said.
"We will put Americans to work in new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced - jobs building solar panels and wind turbines; constructing fuel-efficient cars and buildings; and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to even more jobs, more savings, and a cleaner, safer planet in the bargain," Obama said in a speech at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.
The remarks, Obama's latest effort to sell the public on the urgency of a huge package of tax cuts and spending, called for lawmakers to pass the plan "in the next few weeks."
Officials from the President-elect's transition office weren't immediately able to offer details on what sectors Obama planned to spur growth in, or how he planned to achieve his goal.
Meanwhile, environmental groups welcomed the announcement. "The National Wildlife Federation applauds President-elect Obama for presenting a vision of economic recovery centered around clean, Made-in-America, renewable energy," said Jeremy Symons, NWF's senior vice president for conservation and education.
But some questioned the goal's feasibility.
"Aspiration goals are good because they challenge people...but let's be realistic about time frames, let's don't fool ourselves," said ExxonMobil (XOM) Chief Executive Rex Tillerson on the sidelines of an event in Washington.
"If you include biofuels, which are already at mandate levels...doubling that requires you to have available cellulosic conversion technology which does not exist today," he said.
Wind turbine manufacturing is also at full capacity, with many firm's orders delayed in the growth in backorders.
Dan Weiss, Director of Climate Strategy at the Center for American Progress, said much of the growth in alternative energy could come from the previously mandated renewable fuels standard and an accelerated program to install solar panels on houses and government buildings and new geothermal facilities. Weiss said Obama may be able to encourage the growth of new turbine manufacturing plants, particularly if Congress is able to pass a renewable energy portfolio, which would require an increasing percentage of power generation from sources such as wind and solar.
A major hurdle in the expansion of renewable energy, however, is the new electricity transmission infrastructure, which many experts say will take at least a decade to site and build.
Such hurdles may be why Obama used the phrase "alternative energy" as opposed to "renewable energy," which allows for a much broader range of energy sources.
Weiss' group, whose president is head of Obama's transition team, has previously recommended to the President-elect in their stimulus proposals that energy efficiency would be the easiest to achieve in the short term and that renewable energy growth was central to longer-term economic growth.
Among its short-term recommendations, the Center for American Progress said the government should spend $3.5 billion to install solar panels with a capacity of two gigawatts on the roofs of federal buildings, and amend federal electricity contracting to allow for 30-year power purchasing agreements. That, say many experts, would provide the long-term incentive that many renewable power companies and investors need to plow valuable - and currently very costly - capital and credit into new alternative energy projects.
-By Ian Talley, Dow Jones Newswires, 202-862-9285; ian.talley@dowjones.com
-By Henry J. Pulizzi, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9256; henry.pulizzi@dowjones.com
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Publié le 08 janvier 2009 Copyright © 2009 Dowjones