BY CINDY LOWRY
This op-ed originally was published to the Montgomery Advertiser on October 3, 2024. Click here to read the piece there (for subscribers only).
I was heartened to see that Governor Ivey issued a proclamation declaring the week of September 23 – 27 as Clean Energy Week in Alabama. Governor Ivey and other state leaders recognize that clean energy, which helps ensure healthy communities and a healthy environment, is an essential part of any thriving economy, and this is a promising step forward for Alabama.
The Governor’s proclamation rightfully identifies several sources of clean energy, such as solar and wind power, but as a water advocate I find it misleading that she also includes others, such as nuclear and hydropower. The proclamation specifically calls out that Alabama is the 5th and 2nd largest generators of these two sources respectively. Recent opinion articles have also touted Alabama’s use of hydropower and nuclear as a major part of our clean energy future. Relying on our existing hydropower and nuclear electricity for a large portion of our current and future “clean” energy economy fails to acknowledge the reality that continued reliance on energy sources that drastically alter and strain our vital water resources is neither clean nor sustainable.
According to the Alabama Office of Water Resources Water Use Report, 80% of water withdrawals in Alabama are used to cool coal, gas and nuclear electricity generating plants. These thermoelectric power plants use billions of gallons of water a day to generate electricity, while other technologies such as solar and wind use very little water.
Hydropower generation currently makes up less than 10% of the electricity generated in Alabama. Hydropower dams have severely impacted all of our major river systems in Alabama, reducing by staggering numbers the aquatic biodiversity they once boasted, altering water quantity and degrading water quality downstream of the dams – all the way to Mobile Bay. Research has shown that hydropower reservoirs and dam operations create and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas that in some cases, are on par with the greenhouse gas emissions of coal plants. Advocates continue to call on EPA to monitor methane emissions from hydropower reservoirs to better understand these impacts.
The reality is that transitioning to new sources of energy is complicated. Determining what is truly clean energy and what a clean energy transition should look like for Alabama must be achieved in a thoughtful way that considers not just economic development and profit for electricity utilities, but also the impacts to our vital water resources and other concerns, such as siting and affordability.
Another recent decision by Governor Ivey to form a state Resiliency Council shows us that she recognizes the need to ensure that Alabama communities can cope with ever-increasing extreme weather events and the other challenges climate change poses to homes, property, public infrastructure and the built environment. Clean energy and resiliency go hand in hand. Ensuring that our water resources are protected and remain resilient in the face of climate change is essential. Safeguarding these resources requires creating a path to clean energy that does not sacrifice our rivers.
Unfortunately, we are already woefully behind on the move to create a true clean energy economy in Alabama, and many policy barriers still remain. We still have a state-sanctioned fee on individuals who want to put solar panels on their own homes and connect them to the electrical grid. We still don’t have a fair system for paying people for excess power generated and sent back to the grid when they install solar panels and we still don’t have a statewide plan for managing and sustaining our water resources. As the state eyes more interest from large energy- and water-guzzling data centers, like Facebook/Meta, there is no time to waste.
Recognizing clean energy week in Alabama is a positive first step toward ensuring we do not fall further behind in this inevitable transition, but it isn’t enough. We must develop concrete policies, plans, and actions to support the transition to clean energy that works for the people and nature of Alabama. Bringing stakeholders together to create a statewide water plan that incorporates planning for a clean energy future would be a great way to start.
Let’s applaud the Governor for this first step, and ask her to keep stepping forward, because we’re going to need some “high steppin’” to catch up!