There is enough energy stored beneath the earth’s surface to power all of our energy demands thousands of times over. The problem is, it’s thousands of feet beneath us. Out of sight. Out of mind. But what if we could get to it? What if we could harvest that power?

That’s the task at hand for Jared Potter. Jared Potter, CEO of Potter Drilling, is developing technology that his father, Robert Potter, initiated over 30 years ago while working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Robert Potter worked on developing Hot Dry Rock (HDR) heat mining, which, simply put, is a method of harvesting geothermal energy by pumping water into hot, crystalline rock via an injection well. The water is superheated as it flows through open joints in the hot rock reservoir, and is returned through production wells. At the surface, the useful heat is extracted by conventional processes, and the same water is recirculated to mine more heat.

Jared Potter is taking that process to the next level. Using new drilling technologies, Potter is working toward solving the increasing global demand for energy while addressing climate-change issues for a price that is competitive with coal. The solution is geothermal.

Geothermal power — harnessing the earth’s heat to produce electricity — produces essentially no greenhouse gas emissions and, unlike solar and wind power, is available 24 hours a day. With enough heat trapped deep in the earth to meet the nation’s electricity demand thousands of times over it’s no wonder that Potter wants to find a more effective way of harnessing that heat. Getting to it at costs that can compete with coal-fired energy is the challenge.

That’s where the new drilling technology comes into play. Potter and his company are currently developing a drill that they say will make drilling faster, deeper and cheaper. Using hydrothermal spallation - a process of shooting hot water at rock in order to exploit flaws in the rock’s construction (to put it simply) - Potter Drilling can drill to depths required for universal Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) (12,000 to 30,000 feet).

It is essential to drill that deep because Potter intends on hitting magma. Like in HDR, water would run down wells, passing through the reservoirs down near the magma. The water would heat up incredibly fast, evaporate and shoot back up where the steam and turbines would produce electricity. The water would cool and precipitate, and the cycle would begin anew.

And Potter thinks that he can do it. Because the drills use hydrothermic spallation, there is no contact between drill bit and rock. Thus, the drill bits last a lot longer than bits used in current methods. The bits are heated to extreme temperatures of 3200 and 7200 degrees Fahrenheit. The drill bits are still in the testing stages, but hopes of their commercialization ride high. With inexpensive, fast, efficient drills capable of taking us to the the vast energy fields beneath the earth’s surface, we can harvest a source of energy that is not only clean but inexhaustible.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

As consumers move from analog television sets to digital sets and HD screens with all the bells and whistles (and let's hope, energy efficiency), they can also take advantage of an opportunity to be kind to the environment by recycling that old set.

Helping consumers recycling TVs, as the broadcast signal switched this month from analog to digital, is the Consumer Electronics Association with a list of programs at retail stores and manufacturing centers where TVs can be dropped off for greener pastures.

This is one of many efforts to prevent environmental damage by educating consumers. Retailers, manufacturers, recycling and environmental associations, and the government agencies launched a massive outreach program using TV commercials, rebate programs, and many other efforts to prevent dumping that can contribute metals into the environment. Recycling those sets can also reduce waste streams as TVs are taken apart and scrapped for parts.

At the heart of the outreach program is preventing pollution before it happens. Retailers, manufacturers, and the government have recently greatly increased their outreach to consumers with this type of message. If they reach out at all, it is usually after the environmental damage is done.

Working to prevent polluted waterways and soils is well work celebrating. Upfront education and outreach also steers consumers into buying smarter electronics, such as ones made using recycled parts or at least a TV that comes packaged in post-consumer cardboard. Way to go everyone!

Increasing interest in the plug-in hybrid electric (PHEVs) and full electric vehicle (EVs) industry is breeding attention for another industry, too: batteries. A glut of start-ups have popped up in recent years to take advantage of the market--Boston Power, A123 and ZPower, to name a few--and put their own spin on the traditional lithium-ion battery. I recently had the chance to talk to the CEO and VP of Business Development of Imara, one of the up-and-coming li-ion battery manufacturers, to find out what makes the company different from its competitors.

CEO Jeff Depew and VP Neil Maguire explained to me right off the bat that Menlo Park-based Imara, founded as Lion Cells in 2006, brings a battery to the table with significantly longer run time and a faster charge time than its competitors. Compared to A123, for example, Imara's batteries offer 20% more power and 60% more energy density (range between charges). The company compares itself to Sanyo and Sony, but claims to have more power, energy, and a longer life cycle for its batteries.

Unlike many other battery start-ups, Imara isn't focusing on EVs at its 50,000 square foot R&D facility in the short term. "Pure EVs are expensive--$20,000 to $30,000 for a batter pack", explained Neil. That means there isn't a big enough market for li-ion car batteries quite yet. So the company is focusing instead on batteries for power tools and outdoor equipment like lawn mowers and weed whackers in the short term, with a plan to move into car batteries once prices decrease. Imara is banking on big price decreases over the next decade.

"We have the technology developed for vehicles, but we're building a solid economic base," said Neil. "Everything we're doing to increase run time now will translate into future applications for vehicles. If we can use the battery to drill 60% more holes (with power tools), it can be used to drive 60% further." In the meantime, Imara has a chance to cut carbon emissions for outdoor equipment--one weedwhacker spews the same amount of CO2 as 12 SUVs.

Next up for Imara: stimulus funds, hopefully. "We applied for funding to build a plant in Portland, Oregon that can manufacture enough cells for 50,000 plug-in hybrids," Jeff said. "We're hopeful that we'll be able to win one of the lottery tickets." If built, the plant will provide 350 jobs upfront, with the potential for many more in the future. Regardless, Imara has gained the trust of investors like Nth Power and Battery Ventures to the tune of $20 million. Imara is also in talks with EV charge station company Coulomb Technologies as well as renewable energy company Ecototality. With so many things going for it, I wouldn't be surprised to see Imara land at the top of the lithion-ion start-up heap.

Reprinted with permission from Triple Pundit

The agreements, which are subject to approval of the California Public Utilities Commission, provide for the purchase of the output by SCE over 20 years.

All three parabolic trough solar power projects, for which the investment is estimated to be over US$1 billion each, are expected to begin operation between 2013 and 2014.

