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... in the News
Florida in position to take a national lead on
alternative energy say experts
by Jim Turner, TC Palm
August 28, 2007
JUPITER -- Florida has a chance to
quickly take a national lead in the alternative energy market,
researchers and industry officials said Monday as the 2007
Alternative Energy Summit opened at the Jupiter Beach Resort.
And the nation needs to shift its primary source of energy for its
security and economic future, said U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm
Beach Gardens, who led the summit.
"We are now in a situation where we can never be held hostage by
countries that control our energy, who are out for our demise, we
have to be bold, we have to be resolute," Mahoney said. "At the end
of the day, biofuels and alternative energies are not the only
solution but part of the solution. We've got to make investments in
all areas."
A big part of the conversion is to convince investors on the
positives of the alternative energies that can be produced in
Florida, he said.
The summit was to designed to identify the role Florida can play in
developing alternative energy.
Eric Wachsman, University of Florida Research Foundation professor,
Materials Science and Engineering, said that while solar and nuclear
power are needed to help bridge any endeavor to convert the nation
to hydrogen power, biomass — citrus, sugar cane and vegetation — is
where Florida can take a lead.
"Florida has the technology and therefore has the most to gain if we
lead in sustainable energy," he said. "Florida has the resources and
science/technological expertise to be a leader. All it needs are the
bold vision and financial resources to make that potential a
reality."
The state has 15 million acres of forest land, 10 million acres of
farmland, 10 percent of the potential biomass resources in the
nation.
"It would be a darn shame if we didn't use it," Wachsman said.
Rick Driscoll, associate professor at Florida Atlantic University's
Department of Ocean Engineering in the College of Engineering and
Computer Science, said Florida is best suited to harness thermal
energy from the ocean and through underwater turbines, similar to
wind turbines, to capture ocean currents.
"It's clean, there are no emissions and it can generate power any
time," he said.
Driscoll said the ocean energy has the potential to supply the
world's energy demands thousands of times over, significantly
reducing greenhouse gases within 10 years, and long-term, creating
thousands of jobs for a highly skilled work force, changing the
state from an energy importer to energy exporter.
Research must still be done to determine the impact on sea life, he
added.
Lonnie Ingram, professor of microbiology at the University of
Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, said the
state can become the nation's top producer of biomass. However, he
cautioned that there isn't enough biomass to replace existing gas
demands and that there are consequences of rushing out to replace
oil with citrus and woodland refuse.
"We can use all the land to produce reusable fuels," Ingram said.
"We have to ensure any development to make reusable fuel doesn't
impact the food industry."
Mahoney said Congress has to find partners to help in funding due to
the commitments to the war in Iraq and homeland security.
Learn more about
the 2007 Alternative Energy Summit:
Powering Florida's Energy Independence.
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