If UNC College alumnus Larry Shirley had his way, buildings in North Carolina would be weatherized; landfills would be tapped for their gasses; wind farms would flourish; and biodiesel would flow at filling stations.
Shirley isn’t a dreamer. He has directed the N.C. State Energy Office since December of 2000, where he oversees programs focused on renewable energy, alternative fuels and energy efficiencies. The Energy Office is in line to receive more than $100 million in federal stimulus funds to be doled out during the next three years.
“We’re going to see a lot of innovation from this,” Shirley said. “We’ll see fire stations with solar hot water systems, and we’re going to see town halls getting more energy efficient. This is a transforming moment in North Carolina.”
Steps are being taken to increase wind, solar and biofuel energy sources in North Carolina, Shirley said. Currently those renewable fuels comprise less than 5 percent of the state’s energy mix. That will move to 12.5 percent by 2021 under the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, and he predicts it will continue to increase.
“Wind energy is, I think, the exciting frontier for the state,” he said. While Shirley acknowledges that environmental site considerations pose challenges, he said the state is trying to develop the permitting process to attract wind energy developers and address environmental concerns.
Shirley gives about 100 talks a year, and he works with local governments to cut their energy consumption. He also helps them understand the effects of climate change.
Shirley serves on the board of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, drives a biodiesel-fueled Volkswagen Jetta, and his family’s home uses passive solar energy and thermal mass to cut fuel and energy use. He says that his education at UNC prepared him for a career in environmental politics, and that his coursework impressed upon him that energy issues lay at the root of nearly all environmental challenges.
Larry E. Shirley received his B.A. degree in political science from Carolina.
[This article by DeLene Beeland is part of a solar energy package that appears in the fall '09 Carolina Arts & Sciences magazine].