The joint venture of Solar Millennium AG and MAN Ferrostaal Inc. will be involved in the construction of the plants, planned to begin by the end of 2010, after regulatory approval and other conditions for construction have been fulfilled. The projects will interconnect to transmission lines close to the site locations near Ridgecrest, Desert Center, and Blythe, California, the company says.

In addition to creating approximately 800 construction jobs, each plant will employ nearly 100 permanent operations, maintenance and management employees.

"These are excellent sites for solar thermal power projects in California because of the strong and abundant sun,” said Josef Eichhammer, CEO of Solar Millennium, LLC, the Company’s development arm in the United States, “and they are close to large metropolitan areas where there is high energy demand. The annual Direct Normal Irradiation in these areas is almost 2800 kWh per square metre, more than 30% higher than in southern Spain. The projects will help California meet its renewable energy goals, while stimulating California’s economy at the same time.”

Reprinted with permission from RenewableEnergyWor;d

Good-bye honey truck, hello rocks. A mini sewage treatment plant called BIOROCK beats conventional septic systems on every level. Using rocks as a medium, BIOROCK needs little or no electricity, requires less maintenance, and produces a super-clean effluent. It’s scalable down to use for individual homes. Farms, campgrounds, trailer parks, corporate parks, subdivisions and vacation spots are other likely uses. BIOROCK was developed in the Netherlands and has been kicking around Europe for a number of years. Recently it made the jump to Ireland and Canada, so it could be only a matter of time before it pops up in the U.S.

More Efficient Sewage Treatment on a Small Scale

BIOROCK consists of a modular block, installed underground like a septic tank. In the first treatment chamber, solids are trapped and digested anaerobically. The company claims that this chamber requires emptying only every 3-4 years. The second chamber treats the effluent through an aerobic process. It contains layers of fibrous rock in netting, which are exposed to air through a natural updraft, or chimney effect. Aerobic bacteria grow inside the rock matrix, aided by the updraft, and digest the suspended solids. BIOROCK U.K. reports that the effluent beats European standards for small sewage treatment plants, EN 12566-3 2005 and EN 12566-7 2006.

Sustainable Sewage Treatment

BIROCK’s ease of maintenance, simple installation, and use of recyclable materials helps contribute to a low carbon footprint. The BIOROCK process itself requires no electricity, and it is designed to discharge effluent by gravity into a waterway.

Sewage Treatment Off the Grid

Sewage treatment is one of the stickiest dilemmas that off-grid building designers face, especially in urban areas. The BIROCK system offers one solution for sites where a gravity discharge is not possible and pumping is required. Small scale solar panel and wind turbine components are available to help keep the system off-grid. The system could also prove useful for off-grid second homes or eco-vacation spots, even when they are not used year-round. It can be left dormant for long periods of time without damage, and it can be restarted within a day or so compared several weeks for a conventional septic system start-up.

Note: BIOROCK is not to be confused with the Biorock method of restoring coral reefs.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

The Senate passed the Cash for Clunkers Program today, which gives consumers with cars that get less than 18 miles per gallon the ability to turn them in for a $3,500 or $4,500 cash voucher. The bill was nearly defeated by Republicans, but Democratic support saved the day in part due to Obama’s lobbying of the program. The President still needs to sign the bill into law.

Although many people believe that the program is designed to reduce global warming emissions through the eradication of gas guzzling cars, its true purpose is to help out struggling automakers and car dealers with new car sales. A person who receives a credit as part of the program cannot buy a used car with the monies. Car sales in 2009 are predicted to be nearly half of what they were in 2008.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat and one of the states most affected by the turmoil in the auto industry. After the bill was passed, Stabenow said, This is an emergency for families and small businesses — for an industry that has been the backbone of our economy for a generation.”

The program will be implemented by the Transportation Department and this is expected to happen by early August. As part of their duties, the Transportation Department will create a public website for consumers and dealers to get more information, will certify “cash for clunkers” dealers and distribute the program vouchers.

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

With the spotlight shining on clean energy, the stage has been set for the U.S. to rid itself of a harmful addiction to foreign oil. The stars are aligned and the cards have been dealt. Soon we’ll have kicked the dirty habit, right?

Sarah Palin seems to think so. Perhaps you’ll remember her proposal to tap the natural gas supply found under the pristine Alaskan wilderness. As Governor of Alaska she “fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history . . . a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.”

While it may be true that part of America’s energy independence lies under Alaskan soil, there’s more to the story than simply drilling for oil. Drilling for Alaskan oil may be even dirtier than it seems.

Alaska’s 35 trillion feet of natural gas could be used to wean the U.S. from our mother in the Middle East, but that isn't quite what the authors of the pipeline have waiting on the next page. Much of the natural gas harvested in Alaska would be used to expand the oil sand (tar sand) projects in Alberta, Canada. Such expansion of the tar sands projects would bring the finished tar sands product to our front doors. Now what’s wrong with that? Isn’t tar sand a way out of our dependency?

“The tar sands of Canada constitute one of our planet’s greatest threats. They are a double-barreled threat. First, producing oil from tar sands emits two-to-three times the global warming pollution of conventional oil. But the process also diminishes one of the best carbon-reduction tools on the planet: Canada’s Boreal Forest,” said Dr. James Hansen of Columbia University.

The Alberta tar sands project has gained the moniker “the most destructive project on earth.” Al Gore stated that “For every barrel of oil they extract there, they have to use enough natural gas to heat a family’s home for four days.” Tar Sands operations currently use about .6 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day. By 2012, that level could rise to 2 billion cubic feet a day. I guess that it would be important for them (the Big Oil companies who are harvesting oil from the tar sands) to have a reliable ‘domestic’ source of natural gas. It would certainly save them a few bucks.

It isn't simply the horrendous amounts of natural gas consumed that is disturbing about the tar sands projects. Most of the tar sands rest peacefully under Canada’s Boreal Forest, the world’s largest intact forest. Alberta’s oil sands underlie one-fifth of the province, and it is possible that oil sand exploitation could affect an area 40 times larger than the mine-able area. Now if the natural gas and land depletion aren't enough to get you thinking; the water consumption is heinous. It takes two to four barrels of water to produce one barrel of bitumen (which is what they are really after). The used tailings are then stored, unusable, in tailings lakes, which have potential negative effects on the health of the environment and the population surrounding the contaminated area.

