Power Shift

The Isham family lives in a pretty conventional three-bedroom house with a two-car garage in Cornwall, Vermont. It has a dishwasher, a washer and dryer, high-speed internet, and air conditioning in the summer. What’s different is that all those conveniences are powered by 24 solar panels that top a small carport in front of their house.

“We’d been thinking for a while about how to make our house more efficient,” says Tracy Himmel Isham, who explains that their now-17-year-old child, Lily, had been nagging them for years to go green. “So finally, we just decided to go all-in.”

The family’s home is still connected to the conventional power grid. On sunny days, the 24-by-15-foot solar array provides all the house’s electricity and plenty more that’s sent back to the power company for others to use. At night, when the Ishams flip on the lights, their power comes from the grid, but it’s mostly free because of all the excess electricity they’re credited for during the day.

The Isham family lives in a pretty traditional house in Cornwall, Vermont. There are three bedrooms and a two-car garage. It has a dishwasher, a washer and dryer, high-speed internet, and air conditioning in the summer. What’s different is that all those things are powered by 24 solar panels that top a small carport in front of the house.

“We’d been thinking for a while about how to make our house more efficient,” says Tracy Himmel Isham, who explains that their now-17-year-old child, Lily, had been nagging them for years to go green. “So finally, we just decided to go all-in.”

The family’s home is still connected to the normal power grid. On sunny days, the 24-by-15-foot solar cluster provides all the house’s electricity. It also sends some electricity back to the power company for others to use. At night, when the Ishams flip on the lights, their power comes from the grid. Still, it’s mostly free because of all the excess electricity they’re credited for during the day.

With the Biden administration calling for a major shift away from fossil fuels, the Ishams are among a growing number of Americans turning toward renewable energy, such as solar and wind. In 2020, a new solar system was installed on average every 75 seconds in the United States, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The U.S. has more than 69,000 wind turbines in 44 states, a huge increase from two decades earlier, when only four states utilized wind power. All together, renewable energy now provides about 20 percent of the country’s electricity, up from 9 percent in 2000.

“Wind and solar have gotten lots more affordable in the last 20 years, and that’s led to explosive growth,” says Eric Williams, a professor of sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T). “The U.S. has made great strides, especially with wind production.”

Renewable energies use resources such as sun, wind, or running water to generate electricity. Hydroelectric dams use the force of falling water to turn the blades on turbines to generate electricity. Wind farms work on the same principle, but they use wind to turn the turbine blades instead. Solar panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity by absorbing sunlight and using that energy to create an electrical current.

The Ishams are among a growing number of Americans turning toward renewable energy, such as solar and wind. This movement is happening as the Biden administration is calling for a major shift away from fossil fuels. In 2020, a new solar system was installed on average every 75 seconds in the United States, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The U.S. has more than 69,000 wind turbines in 44 states. That’s a huge increase from two decades earlier, when only four states had wind turbines. Renewable energy now provides about 20 percent of the country’s electricity. That’s a jump up from 9 percent in 2000.

“Wind and solar have gotten lots more affordable in the last 20 years, and that’s led to explosive growth,” says Eric Williams, a professor of sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T). “The U.S. has made great strides, especially with wind production.”

Renewable energies use resources such as sun, wind, or running water to generate electricity. Hydroelectric dams use the force of falling water to turn the blades on turbines to generate electricity. Wind farms work on the same basis, but they use wind to turn the turbine blades instead. Solar panels turn the sun’s energy into electricity by storing sunlight and using that energy to create an electrical current.

The U.S. still gets most of its electricity from fossil fuels (see graph, below). Americans began burning fossil fuels—first coal and later oil—in the 19th century. These fuels powered the Industrial Revolution and helped the U.S. grow into an economic superpower in the 20th century. Americans came to depend on oil to power cars, trucks, planes, and their homes. But burning fossil fuels creates carbon emissions, and those emissions are trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the planet, scientists say.

As the effects of climate change have become more obvious in recent years, including more extreme weather and more destructive forest fires, scientists have pushed for the U.S. to shift away from dependence on fossil fuels. The Department of Energy announced in September that it wants the country to get 45 percent of its electricity from solar energy by 2050—a massive increase from the 4 percent that currently comes from solar. The White House also wants to build thousands of new offshore wind turbines and expand the number of turbines on land.

“Climate change poses an existential threat, not just to our environment, but to our health, our communities, and our economic well-being,” says Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. She calls the development of offshore wind and other renewable energy resources “an important piece of addressing this reality.”

