Why the US isn't ready for clean energy
Making clean energy isn’t enough. We also have to move it.
Transcript
00:00The state of Vermont has one of
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undefined:undefinedwhen a new solar project here was denied.
00:22This area doesn’t
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undefined:undefinedof electricity onto the grid —
00:37and by grid, I mean
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undefined:undefinedfuture in the US,
00:52we’ll need to build more
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undefined:undefinedLA, Chicago…
01:14And here’s where every
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undefined:undefinedmostly nuclear and natural gas.
01:29Electricity goes from the power plant,
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undefined:undefinedplans to be greener.
01:45The goal is to have 100% renewable
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undefined:undefinednatural gas plants for wind turbines.
02:07Coal plants,
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undefined:undefinedelectric stoves.
02:21Basically, we’re going to be
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undefined:undefinedwind turbine in their place.
02:37They need to be where it's,
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undefined:undefinedcould, in theory, be built.
02:49Aside from some offshore wind farms,
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undefined:undefinedneed to get electricity from here to here.
03:09And, we’re going
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undefined:undefinedbut it really is the key.
03:22This is where the US currently has
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undefined:undefinedsimple process.
03:36Every wire in your house has plastic over it,
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undefined:undefinedapart from each other, it’s safe.
03:56But they also have to be kept
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undefined:undefinedwe’ll need more of,
04:12as we lengthen the distance from
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undefined:undefinedare thicker —
04:25the bigger the cable, the more
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undefined:undefinedhow large they are,
04:38but also how much private
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undefined:undefinedand can crater the whole thing.
04:51So experts say we should start building
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undefined:undefinedwhere we build a lot of stranded generation.
05:08We want to proactively build the transmission
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undefined:undefinedtransmission lines,
05:22so when it’s sunny in Arizona,
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undefined:undefinedbillion in investments in the next 10 years.
05:41Almost as much as investments in
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I'm optimistic about our ability:undefinedto do it, because we have done it before.
05:56I am nervous
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undefined:undefinedwe could be closer to 80%.
06:13But just making greener
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undefined:undefineddecarbonize without it.