Obama Calls for Doubling Renewable Energy in Three Years
Obama Calls for Doubling Renewable Energy in Three Years
GreenTech Media 8 Jan 09 President-elect Barack Obama called for doubling the nation’s renewable energy production in three years in a Thursday speech asking Congress to support his economic stimulus plan. He also wants funding for energy efficiency improvements to federal buildings and millions of homes.by: Jeff St. JohnBullet Arrow January 8, 2009
President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday called for doubling the nation’s renewable energy production over the next three years, setting a timeline to one green piece of his economic stimulus plan.Obama also called for funding to modernize the nation’s electricity grid and make 75 percent of all federal buildings and up to 2 million American homes more energy efficient.
“In the process, we will put Americans to work in new jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced – jobs building solar panels and wind turbines; constructing fuel-efficient cars and buildings; and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to even more jobs, more savings, and a cleaner, safer planet in the bargain,” Obama said Thursday in a speech at George Mason University.
Greentech Media | Obama Calls for Doubling Renewable Energy in Three Years
Tags: renewables
No New Coal or Nuclear Plants!
No New Coal or Nuclear Plants!
gather.com by Ethan G.January 05, 2009 “……………………Advocates for clean coal and nuclear always say that we need to invest in those technologies, however risky, because it’s the American way to solve large-scale technological challenges. Yet somehow they never seem to advocate this vision for the far cleaner and more certain alternatives of wind and solar power.Instead, solar and wind advocates are laughed off as foggy headed idealists and those alternative energies are dismissed as too far from ready. What these skeptics—often lobbyists for the coal, oil, and nuclear industries—fail to account for is the interaction between various kinds of alternative energy and systems that deliver them. If built right, the whole will greatly enhance the sum of the parts.
In fact solar and wind, with appropriate stimulus to encourage their growth, are ready to go a great way toward solving our energy problems. To maximize their potential will take major new investment in the electrical grid, both to move alternative energy to where it’s most needed, and to create a “smart” grid that can deliver the energy at the best times.
Solar and wind are often criticized as having an intermittency problem—they can’t be counted on all the time and we don’t have good storage systems. Yet solar thermal systems don’t have this problem: they store the energy they generate.True wind and the more familiar photovoltaic solar do have an intermittency problem; yet for these sources the “smart” grid will allow us to use energy far more efficiently. Computer systems will charge more when energy is less available, allowing people to do, say, laundry and dishes, when excess energy is available.
The development of electric cars promises even more out of alternative energy. People will plug in their cars at night, and the “smart” grid will deliver energy as available. The automobiles will act as a kind of widespread storage system. In cases where electrical energy is not available, these cars would then use old-fashioned gasoline. Still, overall, our dependence on foreign oil would be greatly reduced.
The Promise of Wind : Embracing America’s Fastest-Growing Form of Renewable Energy (By Joe Provey)
The Promise of WindEmbracing America’s Fastest-Growing Form of Renewable Energy Emagazine.com By Joe Provey 6 Jan 09 “……………………..
Big Possibilities
Power production aside, wind is one of the most environmentally friendly energy sources. Estimates by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) show that wind currently generates as much electricity as nearly 30 million tons of coal or 90 million barrels of oil. In 2008, wind displaced about 34 million tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking 5.8 million vehicles off the road. In 20 years, if we reach the industry goal of supplying 20% of our national energy from wind, it will be the equivalent of taking 140 million vehicles off the road. Unlike oil, wind will not pollute our waterways or contaminate our national wildlife refuges. Unlike coal, it doesn’t release mercury into the air or leave permanent, ugly scars across the landscape. And unlike nuclear, there is no spent fuel to bury or protect from terrorist threats.
In addition to the obvious environmental benefits, there are other compelling arguments for promoting wind power. First, the resource is huge. “There’s something like 600 gigawatts of wind that can be developed in the U.S.,” says Jim Walker of Enxco, a company that develops wind farms in North America. That’s about 60% of our current electricity consumption, according to the Energy Information Administration.
And the cost is already competitive with gas. Says Walker, “Wind energy can be developed for under 10 cents per kilowatt hour, about the same as gas.” This assumes the continuation of production tax credits that contribute about two cents for each kilowatt-hour produced.
