Utah hoping renewable energy development will attract jobs

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is drawing lots of attention as a potential prime source for renewable energy development in the West. More than 400 people from 17 states attended the inaugural Utah Renewable Energy Business Summit Monday at Salt Lake Community College's Miller Campus in Sandy.

The event, organized by the Governor's Office of Economic Development, was an effort to link energy companies, manufacturers, government entities, renewable energy advocates and investors in order to foster growth of the industry in Utah, according to Samantha Mary Julian, GOED Energy and Natural Resources Cluster director.

"We're really looking to bring jobs to … Utah by letting others know that there are resources," she said. The state's diverse natural resource portfolio provides unique opportunities for solid growth, particularly in wind, solar and geothermal energy development, she added.

Currently, less than 5 percent of Utah's energy portfolio is generated from renewable sources, but the state wants to increase that amount significantly in the years to come, Julian said.

"(A state goal) is to be up to 20 percent renewable energy by 2025," she said. Other goals include reducing carbon emissions to 2005 levels by 2020, and to increase energy efficiency to 20 percent by 2013, she added.

"Energy efficiency means less demand on our buildings, less electricity for lights and air-conditioning," Julian said. Achieving such measures would improve Utah's long-term energy outlook significantly, she said.

While Utah has seen growth in its renewable industry, the remote location of many of the state's existing renewable energy projects and sites for future projects has been among the main challenges facing increased development.

"Transmission issues and connecting those resources to the grid is one of the major issues in renewable energy development," said Yashoda Khandkar, special advisor to the Utah Generated Renewable Energy Electricity Network. Created last year by the state Legislature, UGREEN helps finance renewable energy transmission projects.

She said interest in siting and permitting for solar, geothermal and wind projects in Utah is high and the state is working with various entities to ensure that it happens in a responsible manner. But it may take time to resolve numerous legal and logistical issues before a sufficient transmission infrastructure is built and projects are allowed to move forward, she noted.