Although renewable energy should be the future, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s aspirations, as outlined in the Green New Deal, are not feasible in the timeframe she proposes. Currently, the United States gets roughly 11% of its energy from renewable energy sources.  Cortez is proposing that by 2030 we would be able to run on 100% renewable energy. This timeline is very unrealistic, as the technology to store energy (after its production and before distribution) is inadequate for a project of this scale. Additionally, Cortez’s resolution does not include using hydropower as a means of renewable energy production, which is quite startling seeing that it is currently the nation’s largest source of renewable energy.

Furthermore, the project would be exorbitantly expensive at a time when the national debt is reaching 22 trillion dollars. Expert scientists and policy advisors state that the plan may be too ambitious. The generating capacity alone of this quantity of renewable energy would cost upwards of 2 trillion dollars.  Skeptics include the president of the Institute for Energy Research, who contended that the Green New Deal “would be impossible to achieve.” The Green New Deal still lacks a clear explanation of execution.  Although the idea of renewable energy is enticing, the plan should be further developed before tax dollars are spent on the project.

Sources: Fox News, Politifact, Tax Policy Center, University of Arizona, Washington Post, Forbes, Yale University, Business Insider, University of Southern California, National Geographic, The Guardian, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, USA Today, Technology Review, Institute for Energy Research, USA.gov, Citizens for a Better South Florida