BRATTLEBORO — The debate on the Vermont Energy Plan has been hot and heavy.
Many people say that achieving a 90-percent reliance on renewable power by 2050 is impossible, would be too costly, or will require new technology that might never be developed.
One thing no one seems to notice, however, is that the envisioned goal has already been achieved in Europe communities.
We can look to real, working systems to see how to do it.
One example is a town in Austria called Güssing, with a population of 3,700. It is the main community of a district with a population of 25,000.
Twenty years ago, the area depended almost entirely on agriculture and forestry for its production. Only about a quarter of its people had local jobs, and most workers commuted weekly to Vienna. The area spent much of its income on energy, at a rate of 6 million euros per year.
In 1992, the town decided to switch entirely to renewable energy, a transition achieved by using diversified, distributed power. One typical power plant uses wood gas to power a 10-megawatt Jenbacher generator operating at 48.7-percent efficiency for electrical production. The residual heat is supplied to buildings, and the overall efficiency of the plant is over 82 percent.
Other plants use other renewable resources.
Now, Guessing produces 14 million euros' worth of power each year. Fifty new businesses have moved to town, including such heavy electrical consumers as a manufacturer of photovoltaic panels. These businesses have created 1,000 new jobs in the town, and more in the countryside. Instead of people leaving to find work, new people are moving in.
Güssing produces more than just electricity. For example, biogas is catalyzed into such things as propane, a drop-in replacement for natural gas, and diesel fuel, using the Fischer-Tropsch and Mobile catalytic processes, both of which are remarkably clean. Tars are trapped and sold, and there are virtually no polluting emissions.
A cord of wood produces about 120 gallons of diesel fuel, which is better than fossil fuel because it has nearly no toxic impurities. The impact on nature is kept to a sustainable minimum.
The local people have become very conscious of the need to preserve natural resources, and reserve unused forest. Wikipedia has an article on Güssing, largely devoted to renewable energy. It has a link to the Güssing municipal website.