The U.S. still gets most of its electricity from fossil fuels (see graph, below). Americans began burning fossil fuels in the 19th century. At first it was coal, and then the U.S. turned to oil. These fuels powered the Industrial Revolution and helped the U.S. grow into an economic superpower in the 20th century. Americans came to depend on oil to power cars, trucks, planes, and their homes. But burning fossil fuels creates carbon emissions. And scientists say that those emissions are trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the planet.

The effects of climate change have become more obvious in recent years, including more extreme weather and more destructive forest fires. This has led scientists to push for the U.S. to shift away from dependence on fossil fuels. The Department of Energy announced in September that it wants the country to get 45 percent of its electricity from solar energy by 2050. That’ll be a massive increase from the 4 percent that currently comes from solar. The White House also wants to build thousands of new offshore wind turbines and expand the number of turbines on land.

“Climate change poses an existential threat, not just to our environment, but to our health, our communities, and our economic well-being,” says Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. She calls the development of offshore wind and other renewable energy resources “an important piece of addressing this reality.”

But a shift to generating most of the nation’s power from renewables won’t come easily. The White House had hoped to include massive funding for the shift to wind and solar in the legislation pending in Congress, but in mid-October, Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, announced that he wouldn’t support the bill with that funding.

Building the vast number of solar panels needed to meet the administration’s goal will strain manufacturers and require tens of thousands of new workers to be trained in the technology. Many communities have opposed large-scale wind projects, saying that huge turbines will mar the landscape and harm wildlife. And fishermen have objected to offshore wind developments on the grounds that turbines will damage the fisheries they depend on for their livelihoods.

Another challenge is that the nation’s electricity grid wasn’t designed for renewable energy. It was designed to transport massive amounts of power from coal- and gas-fired plants to the communities where it’s used. Most renewable energy doesn’t come from a single location, nor can you switch it on at a specified time. The amount being captured depends on conditions like whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. That means the U.S. needs the ability to store electricity generated during peak times and a system for supplementing renewable energy at times when wind and solar aren’t being productive.

“If you’re talking about getting 45 percent of our electricity from solar, you’re probably going to need a lot more storage,” says Williams, the R.I.T. professor. “And if electricity is being generated in homes, at some point, a lot more of it will need to be sent back to the grid. The system isn’t currently designed for that.”

Some parts of the country have long depended on the oil and coal industries to create jobs and support their economies. In Louisiana, for example, the oil and gas industry provides about a quarter of the state’s revenues; in Kentucky and West Virginia, coal mining provides thousands of jobs and contributes billions to the states’ economies. In places like these, shifting away from fossil fuels on a large scale will likely have painful effects, at least in the short term.

“We cannot live without fossil fuels or chemicals, period, end of story,” says Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana.

But none of this has stopped renewable energy from growing. In 2019, the use of renewable energy in the U.S. surpassed coal for the first time since 1885 (see graph, below). And that speaks to the fact that renewable energy has a long history. Before the rise of fossil fuels in the 19th century, people heated their homes by burning wood, and farmers erected windmills to run irrigation systems for their fields. The earliest mills in colonial America were built next to rivers to take advantage of hydropower.

But a shift to generating most of the nation’s power from renewables won’t come easily. The White House had hoped to include massive funding for the shift to wind and solar in the legislation pending in Congress. But in mid-October, Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, announced that he wouldn’t support the bill with that funding.

Building the vast number of solar panels needed to meet the administration’s goal will strain manufacturers. Tens of thousands of new workers will also need to be trained in the technology. Many communities have opposed large-scale wind projects. They say that huge turbines will ruin the landscape and harm wildlife. Fishermen have objected to offshore wind developments. They argue that turbines will damage the fisheries they depend on to make a living.

Another challenge is that the nation’s electricity grid wasn’t designed for renewable energy. It was designed to transport massive amounts of power from coal- and gas-fired plants to the communities where it’s used. Most renewable energy doesn’t come from a single location, nor can you switch it on at a specified time. The amount being captured depends on conditions like whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. That means the U.S. needs the ability to store electricity generated during peak times. The system will also have to be able to use an alternative at times when wind and solar aren’t being productive.

“If you’re talking about getting 45 percent of our electricity from solar, you’re probably going to need a lot more storage,” says Williams, the R.I.T. professor. “And if electricity is being generated in homes, at some point, a lot more of it will need to be sent back to the grid. The system isn’t currently designed for that.”

