U.S Projects 80% Clean Energy in by 2035

by Williams Ekanem

WASHINGTON D.C:  President Barack Obama says the United States is projecting that  80 percent of America’s electricity comes from clean energy sources by 2035. 

Stating the goal at Wisconsin while addressing staffers of Orion Energy Systems, Obama said that it is a goal the country can meet.

Meeting the goal, he pointed out is how "well make America the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015."

 

Restating his earlier projection of five million electric-driven cars in five years, a million electric cars on the road, the President said “ that’s how America will lead the world in clean energy.  And as I have said before, the nation that leads the world in clean energy will lead the global economy in the 21st century.”

He went further, this is not something that I am making up just to fill up time in a speech, according to him,   China is making these investments.  They have already captured a big chunk of the solar market partly because we fell down on the job.  We weren’t moving as fast as we should have.  Those are jobs that could be created right here that are getting shipped overseas.  

Obama pointed out that  Orion tells a different story.  This is the model for the future.  I’m told the story of Orion begins a few decades ago.  Neal was switching jobs.  He decided to try his hand at clean energy.  Clean energy seemed pretty far-fetched to a lot of people back then, but Neal figured there might be something to it.  So he bought a couple of solar panel distributors.  Both of them went under.  But Neal didn’t give up.  He kept at it, he started Orion, a company that would not only distribute but also manufacture its own lights. 

Commenting on what has made Orion and indeed Orion Energy Systems thick over the years, he recounted how it all started  about 10 years ago when Neal, the founder  had an idea.  “He calls it his epiphany.  Probably since you guys work here you’ve all heard this story, but I’m going to tell it for everybody else.   It was around 2:30 in the morning, but Neal hopped in his car and drove to the factory in Plymouth.  It was one of those moments when the future couldn’t wait until the morning.  And he grabbed whatever tools he could find –- a couple two-by-fours and broom handles.  Is this really true, Neal, the broom handles part?    Is it?  He says it’s true.  So he started tinkering around until an engineer showed up,” he went on.

According to the President,  what Neal had come up with was one of Orion’s signature innovations –- a new lighting fixture that produced twice the light with half the energy.  And it was only then that the real work began, because Neal then had to work to apply for loans, find investors, find customers who would believe his improbable pitch. 

Encouraging Americans to play to win, Obama said, “if we are on defense, if we’re playing not to lose, somebody else is going to lap us, because there are a lot of hungry folks out there, a lot of countries that are gunning for us.  So we’ve got to play to win.  We’ve got to play to win the future. And if entrepreneurs like Neal keep sticking with it, and small businesses like Orion keep breaking new ground; and if we, as a country, continue to invest in you, the American people, then I’m absolutely confident America will win the future in this century as we did in the last.”