The present and future of renewable energy in New York and the United States
August Donat Wojtkiewicz
LeoVera, USA
: Expert Opin Environ Biol
Abstract
Renewable Energy is critical for our future energy needs for multiple reasons. The pressing issue of Climate Change requires that we transition to clean energy sources as rapidly as possible, as well as leave the overwhelming majority of fossil fuel reserves in the ground as a means to slow the rate of temperature increase that we have been observing this over the past century. The benefits are manifold. No emissions from energy generation sources mean cleaner air, water and land for people and the ecosystem. Free energy sources such as the wind, the sun and the flow of water ultimately mean lower electricity prices for consumers in the long term and increased economic prosperity for society, as funds spent on energy can be invested elsewhere. The prices for renewable energy technologies are falling year after year and the spread of implementation is increasing rapidly. It is the fastest growing job sector in the United States. New York and other states have set mandates for renewable energy sources. New York is required to produce 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. California has set the mandate for 100% renewable energy by 2045. 100% renewable energy is the goal and objective, for individual states, The United States and The World as a whole. The faster we achieve this, the quicker we will see the effects of climate change slow down and ultimately we will see a return to equilibrium planet temperatures if we cease emissions and the use of fossil fuels for energy. Many see this as an incredible opportunity to transform modern society from using highly polluting sources of energy, to using non-emitting advanced forms of clean energy. This means the evolution of our energy technologies and the evolution and modernization of our civilization.
Biography
August Donat Wojtkiewicz graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Hunter College in 2013. He has taken additional classes online at Harvard, MIT and other institutions. He was Vice-Chair of the Academic Senate at Hunter and a member of Hunter Sustainability Project and CUNY Divest. He advocated for the divestment of City University of New York’s endowment from fossil fuels and was instrumental in getting 15 separate student governments at the University to pass resolutions in favor of fossil fuel divestment. He started a renewable energy startup, LeoVera, in 2015 and would like to transition New York, the United States and the World to 100% renewable energy. He is a rising expert on renewable energy technologies and has participated in numerous conferences on the issue, including The Solar Summit in New York and the Sustainable Energy for All Forums at the United Nations.