Perhaps most impressive is that wind is one of the few energy sources that can be brought online quickly. Says Walker, “You can build a 400-million-dollar, 200-MW wind plant in nine months. And you know exactly what it’s going to cost.” You can’t say that for a nuclear plant or even one of the newer coal plants that are designed to capture pollutants.
The build-out of wind has some important economic fringe benefits, too, including a lot of new jobs.
The Promise of Wind : Embracing America’s Fastest-Growing Form of Renewable Energy (By Joe Provey)
Why Obama’s green jobs plan might work
Why Obama’s green jobs plan might work
Los Angeles Times Marla Dickerson 4 Jan 09Some states — including Michigan — already see renewable energy as their future: It’s the only sector that appears to be making room for more employees despite the recession.
Why Obama’s green jobs plan might work – Los Angeles Times
Tags: renewab;\les
Study on wind energy shows job potential
Study on wind energy shows job potential
NTV Nebraska TV Associated Press – January 1, 2009 8:15 AM ETLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A study of the potential for wind energy in Nebraska shows a jump in jobs if new wind farms are developed.The report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says construction of wind farms could create 20,600 to 36,500 short-term construction jobs between 2011 and 2020, and up to another 4,000 long-term operations and maintenance jobs.And the report suggests that Nebraska’s economy could grow $7.8 billion to $14.1 billion over the next 40 years if infrastructure for 7,800 megawatts of wind power is built.The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a division of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Tags: renewables
Wasting Our Watts – TIME
Wasting Our Watts TIME By Michael Grunwald Wednesday, Dec. 31,2008 This may sound too good to be true, but the U.S. has a renewable-energy resource that is perfectly clean, remarkably cheap, surprisingly abundant and immediately available. It has astounding potential to reduce the carbon emissions that threaten our planet, the dependence on foreign oil that threatens our security and the energy costs that threaten our wallets. Unlike coal and petroleum, it doesn’t pollute; unlike solar and wind, it doesn’t depend on the weather; unlike ethanol, it doesn’t accelerate deforestation or inflate food prices; unlike nuclear plants, it doesn’t raise uncomfortable questions about meltdowns or terrorist attacks or radioactive-waste storage, and it doesn’t take a decade to build. It isn’t what-if like hydrogen, clean coal and tidal power; it’s already proven to be workable, scalable and cost-effective. And we don’t need to import it.
This miracle juice goes by the distinctly boring name of energy efficiency, and it’s often ignored in the hubbub over alternative fuels, the nuclear renaissance, T. Boone Pickens and the green-tech economy. Clearly, it needs an agent. But it’s a simple concept: wasting less energy. Or more precisely, consuming less energy to get the same amount of heat for your shower, light for your office and power for your factory. It turns out to be much less expensive, destructive and time-intensive to reduce demand through efficiency than to increase supply through new drilling or new power plants. A nationwide push to save “negawatts” instead of building more megawatts could help reverse our unsustainable increases in energy-hogging and carbon-spewing while creating a slew of jobs and saving a load of cash………………………………A McKinsey study found that a global effort to boost efficiency with existing technologies could have “spectacular results,” eliminating more than 20% of world energy demand by 2020.
The Goldilocks Problem – Renewable Energy
The Goldilocks Problem
RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD by Tam Hunt, Community Environmental Council December 30, 2008 “…………….Regarding the goldilocks problem of renewable energy, it’s important to be aware of the costs and feasibility of the various market segments. I divide the renewable energy market into three segments: small-scale (one megawatt (MW) and less); medium-scale (one to twenty MW); and large-scale (above 20 MW)………..
The advantage of small-scale renewables like rooftop solar photovoltaics is that they can be built relatively quickly due to fewer permitting hurdles. They also take advantage of rooftops or parking lots, so don’t require disturbing large amounts of land. Even though there are still permitting problems in many jurisdictions, conditions have improved remarkably in recent years. At the same time, the general public has become more tolerant of seeing solar panels on rooftops. And installers have become more adept at installing small installations tastefully.
The primary downside to small-scale renewables is that they are often still relatively expensive. It also requires a lot of small-scale renewables to add up to a large-scale impact in terms of climate change mitigation or energy independence……………………So what should policymakers do? Which size is “just right”? Again, we need all the renewable energy we can get – and quickly. So while the answer does depend on many facts specific to each case, the complete answer is that no size is just right — we need them all. But we should also keep in mind that there are tradeoffs for each market segment.
