The Nature Conservancyย is pushing for a faster transition to renewable energy sources in Indiana โ a goal the organization says would bring positive returns for Hoosier residents and businesses.
Power from solar and wind has made strides in Indiana, but fossil fuels still reign supreme. The Nature Conservancy says that in 2023, 45 percent of the stateโs power came from coal, 39 percent from natural gas, 12.5 percent from renewables, and the remaining 3.5 percent from other sources.
If that 12.5 percent figure seems small, consider it was only 2.34 percent โ all from wind โ in 2010.
The Nature Conservancy, though, wants faster growth in renewables, citing some utilitiesโ goals of 65 percent wind and solar generation in 2040 and 100 percent by 2050. At the same time, TNC also calls for careful consideration of how renewable energy projects are procured, sited, and developed to avoid conflict with nature, agricultural lands, and community needs and interests.
The nonprofit organization says the case for wind and solar energy is rooted in economics as much as in protecting nature.
โCoal is very expensive,โ says Sean Mobley, TNC Indianaโs senior policy associate for climate and clean energy. โThe pollution mitigation is very difficult to track and clean up. Even from our investor-owned utilities, some of our largest across the state, itโs just not as financially feasible as it once was.โ
In Indiana, The Nature Conservancy advocates for five public policy actions it says would accelerate the growth of renewables:
โข Larger financial incentives to Hoosier counties that qualify as wind- or solar-ready.
โข Legislation to incentivize or speed approval of renewable projects that reduce impact on sensitive natural and agricultural lands. This would involve wind or solar projects on brownfields, former coal mine tracts, and under-performing croplands. Another component could be combining wind and solar production in the same area.
โข Communicating the financial benefits of renewable projects to counties, townships, cities and towns, and landowners. The Nature Conservancy says a Miami County wind project would have brought an estimated $340 million investment and $7.7 million in tax revenue over 11 years to that community, but it was canceled after county officials voted to change rules surrounding such developments after hearing community opposition.
โข Incentives for the wider adoption of community solar programs, especially in rural areas of the state.
โข Encouraging greater use of Indianaโs green certification program, which allows corporations and businesses to prove to customers that they buy all or most of their power from renewable sources.
Mobley says The Nature Conservancy is hopeful for further progress on renewable energy in Indiana, regardless of who is elected this November to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. The next session of the Indiana General Assembly convenes in January 2025.
โThe day after Election Day, we will be hitting the ground running, that’s for sure, and being strategic about reaching the leadership within each chamber of the state legislature,โ Mobley says.
The Nature Conservancy is focused on what Mobley calls the three Cs โ communities, conversation, and climate.
The approach, Mobley explains, is heavy on engagement, including with those who are opposed or skeptical about wind or solar power generation. He says TNC and others in a collaborative received a federal grant for technical engagement and planning renewable energy projects statewide, and public outreach will be a part of that process.
TNCโs strategy involves crafting renewable energy projects in ways that will avoid, minimize, and compensate for negative impacts on wildlife, habitats, and natural areas.
And lastly, it strives to always take climate impact into account, for example, by planning projects in areas with high fossil fuel generation, creating more relative carbon reduction than building where renewable energy production is already happening.
The Nature Conservancy is optimistic about achieving its goals, Mobley says, and the three Cs are โa good foundation by which we are working.โ
