Power Grid Limits Potential of Renewable Energy
The dirty secret of clean energy is that while generating it is getting easier, moving it to market is not. Full Story »
Posted by Chris FinnieReview
After reading this article, I now understand major hurdles the U.S. is facing in switching from traditional (fossil fuels) to alternative energy (wind, solar); these obstacles are, what New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson calls, "a third-world grid", and also includes complex conflicts between states over interstate energy lines and future projects. The reporter includes quotations from many key, named players, and this gives credibility to the piece, yet is also a bit vague in sourcing key facts throughout the article (see my suggestions below for adding facts and strengthening this piece). The context is clear. I'd like to see a follow-up article on solutions that states (perhaps California) are working on to modernize the grid, and make access to it, easier in any way.
If I’m going to read a piece whose core is based on facts and figures, I want to know the exact numbers and their sources.
Wind advocates [include a named source here] say that just two of the windiest states, North Dakota and South Dakota, could in principle generate half [include precise percentage here] the nations electricity from turbines [include source of this statistic, either by name, link or both]. But the way the national grid is configured, half the country [include precise percentage or number of people or which coastal cities’ populations — something to help readers visualize how many people this affects] would have to move to the Dakotas in order to use the power [include source of this statistic, either by name, link or both].