Oil Sands Facts

Climate Change
-- Alberta’s greenhouse gas regulation does not require real reductions in emissions from oil sands operations.
-- Oil sands production is much more greenhouse gas–intensive than conventional oil production.
-- Oil sands are the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
-- Continued increases in greenhouse gas emissions show that Canada’s commitment to address climate change falls far short of what's needed.
-- Large-scale carbon capture and storage for oil sands emissions is currently a distant and uncertain prospect.
-- Companies are allowed to switch to burning dirtier fuels as a source of energy for oil sands extraction — further increasing greenhouse gas emissions from the oil sands.

Water Impacts
-- Oil sands mining uses two to four barrels of water for every barrel of bitumen produced.
-- Oil sands companies are not required to stop withdrawing water from the Athabasca River, even if flows are so low that fisheries and habitats are at serious risk.
-- Capping toxic tailings waste in end pit lakes with water is an unproven and risky concept.
-- For over 40 years, oil sands mining companies voluntarily managed tailings on their own, in the absence of concrete government regulations.
-- Tailings lakes seep toxic waste. It is uncertain exactly what is seeping, how much is seeping and what ecosystem components are affected.
-- Tailings lakes house compounds known to be acutely toxic to aquatic organisms.
-- Reclamation of tailings lakes has not yet been demonstrated.

Boreal Forest Impacts
-- Alberta’s oil sands underlie one-fifth of the province, and development is already planned for more than 79,000 square kilometers.
-- The Athabasca Boreal Forest will not be restored to its native state following mine closure.
-- Oil sands mining reclamation standards are weak and lack transparency; only one square kilometer of land has been certified as reclaimed to date.
-- The security bonds that are supposed to protect Canadians from costly environmental liabilities may be inadequate.

Perhaps Alaska's natural gas store will help America achieve oil independence. But it is going to take strong regulations to stop the spread of "the most destructive project on earth"

Reprinted with permission from Red Green and Blue

Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division (DeAM) launched what it said is the world’s first scientifically valid, real-time carbon counter--a nearly 70-foot-tall digital billboard in the heart of New York City at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue.

The Carbon Counter and “Know the Number” campaign is part of a climate change awareness and education initiative sponsored by DB Climate Change Advisors group (DBCCA), DeAM's institutional climate change investment and research business.

The “Number” on the Carbon Counter is based on measurements developed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that include all long-lived greenhouse gases covered under the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols (24 gases excluding ozone and aerosols).

"The Carbon Counter is a bold new experiment in communicating climate science to the public,” said Ronald Prinn, Professor of Atmospheric Science, MIT. “With climate change in the news around the world, it is useful to have an up-to-date estimate of a single integrating number expressing the trends in the long-lived greenhouse gases contributing to that change. This number can help convey how fast these greenhouse gases are increasing, and the progress, or lack thereof, in slowing the rate of increase. The number on the Counter is based on global measurements."

The current quantity of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as shown by the Carbon Counter is 3.64 trillion metric tons, increasing by approximately 2 billion metric tons per month. According to an evolving consensus of scientists, as this trend continues there is an increasing probability that a series of macro-climatic shifts will set up a self-sustaining cycle of rapid climate change.

The Carbon Counter sign itself is carbon neutral, using low-risk carbon credits (CERs) to offset its energy use while the digital numbers are generated by low-energy light emitting diodes (LEDs).

DeAM is one of the leading climate change investors in the world, with approximately $4 billion under management as of March 2009.

In 2008 Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) set a target to reduce its global carbon emissions by 20% annually and is committed to being carbon-neutral from 2013 onward.

Reprinted with permission from SustainableBusiness

Even more importantly, the variety of raw materials being used indicates that biofuel production is becoming consistent with other renewable energy sources in harvesting the most efficient locally available resources.

Cellulosic ethanol plant projects recently in the news include collaboration between the University of Florida, Buckeye Technologies and Myriant Technologies which are jointly working on a demonstration plant in Perry, Florida. The facility will evaluate feedstocks including forest products, sugarcane, and sugar processing byproducts. To get the most benefit from the organic products, the plant will also use the biomaterials in developing natural alternatives to petrochemicals and a plastic alternative for water bottles.

In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a cellulosic plant will be powered by liquid waste leftover from processing corn cobs into ethanol that has put into an anaerobic digester. The 25 million gallon per year ethanol plant is being developed by Poet and is slated to go on line in 2011.

Swedish giant DONG Energy, through its Inbicon subsidiary, is building a demonstration cellulosic ethanol plant in Kalundborg as well as two 20 million gallon per year plants in the U.S. The plants will process 460,000 tons of corn stover or wheat straw as the company looks to commercialize its technology.

The biofuel market is shaping up with different feedstocks likely to lead regions based on the plants that come naturally: switchgrass (West and Southwest), corn and wheat (Midwest), forest products (Northeast and Northwest), and sugar cane (Southeast).

This is part of the greater shift towards decentralized renewable energy production. Wind, solar and hydro likewise are being called upon as the natural environment and weather provides. The many benefits of produced fuel and power near where it is needed include lower transportation costs, smaller carbon footprint, and a boost to the local economy.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is planting cottonwood trees at locations including British Columbia, Oregon and California along the west coast to see their genetic variations in context of multiple environments to understand the potential of the trees as an ethanol feedstock.

Because the distributed model is so different than today's commodity market for oil, natural gas and coal, managers, scientists looking to advance technology and investors will have to adapt. The decentralization puts control at more of a local level, which will affect the decision making process for evaluating where to harvest and process the energy source.

John Gartner is Editor in Chief of Matter Network and an Industry Analyst for Pike Research.

Under the agreement, ISE will source ultracapacitor cells exclusively from Maxwell; and Maxwell will source and market through certain high-voltage and high performance ultracapacitor modules designed and produced by ISE.

The agreement builds on a relationship that began in 2002, when Maxwell began supplying its BOOSTCAP ultracapacitors to ISE for braking energy recapture and torque assist in ISE's hybrid drive systems for heavy-duty vehicles.

"ISE's pioneering energy storage system designs incorporating ultracapacitors gave our BOOSTCAP products their first production-level opportunity in the transit bus market," said David Schramm, Maxwell's president and CEO. "Both of our companies' technology and products have come a long way since then and rising fuel prices and new regulations aimed at reducing CO2 emissions are driving demand that is bringing hybrid drive systems squarely into the transportation mainstream."

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business.

