The energy industry is changing. Each year, renewable sources of energy like solar and wind get cheaper and cheaper while the prices for oil and gas only continue to rise. While it would be unreasonable and impractical to simply stop using fossil fuels, it is just as unreasonable to be solely dependent on them. Many countries acknowledge this, with much of Europe looking into renewable sources of energy, while also making plans to have a net zero greenhouse gas emission within the next couple of decades.
In the U.S., 24 states have also made similar plans, including Louisiana. A study by Princeton University finds that economies of every state are projected to grow by some degree with this shift in the energy market, except for one. Louisiana, unfortunately, is expected to lose 30% of its jobs across the board.
Dr. Terrence Chambers is a professor of engineering and is also the director of the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Center, as well as the Green Hydrogen Center of Excellence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Chambers offered his insight on this global and national effort.
“That effort could result in winners and losers and according to a recent Princeton study, Louisiana is going to potentially be a big loser unless we’re able to diversify our economy,” Chambers said.
Fortunately, it seems Louisiana is not going to let that happen. Individuals in both the state and federal level recognize that a loss in jobs that large could collapse Louisiana’s economy. So both the state and federal government put forward $250 million each into a $500 million grant known as the HERO grant.
And the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources has chosen to issue $86 million of that $500 million directly to University of Louisiana at Lafayette, making the university by far the largest receiver in the state.
The HERO Grant stands for Hubs for Energy Resilient Operations and was established with the goal of providing as, Chambers puts it, “A series of community resilience hubs that will serve as shelters and food distribution centers and so on, in the case of an extreme weather event.”
These community resilience hubs will also be microgrids, which means each building will have batteries powered by solar panels, enabling the buildings to still be powered even when the main grid goes down, giving residents access to electricity even in the worst conditions.
Some of these hubs will be right here on campus. The Louisiana Solar Lab which is a 1.1 megawatt facility will power Blackham Coliseum so it can serve as a hub and evacuation center. Abdalla Hall will also serve as a command center for the university in the case of an emergency and as a backup command center for the State Business Emergency Command Center.
UL Lafayette is also working on portable Wi-Fi hubs which will allow people to contact their loved ones and emergency services during a hurricane or severe weather event. The university will also be assisting in the plan to set up microgrids for four national guard bases. These could prove vital in the event of a natural disaster since the national guard are “the first of the first responders,” as Chambers put it.
Chambers also explained that these projects are just the first step in a long term plan that will change Louisiana forever. These projects serve as test runs, and after their completion the lessons learned from their construction will be used to help build approximately 350 community resilience hubs around the state.
Fossil fuels aren’t going anywhere anytime soon but they’re also not coming back as we continue to deplete them. The rise of renewable energy is happening now, and it is not only smart but vital to incorporate them into our economy. Failure to do so could likely be a disaster for Louisianians but thankfully, the HERO grant and the projects being spearheaded or otherwise assisted by UL Lafayette serve as a great first step.