Repower America: 100% Of Our Electricity With Zero Carbon Emissions-- In 10 Years!

On July 17, Al Gore challenged America to produce 100 percent of our electricity from energy sources with zero carbon emissions - and to do so within 10 years.

His speech, and the resulting dialogue, is resetting the way Americans think about our energy future and the climate crisis. It may also be resetting our understanding of what is possible.

The goal is ambitious, but achievable.

It would require us to make significant improvements in energy efficiency. These gains could be made quickly. Numerous studies show that the average household can improve its energy efficiency by 30% or more - with existing technologies.

It would require a significant ramp-up in electricity generation from renewable energy sources, including wind, solar thermal, photovoltaic and geothermal. It would likely require a unified national power grid, which would allow all Americans to benefit from this shift - because electricity generated in one part of the country would be available in another.

The technology to make this shift exists, and there are no material constraints.

Meeting the challenge would save money. This year, American power companies will spend roughly $100 billion on fossil fuels to generate electricity. That figure will surely increase in the coming decades, and could fluctuate in unpredictable ways. Once the initial capital investments are made to bring about this shift, we could begin relying on free fuel. There will be costs associated with the transmission of electricity - as there are today - but the price of wind and sun doesn't change - they are free. The bulk of funding for this effort would come from private sources.

The fast pace is essential - and possible. Moving at this pace is key to solving the climate crisis - the best scientists are unified in saying this is the most important step we can take to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Moving quickly will allow American businesses to help lead a global energy revolution. And we've seen this kind of change in the past. The personal computer and mobile phone industries have experienced extraordinary growth for extended periods. Costs keep coming down, and the technologies become more efficient. The same can happen with a new energy economy.

This addresses multiple problems at once. In his speech, Al Gore focused on three major challenges facing the American people: skyrocketing energy prices, national security threats linked to our reliance on foreign oil, and the specter of catastrophic climate change. Addressing these issues one at a time hasn't worked. The key is to address them all at once. We do that when we focus on Repowering America with clean electricity.

By focusing on sources that do not emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases, our electricity supply could retain the existing fossil fuel-free energy production from nuclear and hydroelectric power. And it highlights the need to develop and commercialize the means to safely store and capture carbon from coal and gas; until then, these fossil fuels cannot be considered "clean."

Return to the We Campaign's Challenge to America page.