Energy from renewable sources has the potential to provide 50 percent to 60 percent of U.S. power needs by 2030 if policies are put in place to support the growing technologies, industry and environmental experts said Tuesday.

Representatives from the wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower and biomass sectors said Congress must extend tax credits, set minimum renewable energy requirements for states and cap greenhouse-gas emissions as quickly as possible to ensure continued growth.

"Stable, consistent policy is what this country is lacking and what we really need," said Randy Swisher, executive director of the American Wind Energy Association.

Industry officials, along with environmentalists and congressional aides, spoke at a briefing on the role renewable energy might play in reducing U.S. greenhouse gas output.

John Stanton, executive vice president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said solar power production could provide 23 percent of electricity needs by 2015.

For the full story,click here.
Source: Reporter Sara Spivey, Stephens Washington Bureau