We as a community have made energy conservation and efficiency changes.
From 1990, 27 years ago, some changes include:
1. Light bulbs, from incandescent to compact fluorescent to LED;
2. Home and building heat, from oil furnace to Toyo Stove to ground or air-source heat pump;
3. Personal transport vehicle, from something like a Dodge Caravan that got 20 miles/gallon to a Honda FIT that gets 35 miles/gallon to a Nissan LEAF electric, which uses Juneau hydroelectricity and gets about 100 miles/gallon equivalent.
By the year 2045, 27 years from now, what can we accomplish?
The draft Juneau Renewable Energy Strategy (JRES) proposes producing 80 percent of our community’s total “internal” energy from renewable sources. Many of the recommendations require shifting from fossil fuels to electricity. We will need to pay for upgrades to our electrical system and new hydroelectric supplies. The draft JRES doesn’t pretend to have all the answers on how best to accomplish that, but it points to the $140 million per year we’re now spending on fossil fuels, most of which goes out of Juneau and Alaska. Over the next 27 years, saving 80 percent of $140 million per year could provide “funding” for our transition to local renewable-sourced energy for our “internal” community needs.
We can be more local and thrifty. We can aspire to provide 80 percent of Juneau’s total “internal” energy from local renewable sources.
I encourage the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly to adopt the Juneau Renewable Energy Strategy.
Nancy Waterman,
Juneau