This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tom Wharton gives us a glimpse into the future with his article "Rocky Mountain Power to build first solar farm in Utah" (Tribune, March 26). Through their Solutions Project, Stanford University Professor Mark Jacobson and colleagues give us a better idea of what that future might be like.
The interactive map on the Solution Project website allows the user to click on any state and see how that state can be powered with clean energy. Jacobson's map shows Utah meeting 100 percent of our electricity needs by 2050 with the following: residential rooftop PV (photovoltaic or solar panels), 10 percent; solar PV plants, 25 percent; concentrated solar plants, 15 percent; wind, 40 percent; geothermal, 8 percent; and hydroelectric, 2 percent.
They calculate that future energy costs would be stable and lower than fossil fuel-derived energy, and 490 air pollution-caused deaths per year would be avoided.
An economy powered by clean energy will have an inexhaustible source of power, almost no air pollution, and a stable climate.
Shouldn't our elected officials be creating and supporting smart policy that will help us move to this clean energy future?
David S. Folland, M.D.
Sandy