More gas turbines like the two Siemens state-of-the art gas turbines that will be installed in the Lordstown Energy Center are good for the state, finds a new report by the Ohio Business Roundtable. But more wind and solar? Not so good, the report argues. (Martin Adam www.siemens.com/press)
COLUMBUS — “The Ohio Business Roundtable is calling for a comprehensive reworking of the state’s energy policies in order to accelerate shale gas development and end the current political deadlock over renewable power such as wind and solar.
Eighteen months in the making, the Roundtable’s proposals are contained in a short ‘CEO-level’ report backed by a massive analysis done by McKinsey and Co.
‘Improving Ohio’s Energy Competitiveness’ is enthusiastic about developing the state’s Utica Shale gas reserves. And that includes building many more gas pipelines. The shortage of pipeline capacity here has led to prices so low that most gas production companies have had to stop drilling.
…Wind and solar also have come in for positive recognition in the Roundtable report.
‘The growing share of renewables in Ohio’s power generation mix, today and tomorrow, offers the state an opportunity to capture a larger market share of renewable development and manufacturing,’ the summary study says.
Renewable technologies are becoming much more efficient and less expensive, the report also notes, and could rival nuclear power in the coming years.
But the report’s authors also believe the state should do away with mandates requiring power companies to offer more and more green power over the next decade. Those mandates are now frozen but set to come back Jan. 1, and a political battle is already shaping up for the end of the year that could see Gov. Kasich veto a proposed permanent freeze.”
John Funk, The Plain Dealer
link to full article