The Goldilocks Problem – Renewable Energy World
Tags: renewables
The Press Association: Rise in renewable energy sources
Rise in renewable energy sources
PRESS ASSOCIATION 23 Dec 08 A fifth of the electricity used in Scotland in 2007 came from renewable sources, official figures reveal.Statistics published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that 20.1% of electricity used in 2007 came from green sources – up from 16.9% the previous year.Energy minister Jim Mather claimed the figures show Scotland’s renewable power potential is being turned into reality and said the country is on track to exceed its target of having 31% of electricity demand met by renewables by 2011.
The Press Association: Rise in renewable energy sources
Tags: renewables
Renewable energy sources to account for 40% of output by 2020 – The Irish Times – Fri, Dec 19, 2008
Renewable energy sources to account for 40% of output by 2020
Irish Times HARRY McGEE, Political Staff 19 Dec 08
SUSTAINABLE AGENDA: THE 2020 target for renewable energy has been increased to 40 per cent as part of the new strategy by Government to make the “green economy” a core component of its recovery plan.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the Government’s aim was to deliver a “New Green Deal” that focused on energy efficiency and the investment in clean and renewable technologies………………………..
Minster for Energy Eamon Ryan, who also spoke at the launch of the plan, said it represented a fundamental sea-change in Government thinking and direction.
“The economy is moving in a greener direction,” he said. “The smart economy will be a green economy.”
Renewable energy sources to account for 40% of output by 2020 – The Irish Times – Fri, Dec 19, 2008
Tags: renewableenergy
New Energy Focus – Saudia Arabia declares “shared interest” in renewables
Saudia Arabia declares “shared interest” in renewables
New Energy Focus 19 Dec 08 Saudi Arabia has shown unexpected support for renewables, as world leaders gathered in London today to discuss oil prices and the economics of energy.Speaking to press at the London Energy Meeting this morning, Minister for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband said that Saudi minister Mr Al-Naemi had “emphasised the interest that the world shares in developing renewable energy.”
He added that Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Mr Al-Naemi understood “that not many people expected to hear this from Saudi Arabia”.
New Energy Focus – Saudia Arabia declares “shared interest” in renewables
Tags: renewables
The Hindu Business Line : ‘I’ve never seen such a positive environment for renewable energy’
I’ve never seen such a positive environment for renewable energy’
All energy is politically driven and politically regulated, says Vestas President & CEO. The Hindu, Business Line N. RamakrishnanWind is the only type of energy where you can hedge your risk 100 per cent for the next 20 years. – Mr Ditlev Engel, President & CEO – “………We have learned from the financial crisis that big is not equivalent to good. Those, who do not have good projects or whose financing situation is more complicated, will have a bigger challenge……
……..Wind is the only type of energy where you can hedge your risk 100 per cent for the next 20 years.………Another issue that people haven’t spent so much time on, but I know that some of our customers are factoring in into their business price model is that they don’t believe the price of water for exploration and so many other things will remain at this cost. China has invested $10 billion in pumping water from the South to the North because of drought. Drought is a huge issue in Australia and in certain states in the US. That water will come at a cost. Water is an important part of energy exploration. When you start to factor these things in, which many of the major utilities are doing, you start getting many different mechanisms in your pricing model for wind versus other types of energy. Y
The Hindu Business Line : ‘I’ve never seen such a positive environment for renewable energy’
Scotland aiming to become “Saudi Arabia of renewable marine energy” – 03 Dec 2008 – BusinessGreen
Scotland aiming to become “Saudi Arabia of renewable marine energy””Sheik”
Salmond to offer £10m to first team to deliver commercially viable marine energyJames Murray, BusinessGreen, James Murray 03 Dec 2008 Scottish first minister Alex Salmond yesterday formally launched the £10m Saltire Prize for the first team to develop a commercially viable wave or tidal technology capable of generating power for thousands of homes, claiming that the country had the potential to generate up to a quarter of Europe’s marine energy over the coming decades.
