Annotated Bibliography 2, 2/24

Alexis Gerdts

J. Killingsworth

Honors Mentorship Program

24 February 2014

Gremberg, Allen, "Renewables: A charge in Colo. economy." Northern Colorado Business Report. 2/22/2013, Vol. 18 Issue 12, p38-39.

This source, which contains two articles from a Colorado newspaper, addresses the use of renewable energy in both the private and public sector. It states multiple statistics and info about how renewable energy such as solar and wind energy are used very little, but it is “an industry in its infancy and, with large political support, could develop into a common source of energy” (Gremberg pg 38). The articles advocate for the continued and growing use of efficient energy, they explain their claim, and then propose ideas as to how it could be done.

Some quotes I have derived from this article that would be useful are “The United States is the second largest energy consumer in the world (China is the first), and our demand only continues to grow.” on page 38; “The federal government is the nation's No. 1 energy consumer, so it's a good place to start looking for efficiencies” on page 38; “In 2011, President Obama urged federal department and agency heads to enter into significantly more contracts by the end of 2013 and while we commend the president for this initial step, the progress on this goal is not as far along as it could be.” on page 38; "Solar is the fastest growing and most affordable, accessible and reliable clean energy technology available today.” on page 39; “America's solar industry now employs more than 119,000 workers at 5,600 companies - most of which are small businesses spread across every state in the union.” on page 39; “The goal: to generate enough solar energy to power 1 million Colorado homes and businesses by 2030. Get- ting there will require installing about 10 times as much solar equipment as now exists in the state.” on page 39; “Though it's been around for decades, solar is still very much in its infancy. Panel prices have been plunging but they're still too high for many, and the return on investment still takes too long for some” on page 39; and “Ending the tax breaks that Exxon Mobil, BP and other Big Oil companies enjoy would put $24 billion in the federal government's accounts over the next decade.” on page 39.

This source is credible because it gives numerical statistics, quotes important and generally trusted people as sources, and mentions specific companies in the energy industry that would support the article's claim. The newspaper this is from is not a national newspaper, which means that it it is somewhat biased to the region it covers, but the article stays very factual.

This article hits very close to what my paper will be about. I am analyzing the use of green energy and energy efficiency in both the public and private sectors, and this article supports my views. This will greatly assist me in outlining how my ideas should flow when writing my paper and also will help me in identifying specific topics I will address.