January 28, 2011
This week’s solar news roundup will shed some light on the energy-related goals and programs that the Obama government is committed to achieving. From the clean energy content of the President’s State of the Union address to the DOE’s Recovery Act major milestone, the future of our natural resources is most certainly a topic of great importance.
President Obama’s State of the Union Address
The big news this week comes from President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. President Obama made it clear that taking robust environmental action should be a priority for the country. He advocated for strong government support on clean energy projects, through critical investments and funding. Obama set the goal that by 2035, 80% of American households would receive their power from clean energy sources. These sources would include nuclear, natural gas, and clean coal. Obama also seeks to eliminate oil subsidies, which add up to about $4 billion a year in tax subsidies to oil and gas companies.
Further related to clean energy, the President discussed transportation and wants the U.S. to be “the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015“. He also indicated his goal to have high speed rail transportation accessible 80% of Americans within 25 years. Obama also stated the importance of national infrastructure and called for further investment in highways and roads.
300,000 of 600,000 Weatherized Homes Completed
On the topic of government support of energy investments, the Department of Energy recently announced that more than 300,000 low-income homes have been weatherized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The weatherization program aims to reduce home energy bills for low-income families across the country. This half-way point was reached in November 2010, and indicates great progress towards achieving President Obama’s goal of weatherizing 600,000 homes under the Recovery Act. In the first year alone, the weatherization of these initial 300,000 homes is expected to save $161 million in energy costs nationwide.
DOE Secretary, Steven Chu, stated: “Through the weatherization program, we are laying the groundwork for a broader efficiency industry in the U.S. that will help grow our economy while saving money for American families.”
The weatherizing program will provide upgrades in insulation, air sealing, and more efficient HVAC systems, which will increase home energy efficiency and consequently lower energy bills for low-income families. Weatherized homes will save low-income families approximately $400 on their energy bills in the first year by reducing residential energy consumption by an average of 35% per household.
The program is also creating significant job opportunities, employing more than 15,000 green workers across the country.
{ 1 trackback }