A leading energy specialist has reported to the California High-Speed
Rail Authority that the state’s proposed high-speed train system can
run with zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The zero emissions strategy report was presented by Navigant Consulting
Inc, a consultant on the energy, electric power and natural gas
industries at the Authority’s most recent board meeting held in San
Diego. At the meeting, the Board adopted a renewable energy/zero
emissions strategy for the high-speed train project.
Researchers noted that the train system is expected to use 3,380
gigawatt (GW) hours a year of energy to transport 94 million passengers
by 2030. According to their findings, generating this amount of energy
from renewable sources is "well within the capabilities of the state."
This amount represents one percent of the state’s electrical load, or
about three and a half days worth of electricity consumed throughout
the state.
"Integrating renewable energy into the high-speed train project
would be neither cost- nor resource- prohibitive and would be well in
line with the more sustainable future that California is trying to
ensure for itself. The benefits in this regard are clear and, with
several avenues to ‘green’ the train, the CHSRA could achieve the goal
of low-cost, efficient and clean travel," according to the Navigant
report.
"We’ve always known that electric high-speed trains represent a
tremendous opportunity to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals by
removing cars from the road and by slowing demand for additional air
travel," said Judge Quentin L. Kopp, Chairman of the High-Speed Rail
Authority. "But today, we welcome the news that this train is even
greener, in that it can be powered with none of the emissions that
cause global warming."
In Related News…
Mayors of the three largest cities in Bay Area agreed to work
together to push for smart development around rthe state’s rail lines
and to expand employment in solar energy and green technology,
according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.
The mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose met at the Clean and
Green conference, hosted by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and
announced that they would push for local laws to get residents out of
cars and onto public transit, and encourage development near transit
hubs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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