Scotland aiming to become “Saudi Arabia of renewable marine energy” – 03 Dec 2008 – BusinessGreen
The Solar Industry Gains Ground – And Goes Global | Fast Company
The Solar Industry Gains Ground – And Goes Global
FAST COMPANY By: Chris Turner 4 Dec 08 At a time of economic pain and planetary peril, a renewable global powerhouse takes shape. Just when we need it most.A new global industry is taking shape before our eyes. A journey through this energy revolution suggests that the age of truly ubiquitous solar may at last have begun. Solar’s emerging titans are scattered across three continents and three technological generations — from established crystalline PV manufacturers in California to newer “thin film” cells now reaching mass-production scale in Germany and to even third-generation compounds being developed in Australia that can be integrated into building materials to deliver power in the darkest shade. Even in this time of enormous financial uncertainty (not to mention a deepening concern, if not panic, about the health of the planet), the sense of boundless potential, the promise of The Graph, is palpable. Erik Straser, who oversees the clean-energy portfolio at Mohr Davidow Ventures in Silicon Valley, puts it this way: “Sometimes I ask myself, ‘If this company was successful, would people name libraries and public high schools after it?’ Who made the steam engine? Who made the lightbulb? Who will those people be for the 21st century? Who’s the person that made mass-market solar affordable?” A global industry is taking shape, with the hottest spots in Silicon Valley, Germany, and Australia. The age of truly ubiquitous solar may at last have begun.
The Solar Industry Gains Ground – And Goes Global | Fast Company
Schwarzenegger renews commitment to increasing renewable energy_English_Xinhua
Schwarzenegger renews commitment to increasing renewable energywww.chinaview.cn 2008-12-02 –LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) — California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger renewed his commitment on Monday to increasing the state’s renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions.
The governor made the remarks when announcing the completion of California’s first of 150 planned commercial rooftop solar installations in Southern California.
“Here in California, we are taking action to protect the environment by passing laws and setting standards and our companies and entrepreneurs are rising to the challenge,” said Schwarzenegger.
The rooftop plan “is the nation’s largest solar installation program by a utility and it is just one example of how private companies are helping us reduce our emissions and meet our renewable energy goals,” he said.
“Projects like this one show the world you can protect the environment and also pump up the economy, and I am proud to say it is happening right here in California.”
Earlier this year, the governor participated in an event launching the plan to install photovoltaic technology to eventually cover two square miles (3.2 kilometers) of existing commercial roofs with 250 million megawatts (MW) of peak generating capacity……………………..As part of the state’s efforts to increase renewable energy, the governor’s Million Solar Roofs Plan, signed into law in 2006, will provide 3,000 megawatts of additional clean energy and reduce the output of greenhouse gases by 3 million tons, equivalent to taking 1 million cars off the road. Now known as the California Solar Initiative, the 3.3-billion-dollar incentive plan for homeowners and building owners who install solar electric systems will lead to 1 million solar roofs in California by 2017.
Schwarzenegger renews commitment to increasing renewable energy_English_Xinhua
$1.9 billion push behind wind power | theage.com.au
$1.9 billion push behind wind power
- The Age Mathew Murphy
- December 2, 2008
SPANISH wind giant Union Fenosa will spend more than $1.9 billion developing five wind farms in Victoria and two in NSW, in a deal set to create 265 jobs in the initial stages.
Union Fenosa will develop a 130-megawatt, 68-turbine wind farm at Ryan Corner and a 60MW, 31-turbine wind farm in Hawkesdale, both in Moyne Shire in Victoria’s west, as well as a 92MW, 46-turbine farm in Crookwell in NSW. All have received planning approval.
The second phase will include further development of wind farms in western Victoria, with Tarrone, Berrybank and Darlington proposed as potential sites, although these are yet to receive planning approval. The last of the seven projects is at Paling Yards in NSW…………………………….
Trade Minister Simon Crean said the investment, facilitated by Austrade, would double Australia’s wind generation.
“The electricity produced by the first three wind farms in phase one would supply the annual consumption of 186,000 households,” he said.
“On completion in 2013, the seven wind farms will represent an additional 850 megawatts of generation capacity to Australia’s existing wind generation capacity of 824 megawatts.”
Clean Energy Council chief executive Matthew Warren said the investment was “what we can expect once the Government eventually passes its renewable energy target, but that passage is crucial if we are to see deployment of clean-energy technologies.”
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PLEASE OPPOSE HR 8255 AND S.3639 – bills would accelerate satellite deployment, with no environmental review or safeguards – https://ncstd5li.quorum.us/campaign/169331/
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