For example, the Kansas City Aviation Department (of the Kansas City International Airport) is being honored through the Outstanding Leadership in Recycling award by the Missouri Recycling Association for their recycling efforts. The airport has heavily increased recycling at commercial gates and collects scrap metal from on site shop operations. Most notably, the airport's fleet of buses that regularly are stuck on the stop and go traffic of an airport (a major portion of emissions are emitted upon breaking) are powered with less-polutingnatural gas.

According to Greenopia's airline research, Continental, Horizon and Virgin Airlines are using new planes that use fuel more efficiently, and are testing out biofuels. Probably the most valuable green effort is that these airlines offer carbon offset purchases for customers.

European airline, Flybe, has established a printer cartridge and cell phone recycling program for customers to reduce waste streams and pollution. Customers who recycle cartridges and phones earn reward points.

Programs in airports like these can begin to offset the impact of an industry that by necessity emits pollutants in order to conduct business.

Sometimes we wonder how much airlines consider others when the levy extra fees on customers and the sometimes wretched conditions that travelers experience. These green efforts send the message that airlines want to do the right thing and care about the world they operate in.

San Jose, CA - Achieving a goal of 100 percent energy independence is a little closer for San Jose thanks to a momentous move by the City Council today. The City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop potential lease terms and guidelines for developing an organics-to energy bio-gas facility.

The bio-gas facility, planned to be constructed and operated by Zanker Road Biogas, will be based on a 40-acre site near the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plan. The proposed facility would also be bound on either side by two solid waste recovery and recycling facilities owned and operated by Zanker Road Resource Management, Ltd.

The MOU, which was authorized today, will set forth the guidelines and work-plan for the potential lease terms of the bio-gas project. Pending successful negotiations for the MOU, San Jose will issue a lease to Zero Waste Energy Development Company, Inc., a partnership between GreenWaste Recovery and their sister company, Zanker Road Resource Management.

This project would also see the cooperation of GreenWaste and Harvest Power, Inc., a company that provides leading technology and project development capabilities for harnessing the renewable energy in organic waste.

The Zanker Road Biogas facility would be the first facility in the U.S. with the technology to turn organic waste into bio-gas, keeping San Jose at the forefront of clean technology innovations. The technology that would find its home at the San Jose facility would use a process known as dry anaerobic fermentation to generate renewable bio-gas and high-quality compost. This technology has already been made popular in Europe.

All of the existing anaerobic digestion systems in common use in the United States currently process wet waste. By contrast, the technology for the proposed Zanker Road Biogas would use the dry fermentation technology specifically designed to process the relatively dry organic waste found in the municipal solid waste stream which is difficult to recycle without extensive pre-processing and currently ends up in a landfill.

This anaerobic digestion system technology has been commercially demonstrated in Europe by BEKON Energy Technologies, which has built 12 facilities in Germany and Italy and has 13 additional facilities scheduled for construction in 2009.

“This project not only demonstrates San Jose’s leadership in the production of renewable energy but will help us meet the economic development, zero waste and energy goals of our city’s Green Vision,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.

That “Green Vision,” which is responsible for San Jose’s success in being a leader on the green frontier, includes goals of receiving 100 percent of the city’s electrical power from clean renewable sources, diverting 100 percent of its waste from landfills and converting waste to energy.

The facility surely would help San Jose meet zero waste and energy goals. Capable of taking in 150,000 tons of organic waste per year to process and produce energy will no doubt help clear up land fills. It is likely that the energy produced would be used to power the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant. Excess energy could be sold to the regional electric grid.

The Zanker Road Biogas project would be developed in three phases, each phase designed to increase capacity by 50,000 tons per year of organic materials—a combination of primarily food waste and the organic portion of the municipal solid waste stream—and produce two products: a renewable bio-gas containing methane and high-quality compost.

Paul Sellew, CEO of Harvest Power commented, “We applaud the City of San Jose for its proactive effort in making renewable energy from organic waste a reality. Our organic waste project will be a major step in moving the City to 100% renewable energy while at the same time enriching local soils with our high quality compost product.”

During development and construction, the facility could employ 30 to 40 workers and it is anticipated that it will employ 50 to 60 jobs during full operation. “Creating green jobs that can’t be outsourced overseas is essential to rebuilding our local and state economy. Through projects like this, San Jose is becoming the world center for clean tech innovation. The proposed Zanker Road Biogas facility can be a model for other municipalities, showing how this technology can help solve their energy challenges,” Reed said.

With the completion of the proposed facility, San Jose would become the first city in the states with such capabilities. And we can only hope that other cities across the nation will adopt such facilities in the near future.

Reprinted with permission from Red Green and Blue

California, where the sun always shines except when it doesn’t, is implementing a tax-credit bond program specifically designed to fund renewable energy projects.

Another in the long line of the cumbersomely named "alphabet soup programs" that the state seems to love, CREBs, or clean renewable energy bonds, was jump-started by State Treasurer Bill Lockyer this week with the sale of $20 million of these bonds to install solar panels in 70 California Department of Transportation facilities.

California’s Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (yep that’s CAEATFA) sold the tax-credit bonds last week on behalf of Caltrans. They’ll have a 1.45 percent interest rate over the 15-year term of the bonds.

Total debt service costs over that span will total $22.5 million, and over that period Caltrans will save $24.7 million on its energy bills. Over the 25-year lifespan pf the photovoltaic solar panels, energy costs savings will come to $52.5 million, Lockyer estimated, with $27.8 million coming after the bonds are repaid.

The deal is the authority’s first use of the CREBs program, which was created by the Energy Tax Incentive Act of 2005. CAEATFA is also authorized to sell this type of bond under a similar program, called NCREB, established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The federal deadline for NCREB applications under ARRA is August 4.

Under the program, the federal government pays bondholders up to 100 percent of the interest directly in the form of a tax credit, and it allows borrowers to get financing with a minimal interest rate.

“This project is a great example of how to use innovative financing to green state government, make it more cost effective for taxpayers and bolster businesses and jobs in a vital sector of our economy,” he adds.

A big chunk of money is available for the program: It has a volume cap of $2.4 billion. Besides solar, eligible projects include wind energy, closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass, geothermal energy, small irrigation power, landfill gas, trash combustion, marine and hydrokinetic energy, and some hydropower facilities.

