Energy, vision and courage

WITH THE PRICE of a gallon of gas moving rapidly north towards $5, it behooves us to address critical energy issues.

Those who support expanded drilling for more oil are stuck in the wrong century; they might as well be calling for investments in more whaling ships to increase the yield of whale blubber.

The future economic success of Rhode Island in the 21st century will be directly proportional to the state’s ability to create new communities of innovation in sectors such as life sciences and marine sciences as part of a knowledge-based economy where the connections are not dependent upon having to drive a car to work.

Commuters know intrinsically, as they are stuck in traffic trying to navigate through the endless reconstruction of the new I-Way and the reconfiguration of the intersection of Routes 95 and 195 in Providence, that the problems with the project go way beyond the failure to inspect concrete or the cost overruns: the real traffic jam is about the state’s failure to invest in a modern light-rail mass transit system.

It’s a shanda that the proposed new train station connecting Warwick and T.H.Greene Airport with Providence has yet to be built, despite legislative approval.

And, in the same manner in which wireless technology and broadband communications have revolutionized the telephone and computer industries, Rhode Island needs to invest in a new, distributed system of energy production – let’s call it modern power – for our homes, workplaces, schools and communities.

Under such an initiative,homeowners would have the opportunity to install three items:

• a solar photovoltaic system;

• a solar hot water system; and

• a rainwater harvesting system.

Such an initiative will reduce our region’s economic and environmental vulnerability, save millions of dollars per year in energy costs, reduce dependence on foreign oil, and create thousands of new job opportunities.

As much of our economic, educational and employment activities in the 21st century move “online,” modern power will respond to the needs of the customer as a function of how the electricity will be used.

To be sure, the electric grid will never fade away. However, the infrastructure for power generation, transmission and distribution will need to be reorganized and re-regulated.

With its population of 1 million residents, 400,000 households (with about 45 percent which use oil for heat and hot water), Rhode Island is perfectly positioned to be a leader in modern power. All it will take is leadership, vision and courage.

The Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, as it moves forward with plans to create new urban and satellite campuses, has the opportunity to lead by example by incorporating innovative energy initiatives.