Living in rural Pennsylvania, there are a few sources for sustainable and renewable energy. Some are more evident than others. Other sources haven’t quite caught on yet.
In Pa, the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Act of 2004 requires 18% off energy sold to Pennsylvania to be come from renewable sources within 15 years. Personally I’d like to see that number increased but it’s a good start.
If you drive anywhere near Meyersdale, Pennsylvania it would be hard to miss the wind farms. The huge windmills spinning at any given time. You don’t even have to be in Meyersdale to see them as they can be seen from many miles away. Pennsylvania actually ranks 16th in the nation for wind energy generation! The entire state of Pennsylvania has a total of 24 wind farms so far.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is working with wind developers to help minimize the impact of energy sources on the natural wildlife.
In my opinion, there’s a few reasons why there’s not a bigger shift towards more sustainable energy catching on in Pennsylvania:
- Pennsylvania, especially rural Pennsylvania, tends to grip onto coal since it a job source that pays well. Recent promises for political figures have only encouraged residents to tighten the grip more.
- The start up cost of installing solar panels in PA can be tens of thousands of dollars on the average home. Something not within reach of many Pennsylvanians.
- Geothermal is becoming more popular but again, the start up cost of installing geothermal energy in a home can be out of reach for some.
That being said, Douglas Healy explains how energy companies can weather the shift to sustainable energy. While sustainable energy is a better option for the environment, until it improves, it’s not always reliable.
Some states however, have found success in using sustainable energy sources. In states where solar power is popular and more residents have solar panels installed, it can eliminate the customers energy bill all together. In some cases, those customers actually get paid for the energy they produce. My husband’s aunt lives in Massachusetts. She had solar panels installed on her home. She said it cost about $70k to install but she no longer had an energy bill. Unless you’re paying several hundred a month of electric and plan on living in your house for many years, the pay off may not be evident to some home owners. However, it might be a big selling point should you need to sell your home.
There are also some tax incentives. According to the IRS website, there are even tax credits for making your home more energy efficient to include new window installation, renewable energy equipment, etc. If you are unsure if you improvements you’ve made would qualify, you could always as a tax professional. Often times, the company installing your improvements will have that information as that is a selling point for them.
I’m also hopeful in the development of biofuels for vehicles. I’ve recently read that there is a company trying to make fuel from algae. Then I’ve heard about a company trying to make tires from recycled materials. I’d also like to see better ways to recycle or repurpose junk cars.
This post is sponsored by Diamond Links. Any opinions expressed are my own.