Projects must be owned by a “public entity,” such as state or local government; public power provider; tribal government; or a cooperative electric utility company.

Is California once again showing the green way?

Reprinted with permission from Triple Pundit.

In total, $57 million in grants were announced, with the lion's share going to wood energy ($49 million) and $8 million to biomass initiatives, which may support new developments like algae. Biomass makes up 3-percent of U.S. power generation, but account for more than 10-percent globally (according to Profit on the Peak)-- as a cleaner source of power taking advantage of waste wood rather than forests.

Topping the list was Oregon, receiving $11.8 million for both project types, with nearly all of it dedicated to wood energy.

Funding in Oregon ($11.1 million) and Maine ($11.4 million) was nearly double the trailing states, like Missouri ($6 million) and California ($4.7 million). Oregon was unique in its substantial support in both areas.

Washington, a state where hydronic heaters are banned under air quality concerns, especially regarding boilers, received $4 million focused towards wood energy and $250,000 for biomass. Clean burning technologies, those that meet EPA emissions standards, are continually improving alongside more efficient biomass, such as the use of small diameter trees as waste wood.

Last year, Maine Governor Baldacci introduced his Wood-to-Energy initiatives to take advantage of the state's rich forests and to combat the harsh winters. The state has worked already to produce 115,000 tons of wood pellets (waste wood biomass) and continues to expand to combat rising heating oil prices.

Concerns about wood biomass use flared in Greenfield, Massachusetts this week when an energy plant was proposed near a residential area. Neighborhood residents voiced concern in a meeting in a school auditorium, where one mother was “worried about the noise... the odor... the pollution.”

Recently, Germany's chemical industry began eying biomass as a viable fossil fuel alternative, with the development of a new center, Chemical Biotechnological Process Center (Chemisch-Biotechnologische Prozesszentrum), announced. With Germany being home to some of the largest European wood reserves, forestry waste may be explored.

Once cellulosic ethanol biorefineries are in place, nearby switchgrass cultivation could receive federal assistance from the Biomass Crop Assistance program. Places where solar and wind are less plentiful might find impressive biomass yields in rich forests-- ideally through wood supplies protected by sustainable practices.

On June 16 carbon management company Planet Metrics announced the launch of its Rapid Carbon Modeling (RCM) software, which aims to help manufacturers analyze and reduce carbon emissions associated with their products.

The RCM software is different than other carbon footprinting tools, in that it analyzes emissions from a company’s entire value chain, and allows customers to run alternative scenarios based on adjustments in product ingredients, packaging materials or suppliers, Planet Metrics founder and CEO Andy Leventhal says.

For a company engaged in manufacturing, owned facilities and transportation only represent about 10 percent of total carbon emissions, Leventhal says. The bulk of emissions lie upstream, such as in the supply chain and raw materials, which is where Planet Metrics says it can hone in using information provided by the customer as well as its own database.

San Bruno-based Planet Metrics, which launched in late 2008 with $2.3 million in backing from angel investors and Draper Fisher Jurvetson, says it can generally create a company’s carbon model within about a month. It charges an upfront fee for building a model; customers then pay a subscription fee for the software.

Method, a San Francisco-based cleaning products maker, has employed Planet Metrics’ software to analyze five of the company’s product lines, representing about 25 products. Method is on the smaller end of companies Planet Metrics is targeting with its new service, as larger manufacturers typically have access to higher-quality data required for modeling, according to Planet Metrics.

The current economic climate is a good time to for companies to begin to get ahead by reducing their carbon footprints, Leventhal says, especially in the face of rising oil prices and a potential price on carbon. “We’re optimistic that the market is looking for this.”

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Industries

The company's Sustainability Report, released Monday, show gains made in fleet-wide fuel economy (up from 25.3 in 2007 to 26.0 in 2008) as well as a reduction in CO2 emissions per mile, which fell by 3.4 percent. Those gains were in part due to the introduction of two new hybrid sedans, the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan, which each get 41 mpg in the city. Ford is also accelerating plans for plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles, with the first models being rolled out starting next year.

Ford's most significant improvement in sustainability came from reducing use of a liquid other than petroleum -- water. Ford's global water use dropped by 24 percent globally last year, thanks in part to a new parts washing system that eliminates an oily wastewater stream and reduces overall wastewater by 95 percent.

The company was candid about its model lineup in the sustainability report, stating that "In the past we allowed our portfolio to become too dependent on popular and profitable trucks and SUVs, missing opportunities to advance production of small and midsize cars."

Ford says it will make more small cars and do an economic u-turn, making them into a profit center instead of a loss leader. Ford hopes to outpace the rising CAFE standards for fuel economy by introducing its EcoBoost technology, which can increase fuel economy by up to 20 percent, in three models this year.

However, Ford went into reverse in one important metric: the energy efficiency of its facilities. After dropping in both CO2 emissions per vehicle produced and energy consumption per vehicle in 2007, both figures actually rose to near 2006 levels. The company said it improved the energy efficiency in North America by4.5 percent, so international operations must have dropped much more sharply. That's not acceptable for a company that needs to reduce costs and polish its green image.

Finally, during 2008, Ford joined the United Nations Global Compact, a "policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption," according to the U.N. Ford claims to be the only manufacturing company participating in the UNGC’s Human Rights Working Group, a laudable achievement.

While most of the focus has been on the auto industry's financial health and job losses, companies such as Ford are simultaneously becoming more sustainable, which is equally important.

John Gartner is Editor in Chief of Matter Network and an Industry Analyst for Pike Research

While the stimulus package and the green movement plow forward (with biofuels, of course), some of the green operations launched in the past few years are now facing difficult times including discontinued operations and bankruptcy.

In Crisp County, Georgia a recycling center funded by the public brought the hope of jobs and an industry built on a foundation of environmental sustainability. But, due to poor management, the center ceased operations in 2000. Then, Phil Davis, a local businessman decided to reuse the center and raised funding to implement a multi-step recycling operation where plastic soda bottles still containing soda contents are recycled. Step one involves extraction of the sugar in the soda for ethanol production. After soda extraction, the plastic bottles are recycled. And again, due to poor management and what some find, corruption, the center shut down operations (at least the ethanol division) and is facing bankruptcy. Creditors and the original bond holders have yet to be repaid, and the community is out hundreds of jobs.

