The New York Times has a fascinating article today in the “Room for Debate” section of their website. The article centers around a number of different opinions on whether we should be looking to conserve our open space or utilize it to build renewable energy projects.

David Roberts over at Grist.org makes an excellent point in this debate. We can transcend the whole issue by simply forgoing large renewable energy farms and capture the resources right where the energy is being used. As distribute energy systems become more efficient, and as communities begin to understand the true benefits of installing these systems, we will begin to see less and less need for large transmission lines leading to mega-wind and solar farms.

Mr. Roberts puts the final nail in the coffin with this quote:

“In such a system, it’s not just energy that’s distributed, it’s social and economic power. The result is more democratic and resilient (though such benefits rarely find their way into conventional price comparisons). If “consumers” become producers, managers, and innovators, perhaps the desert tortoise and the world can be saved.”

The social benefits of distributed energy are equally as important as the land resource issue. When we regain control over our energy resource we have more power to collectively go solve the rest of the world’s problems.

You can read the full article here: http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/green-civil-war-projects-vs-preservation/