Alternative Energy Resources in District of Columbia
A solar thermal system provides hot water for the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters building in Washington, D.C.
Below is a short summary of alternative energy resources for the District of Columbia. For more information on each technology, visit the State Energy Alternatives Technology Options page.
For more information, including links to resource maps, energy statistics and contacts for the District of Columbia, visit EERE's State Activities and Partnerships website's District of Columbia page.
Biomass
Studies indicate that District of Columbia has limited plant and animal biomass resource potential.
Geothermal
The District of Columbia has low temperature resources that can be tapped for geothermal heat pumps. However, electricity generation is not possible with these resources.
Hydropower
The District of Columbia has a limited hydropower resource as a percentage of the state's electricity generation. For additional resource information, check out the Idaho National Laboratory's Virtual Hydropower Prospector (VHP). VHP is a convenient geographic information system (GIS) tool designed to assist you in locating and assessing natural stream water energy resources in the United States.
Solar
For flat-plate collectors, the District of Columbia has a useful solar resource. In an urban environment, the vast expanse of large building rooftops can be viewed as potential "fields" for rooftop PV systems. For concentrating collectors, District of Columbia has a marginal resource. This could be used for water heating or PV systems, but not large concentrating solar thermal utility systems. For more information on the difference between flat-plate and concentrating collectors, visit the State Energy Alternatives Photovoltaics.
Wind
Current resources indicate that the District of Columbia does not have sufficient wind resources to utilize large-scale wind turbines. Small wind turbines mounted on large building rooftops might be an option to capture prevailing breezes. For more information on wind in the District of Columbia including wind maps, visit Wind Powering America's U.S. Wind Resource Map.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency means doing the same work, or more, and enjoying the same comfort level with less energy. Consequently, energy efficiency can be considered part of the energy resource base — a "demand side" resource. Unlike energy conservation, which is rooted in behavior, energy efficiency is technology-based. This means the savings may be predicted by engineering calculations, and they are sustained over time. Examples of energy efficiency measures and equipment include compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and high efficiency air conditioners, refrigerators, boilers and chillers.
Saving energy through efficiency is less expensive than building new power plants. Utilities can plan for, invest in, and add up technology-based energy efficiency measures and, as a consequence, defer or avoid the need to build a new power plant. In this way, the city of Austin (TX) aggregated enough energy savings to offset the need for a planned 450-megawatt coal-fired power plant. Austin achieved these savings during a decade when the local economy grew by 46% and the population doubled! In addition, the savings from energy efficiency are significantly greater than one might expect, because no energy is needed to generate, transmit, distribute, and store energy before it reaches the end user.
Reduced fuel use, and the resulting decreased pollution, provide both short- and long-term economic and health benefits.
For more information on current state policies related to energy efficiency, visit the Alliance to Save Energy's State Energy Efficiency Index.