In New York, an ethanol production plant filed for bankruptcy and has been bought out by Sunoco, Inc. Unfortunately, the plant never had a chance. A chance to operate that is. Due to failed construction activities including having never completed some construction necessary to operate the plant, developers and owners were unable to recoup construction costs through ethanol production. Similarly, the Hereford, Texas ethanol plant was bought up during bankruptcy by Ethanol Acquisition, LLC.

The plan for each of these plants is to reopen them, but for now, they will remain idle. This affects the progression of clean energy in the market, attempts at slowing climate change and air pollutant emissions, and green jobs for the masses of unemployed Americans.

Not operating green plants does not only arrest waste reduction and energy generation efforts, it also arrests the hope Americans have for a restored economy and relationship with the environment.

The moral of each of these stories is not that green operations are dysfunctional, but that the best laid plans may not be enough to turn plant operations into a thriving green business.

Any business, green or otherwise, must bring in revenue and produce a profit. The difference a green business typically experiences is in savings from operating a green building, generating its own energy or water supplies, or recycling its waste.

Chemical horticulture did not come from sound science; it came from a military-political decision. The military experimented with dumping chemical fertilizer on American farm fields to keep munitions plants in full production. The government was thinking that we would be at war in the future and would need to keep our munitions plants operational without creating huge stockpiles. But after a few years, all sorts of problems arrived. Weed, insect and disease problems never before seen began cropping up. And it was all caused by the use of chemical fertilizers.

Similarly dubious was the way pesticides were originally discovered. It was during the development of chemical warfare in World War II that researchers discovered the efficacy of these chemicals against insects. After the war, manufacturers began to sell horticultural herbicides and insecticides for the first time. Did you know the 2-4-d you spray on Mrs. Jones’ lawn is actually Agent Orange?

These chemical farming practices quickly infiltrated horticulture, becoming the accepted industry standard. This junk science all started with possibly the worst chemical experiment in history. Today, more chemical fertilizer is spread on home lawns than farmland. That’s 20 million acres of home lawn, where your children play, covered in toxins for the sake of aesthetics. These chemicals cause health problems bring disease and harm the environment. Using toxins for the sake of aesthetics needs to stop, and quickly.

And the worst part is there are natural ways to do the same things. If you have dandelions, you probably have a calcium problem. But instead of using Agway or processed hi cal lime, you can go to a local granite quarry and buy rock dust screenings. They are loaded with calcium and the plants will naturally break down the product as it sees fit over a period of years. If you have plantains, you probably have a compaction problem. These carrot-like roots are drilling holes in the ground to loosen the compacted soil, create drainage and provide oxygen. Instead of using RoundUp and pre-emergent herbicides, use a cultivator like a Weed Badger, to cultivate the soil between the rows and turn the weeds into green manure.

But these natural solutions are not confined to weed control. Fertilization can also be done naturally, in any environment. What many people don’t know is that soluble chemical fertilizers actually force feed trees and plants. When these fertilizers go into solution, they are taken up into the plant’s water supply involuntarily. This has been proven to cause all sorts of problems including attracting pests. In addition, chemical feeding cripples the plant’s ability to attract beneficial insects if they are under attack. And these chemical fertilizers destroy and deplete the fragile microbiology that supports healthy plants..

All sorts of things make plants grow; from the soil microbes that break down organic matter and transports nutrients from the soil to the plant, to the simple power of the sun and moon. Did you know timber felled on a full moon is heavier than on a new moon? By harnessing the power of the natural world, we can make plants grow safely and sustainably through a process called Biodynamics.

In 1920, Rudolph Steiner invented Biodynamics to help farmers harness the earth’s forces to heal the soil. Biodynamics also depends on statistically proven forces that science has yet to analyze. At Harmony Hill Nurseries, we use everything from composted horse manure to a liquid brew of beneficial bacteria we call Compost Tea. These fungi break down organic matter and feed it to the trees and plants.

Another common problem that causes many horticulturists to run to the chemical shelf is pest control. At Harmony Hill Nurseries, we use no insecticides or dormant oils. The reason is that they do more harm than good. In May of 1963, Jerome Weiser, science counselor to President John F. Kennedy, reported to a commission assembled to examine the premises of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. He argued that “use of pesticides is more dangerous than atomic fallout”. This assertion dovetails with Rachels Carson’s query: “We are rightly appalled by the genetic effects of radiation…..how then, could we be indifferent to the same effect from farm chemicals used freely in the environment?” If this is true how could horticulturists use pesticides for a business built for aesthetics? At Harmony Hill, we enhance plant’s natural defenses against common pests by bringing out these defenses, not killing them with chemicals.

6 years ago Harmony Hill began lining out their nursery and experimenting in tried and true methods of crop production. We look at every problem and try and find the most natural solution. If a cultural practice is not sustainable it just isn’t used. If you don’t believe us, just follow the roots. Simply put, for every challenge in growing there is an organic solution.

Mark Pavletich is the founder of Harmony Hill Nurseries and author of the upcoming book Greening America to Save the World, which offers natural alternatives to chemical horticulture.

Last week, the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) of CALSTART hosted a “Hybrid on the Hill” day where they showcased new truck technologies. Mack Trucks, Inc. participated in the event and gave federal legislators and policymakers a first-hand look at its parallel diesel-electric hybrid technology, known as the MACK TerraPro Cabover, for heavy-duty trucks.

Mack is initially introducing these technology in refuse trucks, aka garbage trucks, where hybrid technology seems to have the greatest impact due to the stop-and-go nature of the trash pick-up system.

The largest benefit of the technology is that it has a 30 percent fuel economy improvement in stop-and-go applications and meets the EPA’s 10 emission regulations. The truck is currently being tested in New York.

Here is the downlow on the technology:
-- rear loading refuse packer body
-- equipped with a 325 hp MACK MP7 engine and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust aftertreatment technology powertrain features an integrated starter, alternator and electric motor
-- the system captures energy from braking, converts the energy to electricity, stores the electricity in lithium ion batteries, and uses it to power the electric motor, which assists the MP7 diesel engine with propulsion of the truck

According to Dennis Slagle, Mack president and CEO, “Our hybrid technology will be commercially viable, yet it will take time to establish a robust hybrid market for heavy vehicles that will enable us to invest in large scale production. Incentives will accelerate the adoption of Class 8 hybrids and bring forward the positive environmental changes.”