Some parts of the country have long depended on the oil and coal industries to create jobs and support their economies. For example, the oil and gas industry provides about a quarter of Louisiana’s revenues. In Kentucky and West Virginia, coal mining provides thousands of jobs and contributes billions to the states’ economies. In places like these, shifting away from fossil fuels on a large scale will likely have painful effects, at least in the short term.

“We cannot live without fossil fuels or chemicals, period, end of story,” says Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana.

But none of this has stopped renewable energy from growing. In 2019, the use of renewable energy in the U.S. was greater than the use of coal for the first time since 1885 (see graph, below). And that speaks to the fact that renewable energy has a long history. Before the rise of fossil fuels in the 19th century, people heated their homes by burning wood. Farmers built windmills to run watering systems for their fields. And the earliest mills in colonial America were built next to rivers to use hydropower.

Today the two states that generate the most renewable energy are Texas, which has the most wind turbines, and California, which has the most solar installations.

“If you compare those two states alone to the rest of the world, they’re doing very well globally, in terms of integrating renewables and pushing the envelope on what’s possible,” says Michael Craig of the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems. But some states, he adds, are way behind.

One area in which the U.S. lags other countries is offshore wind turbines. Europe has more than 5,000 of them, providing an increasing percentage of the continent’s power. Germany, for example, gets 27 percent of its electricity from wind. The U.S., despite having more than 90,000 miles of coastline, has only seven offshore turbines.

The wind tends to blow more strongly and steadily at sea than on shore, and turbines can be placed far enough away that they aren’t visible from land.

The Biden administration is moving ahead with offshore turbines, including a long-delayed project now under construction off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. And it’s begun leasing areas for wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey.

In the meantime, many businesses and institutions are making their own shifts to renewable energy. Companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Walmart have spent millions installing solar panels on their buildings. More than 40 American colleges and universities get all their electricity from renewable sources.

The two states that currently produce the most renewable energy are Texas and California. Texas has the most wind turbines, and California has the most solar installations.

“If you compare those two states alone to the rest of the world, they’re doing very well globally, in terms of integrating renewables and pushing the envelope on what’s possible,” says Michael Craig of the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems. But some states, he adds, are way behind.

One area in which the U.S. lags other countries is offshore wind turbines. Europe has more than 5,000 of them, providing an increasing percentage of the continent’s power. Germany, for example, gets 27 percent of its electricity from wind. The U.S., despite having more than 90,000 miles of coastline, has only seven offshore turbines.

The wind tends to blow more strongly and steadily at sea than on shore. And turbines can be placed far enough away that they aren’t visible from land.

The Biden administration is moving ahead with offshore turbines. This includes a long-delayed project now under construction off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. And the U.S. has begun leasing areas for wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey.

In the meantime, many businesses and institutions are making their own shifts to renewable energy. Companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Walmart have spent millions installing solar panels on their buildings. More than 40 American colleges and universities get all their electricity from renewable sources.

Renewable energy experts stress that you don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company to make a difference. Putting solar panels on the roof of a home isn’t that big a project, they say, and many places offer rebates or tax credits to make it more affordable.

The Isham family in Vermont got a low-interest loan to pay the $50,000 upfront cost of installing their solar panels. They used to pay as much as $260 a month for electricity; now their bill comes to $25 a month for fixed service fees. When they pay off their loan in 12 years, they’ll essentially be getting their power for free.

For Lily Isham, a senior at the Walden Project alternative education program who was the driving force behind the family’s decision to take the plunge into solar, the shift has been a relief.

“It makes me feel a bit better in terms of our [carbon] footprint,” Lily says, adding, “our solar canopy is definitely cool!”

Renewable energy experts stress that you don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company to make a difference. Putting solar panels on the roof of a home isn’t that big a project, experts say. They also note that many places offer rebates or tax credits to make the switch more affordable.

The Isham family in Vermont got a low-interest loan to pay the $50,000 upfront cost of installing their solar panels. They used to pay as much as $260 a month for electricity; now their bill comes to $25 a month for fixed service fees. When they pay off their loan in 12 years, they’ll almost be getting their power for free.

For Lily Isham, a senior at the Walden Project alternative education program who was the driving force behind the family’s decision to take the plunge into solar, the shift has been a relief.

“It makes me feel a bit better in terms of our [carbon] footprint,” Lily says, adding, “our solar canopy is definitely cool!”

With reporting by Lisa Friedman and Coral Davenport of The New York Times.

With reporting by Lisa Friedman and Coral Davenport of The New York Times.