The Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy (GPACE) held their Clean Energy Day II on Thursday at the State Capitol in Topeka.
A number of speakers from mostly left-leaning organizations spoke at the event about various aspects of clean energy, especially wind energy, which is plentiful in Kansas at times.
The public address system for the event was not powered by either wind or solar energy, so the event was coal-powered with electrical cords traced back to the Capitol.
Some in the crowd, estimated at 450, had homemade signs, such as:
- Kansas Energy: Keep It Clean
- Gov. Sebelius, Just say NO
- Wind is my friend!
- Yes Wind Can
- Clean Coal is like Dry Water
- Clean Coal, Dirty Lie
There was no discussion of free markets and little discussion about how the proposals for clean energy would provide a reliable source of energy.
After the rally, participants were guided to their state legislators for discussions.
See the video:
Kansas Clean Energy Day 2009 (4:44)
Appearing in the video:
- Scott Allegrucci, GPACE Lobbyist
- Emil Ramierez, United Steelworkers
- Diane Kuhn, League of Women Voters of Kansas
- John Neuenswander, American Lung Association Lobbyist
- Connie Pace-Adair, Kansas Interfaith Power & Light Steering Committee, Green Bible
- Donn Teske, Kansas Farmers Union
- Kim Hanson, True Blue Women
- Jeff Manning, UAW Local 31
- Dan Nagengast, Kansas Rural Center
- Tom Thompson, Kansas Sierra Club Lobbyist
- Jim Mason, Kansas Natural Resource Council
- Richard Mabion, Building a Sustainable Earth Community
- Kathie Moore, Reno County Wind Energy Task Force
- James Roberts, GPACE Lobbyist
Apologies to the second-to-last speaker, Nancy Jackson, Land Institute since video of her talk was accidentally not recorded.
Before the event, participants were encouraged to meet at a particular parking lot and take buses to the event. It’s not known who paid for those buses.
Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson, who was not at the event, is the chair of a Kansas Wind Working Group and has held several meetings, as recently as Feb 20, 2009. In Jan 2008 I challenged Lt. Gov. Parkinson by E-mail to include more engineers and economists in his study of alternative energy in Kansas. I suggested to Lt. Gov. Parkinson to tap the knowledge and experience from energy expert engineers at K-State, who worked on alternative energy projects during the energy crises of the 1970s. Lt. Gov. Parkinson never responded to my E-mail.
The Kansas Wind Working Group has tapped some bright Wichita State University talent in their College of Engineering to work on “Sustainable Energy Solutions,” which is part of a Department of Energy grant.
Proponents of clean energy think all problems are solved, but look at what this Feb 20, 2009 report from Wichita State said:
Wind electricity generation systems are cost-effective if we reduce
- failure rates
- replacement of parts
The group’s research will develop a database for green footprint of wind generation:
- How much energy is needed to manufacture … electricity generation?
- How much waste is produced?
- From the mine or well to the disposal of old wind generators?
This is all great and needed research, but shouldn’t we have more research by engineers and analysis by economists before we replace out cost-effective baseline power generation?
Many see the energy issue as “and” not “or”: we need coal and nuclear and wind and solar, instead of an “either or” approach.
As an alternative voice to GPACE, the Alliance for Sound Energy Policy is a statewide, non-partisan organization to balance growing energy needs with environmental stewardship.
My degree is in nuclear engineering from Kansas State (graduating magna cum laude), and I worked on alternative energy projects during the energy crises in the 1970s. For example, I was a co-author of this report: Wind energy applications in agriculture from 1979. We looked at energy demand profiles of farms over four seasons and how that demand was met, or not met, by wind. Engineers and economics worked on those projects in the late 70s, not politicians.
Political activities, like this clean energy day, killed nuclear power in the United State in the 1970s. New U.S. nuclear plant orders peaked the year I started at K-State. When I graduated four-year later, political activities reduced new U.S. nuclear power plant orders to zero, and there have been no new orders in the U.S. for over 30 years.
Without nuclear energy and without power form coal, will wind and solar provide our energy needs for a technologically advanced society?
What should happen when there’s no wind?
Jeffrey Energy Center Windmills
Where’s the wind on lazy, hazy summer days when power consumption for air condition peaks?
Why are government subsides and higher taxes needed to make alternative energy viable?
Related:
- Alliance for Sound Energy Policy
- Go, clean energy backers tell lawmakers, Hutchinson News, March 20, 2009.
- Yesterday’s protest: Clean Energy Day II, The Pitch, March 20, 2009. [with pictures]
- GPACE Director Scott Allegrucci’s comments from Clean Energy Day, March 20, 2009.
- Pickets blast coal bill, Topeka Capital-Journal, March 19, 2009.
- Anti-coal groups converge on KS Statehouse, Kansas City Star prime buzz, March 19, 2009.
- Union, faith, environmental, other Kansas groups call for better clean energy policy, climate + energy project, March 19, 2009.
- Will we have electricity when the wind doesn’t blow when we’re old?, Kansas Meadowlark, Aug 18, 2008.
- GPACE Action 527 PAC Identifying Global Warming Voters in Kansas, Kansas Meadowlark, May 18, 2008.
Tags: Alternative Energy, Clean Energy, coal, Energy Policy, Free Markets, Solar Energy, wind energy