Slagle also noted that the technology will be very expensive when it first comes to market and will become more affordable as production increases. In terms of payback, the purchaser will see a return on investment in several years when accounting for the fuel savings and reduced maintenance costs.

The fuel savings would ultimately be a huge bonus for consumers because the high cost of transportation is a major factor in product and food prices and most waste management services have increased monthly rates to offset the high price of diesel. In addition to Mack’s technology, there are more diesel-electric hybrid technologies in the works.

Company sources also noted that it will take federal incentives to bring the technology to market. While there are currently several short-term federal tax credit programs designated for heavy-duty hybrids, longer-term incentives are needed. The Company is lobbying for Congress to extend the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit which is part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and expires at the end of this year.

It can be argued that longer-term incentives are need for all-hybrid programs whether for heavy-duty trucks, light trucks or passenger vehicles. And wouldn’t it be great if our garbage was picked up by an electric hybrid truck and then turned into fuel for our passenger cars? This is not a pipe dream - BlueFire Ethanol is doing this very thing in LA County as is CleanTech Biofuels. I’ll be mulling this over when I’m on the road again.

A new report released by the Blue Green Alliance, directly links the development of a renewable electricity standard to the creation of 850,000 manufacturing jobs. The figure takes several factors into consideration, tying renewable development to fossil fuels in terms of job production.

According to studies performed over the past seven years, by organizations California Energy Commission and the Berkeley Center for Renewable Energy, renewable sources generate greater employment, four to six times as many (per megawatt), when compared to equivalent investments in fossil fuels. The report postulates that a 25-percent requirement of 18,500 MWs of power from wind, solar, geothermal and biomass by 2025 would create jobs for a group that are the “backbone of the middle class," according to David Foster, the Blue Green Alliance's Executive Director.

Foster added that the creation of these new jobs is necessary to combat the "devastating downturn in domestic manufacturing." The government would be “leaving jobs on the table,” according to Debbie Sease, National Campaigns Director at the Sierra Club, with “75% of new green jobs ending up in China [or] Europe,” per Michael Peck of the MAPA Group.

Peck emphasized the need for progression in raising a renewable standard with a 12-percent renewable electricity standard by 2012, creating 70,000 new jobs and assisting the growth of existing companies and start-ups. Nearly half of the manufacturing jobs lost in the automotive industry could be recovered through a renewable standard.

A study released earlier this month by the University of California at Berkeley revealed that California alone could create half a million jobs by 2050 if they converted to 50-percent renewable energy combined with other studies may act as beacons towards standard establishment. Just as the energy market is changing, so are the facilities that produce their required materials and components.

Organizations that once made equipment vital to certain fossil fuel extraction or refinement will receive a further push towards supplying clean technology with the advent of a higher electricity standard.

As the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is working towards finalizing major energy legislation this week, the renewable electricity standard has reached 15-percent, though a quarter of that would be from retrofitting/efficiency measures, but it may be insufficient to restart the manufacturing sector. Under the darkening clouds of climate change and global economic recession, policymakers must consider the ties between renewable energy and new jobs in a battered sector.

Meeting energy needs while being efficient and using environmentally responsible technologies is probably the single greatest change that needs to happen to alter the effects of climate change now. In the United States and the European Union, governments are backing smart grid and renewable energy programs. Undoubtedly, the two technologies go hand-in-hand, but where should we put our efforts (and dollars/euros) first? What is a smart grid? According to the US Department of Energy:

Grid 2030 vision calls for the construction of a 21st century electric system that connects everyone to abundant, affordable, clean, efficient, and reliable electric power anytime, anywhere. We can achieve this through a smart grid, which would integrate advanced functions into the nation’s electric grid to enhance reliability, efficiency, and security, and would also contribute to the climate change strategic goal of reducing carbon emissions. These advancements will be achieved by modernizing the electric grid with information-age technologies, such as microprocessors, communications, advanced computing, and information technologies.

President Obama has funded smart grid technologies in the Economic Stimulus Package, and there is no doubt that a large amount of power is wasted with our current grid system; however, would it be better to invest in renewable energy now? Off-Grid explains:

The greedy and slothful companies are in fact motivated by billions of economic stimulus dollars being handed out. The stimulus money could be used more effectively installing renewable power and microgrids in local communities. Harvesting extra efficiency from the national grid could postpone the next power plant, but so could introducing widespread household-level renewables. Installing micro-grids everywhere would cut down on the losses made in transmission.

The current national grid system is inefficient. Large amounts of power is lost in transmission and generating stations. Off-Grid reports:

Transmission and distribution lines are imperfect conductors, with over 10% of power lost as heat. If these so-called line losses were reduced by a tenth on the distribution system alone, the power saved would equal all the wind generation installed in the U.S. in 2006, according to the industry’s Electric Power Research Institute, or EPRI. That’s 2,454 megawatts, or approximately the equivalent of three typical coal-fired power plants.

Why haven’t the utility companies already implemented smart grid technologies using their own profits? The answer is because they are motivated by money, and there has been no incentive to do so until Obama’s stimulus package came along. The European Union faces another problem from its aging grid system. According to a report from Europe’s leading science academies, the EU will not be able to distribute the renewable energy (20% of all energy) they have committed to build by 2020. In fact, problems with the EU grid could appear as soon as 2011. A solution is to create off-grid and micro-grid supplies for small communities rather than overhaul the entire grid system. Off-Grid explains:

Scandinavian countries potentially have excess capacity in hydroelectric plants that could, ideally, be sold to places such as Germany. If agreements can be made with north African countries, solar power collected in the Sahara desert could be transported up into southern Europe. “In order to do that, you need to design the transmission system so it can cope with the large power flows through existing countries’ networks [but] Italy’s transmission system is not designed for that, nor is Spain’s.”

Distributing energy efficiently is important no matter the source, but we need to invest in alternative energy now. Creating micro grids that use renewable energy seems like the logical first step while the larger grid infrastructure system is improved.

Image: US Department of Energy

Reprinted with permission from Red Green and Blue

Multiple applications are possible whether it is for conservation or for environmental stewardship. Homes use the collected water to maintain gardens, lawns, and even for washing a car. Golf courses and public parks can use large-scale rainwater collection facilities, conserving freshwater supplies for drinking. After the cost of the barrel, collecting water and reusing it in the summer is free of charge- no hose to rewind and no water bill to avoid opening. There are just a few technical functions to the water collecting system; for instance, place on level ground so a full barrel doesn’t tip over and nix your collected water.

Collecting water can provide a substantial environmental benefit to local watersheds, reservoirs, and in general, water supplies. If municipalities provided incentives for rainwater collection, specifically in locales frequently under drought conditions, such as Las Vegas, gallons of water per home could be conserved and used during drought times.

Peoria, ILis working with residents to collect rain barrel water in an effort to decrease the strain on the city’s sewers. During rainy seasons, municipal sewer systems are inundated with rainwater in addition to regular resident and business sewer flows, and when mixed with the debris and waste rain often brings to a sewer pipeline, reducing runoff means less energy to process that extra water, and less strain on pipes to carry that water.

Rochester, MN residents are collecting water more for the fun of it than because of scarcity. While the city has sufficient supply and does not have competing pressures from business, industry, drinking and recreation uses on its water, residents still think rain barrels are the sensible option. They are correct. After all, rain is free.

Of course, there are some limitations to turning a green leaf. For example, Colorado has a law mandating that rain barrels are unacceptable. The law dates back to times when the environment was less than at the forefront of city planning. Originally, the law was established to protect water users downstream in effect, preserving water for those users as opposed to collecting it all and hording it away. Prior to official city water collection systems, the law may have had a purpose. However, now the law is downright silly and no longer applicable. Considering that Colorado is generally an environmentally-conscious state, I am sure it is only a matter of time before the law is washed out making room for rain barrels.

Rain barrels: coming to a store or city giveaway near you.

To help kick-start the effort, the Department of Defense is soliciting bids for cutting edge bio-battery and fuel cell development through its Small Business Innovation Research grant program. That could mean just about anything for a fuel source, from sugar to potatoes, vodka or beer. Stay tuned for more: the deadline for submitting SBIR proposals is June 17.

U.S. Military Transforming Its Energy Strategy From solar installations at army bases to high efficiency LED lighting systems for the Navy, the U.S. military has been hopscotching over the civilian world when it comes to investing in sustainability. It is fully committed to a long term transformational energy strategy. Alternative energy is just one piece of the puzzle. Another piece is the development of high-efficiency, lightweight portable power systems that will replace conventional batteries.

The U.S. Military Needs New Batteries As the Defense Reduction Threat Agency describes it, the logistical footprint of portable power is in lockstep with the U.S. military’s carbon bootprint. Conventional batteries are unsustainable from both points of view. They’re an operational dead end for the dismounted soldier of the future, who is increasingly reliant on power-hungry communications and surveillance equipment in addition to armor and weaponry. Transporting heavy batteries to and around the field is just the beginning of the problem for DRTA, which states that the “acquisition, storage, distribution, and disposal of over a hundred different battery types poses an enormous logistical challenge.”

Bio-Based Batteries and Fuel Cells Now, about those potatoes. As any grade school scientist can tell you, an ordinary potato can power a small electronic device. In fact, Sony has been developing a bio-based fuel cell that runs on sugar, and vodka bio-batteries run on similar principles. The big picture emerges from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).

The OSD has included Biological-Based Energy Storage and Generation Technologies in its list of topics for proposals under this year’s Small Business Innovation and Research grant program. The agency cites transforming the way we generate, distribute, and store power as the key to a “revolutionary” advantage in tomorrow’s wars. To achieve that, we need batteries and fuel cells that are “more efficient, compact, safe, and cost effective.”

The U.S. military envisions an energy future for itself that is safer and more sustainable. So, how about the rest of us? It will be interesting to see what contributions our fossil fuel industries can make to this national defense priority, especially concerning our safety. I suppose hiring a PR firm is a good first step.

Image: JohnSeb on flickr.com.

Reprinted with permission from Red Green and Blue

International Agreement on Climate Treaty Seems Unlikely in 2009

By Mridul Chadha

It seems unlikely that an agreement on the terms of the next climate treaty could be reached at the December-scheduled Copenhagen talks. The United States, not a member of the Kyoto Protocol and one of the major players in the international negotiations tussle over the climate treaty, has not yet reached a consensus over how to reduce carbon emissions and a bill successfully passing through the Senate in 2009 seems quite difficult.

The major issues that US lawmakers need to look into are, first, how to make the transition from carbon-intensive fossil fuels to clean renewable energy sources and, second, how to finance this transition without burdening the people with any significant monetary load.

The proposed carbon trading scheme has attracted criticism from the environmentalists since it allows the government to distribute emission permits to the industries free of cost. A bill proposing a nationwide carbon tax was also introduced in the US Congress but experts fear that, if implemented, the bill would put a financial burden of more than $1000 per year on the US households.

Power plants generating electricity through coal will have to be replaced with plants using renewable energy resources but that would again come at a significantly high cost given the infrastructure costs related to setting up large scale solar and wind energy farms. In addition, transforming, upgrading and getting the existing grid ready for these new power plants will demand enormous amounts of monetary influx.

Many lawmakers are pushing for nuclear power to be included in the climate bill since it is one of the most economical sources of energy. However, they are at conflict of ideas with the environmentalists who argue that the nuclear waste that would be generated from these nuclear plants will pose serious management issues given the fact that President Obama wants to close the Yucca Mountain storage facility. Furthermore, the increase in number of nuclear power plants would also poses national security issues.

Lawmakers coming from states where fossil fuels are a major part of the state economy are hesitant in giving their support to a bill which, to them, seems biased in favor of renewable energy. The there is the issue of biofuels. The Obama administration has clearly stated that biofuels will be part of the new energy plans of the country but there have been consistent international calls from scientists and environmentalists that biofuels can severely damage the ecosystem.

All these issues are making it difficult for the officials to come up with a definite goal for reducing carbon emissions by 2020. While President Obama has declared the target of 14 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, the world seeks a more ambitious target from the United States, something close to the target issued by UNFCCC in its guidelines – 25 to 40 percent.

Without the United States’ the new climate treaty would be impossible, and even if it does happen it would prove largely ineffective since the developing countries wouldn’t be a part of it. The US Energy Secretary has stated that in order to tackle the problem of climate change his country needs to work as a leader. But that seems unlikely until the lawmakers get together.

Image: Storm Crypt (Creative Commons)

Reprinted with permission from Red Green and Blue