Public health and environmental advocates faced off against household cleaning giants Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL), Church and Dwight (NYSE: CHD) and Reckitt-Benckiser (RKBKF.PK) in a Manhattan court Thursday in a fight for transparency about the chemicals in cleaning products.

The manufacturing giants are refusing to follow a New York state law requiring them to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products and the health risks they pose. Independent studies show a link between many chemicals commonly found in cleaning products and health effects ranging from nerve damage to hormone disruption. With mounting concern about the potential hazards of chemicals in these products, advocates are defending consumers' right to know and asking companies to follow the law.

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant," said Earthjustice attorney Keri Powell. "It's time for these companies to stop hiding behind a veil of secrecy and give consumers the information they need to protect themselves and their families."

The first-of-its-kind lawsuit could have national implications and comes as momentum builds nationally and internationally for toxic chemical reform. Yesterday, the United States Senate committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing looking into the current science on public exposures to toxic chemicals. Advocates are awaiting introduction of federal legislation to reform the nation's badly broken system of regulating toxic chemicals. And internationally, companies are preparing to comply with Europe's new chemical regulations (known as REACH).

"The bottom line is that hazardous ingredients that have not been tested for long-term health impacts, like asthma or even birth defects, are being used in some cleaning products," said Erin Switalski, executive director of Women's Voices for the Earth. "Consumers have a right to know if they are spraying their kids' high chairs with toxic chemicals. Without full ingredient disclosure from these companies, there's simply no way to be sure."

The nonprofit public interest law firm Earthjustice brought the court case last year on behalf of a coalition of state and national groups, including Women's Voices for the Earth, Environmental Advocates of New York, New York Public Interest Research Group, Clean New York, Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, and American Lung Association in New York.

"Manufacturers of household cleaning products have a responsibility to inform consumers and state regulators about chemicals in their products that may endanger human health or the environment," said Laura Haight, senior environmental associate with NYPIRG. "This is not only common sense; here in New York, it's the law."

Cleaning product manufacturers are taking notice of the changing climate toward toxics in products. In response to a letter sent by the groups involved in the court case, several companies, including the California-based Sunshine Makers, Inc. (manufacturers of Simple Green products), filed reports with the state for the first time. And three weeks after the disclosure lawsuit was filed, household cleaner manufacturing giant SC Johnson announced that it would begin disclosing the chemical ingredients in its products through product labels and a website.

"Sierra Club is working through the courts and with the industry on efforts to fill in the gaps where the public still doesn't have the information it needs to make smart consumer decisions," said Tom Neltner, co-Chair of Sierra Club's Toxics Committee. "This New York law can protect consumers by allowing a government agency such as the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to review confidential business information."

Ingredient disclosure requirements are virtually non-existent in the United States. The exception is a long-forgotten New York state law which requires household and commercial cleaner companies selling their products in New York to file semi-annual reports with the state listing the chemicals contained in their products and describing any company research on these chemicals' health and environmental effects. But in the three decades since the 1976 law was passed, companies failed to file a single report.

"Information is the best armor we have to protect our families from everyday hazards. And New York State already has a law on the books requiring companies to report the toxic chemicals that go into their products. The law needs to be enforced," said Saima Anjam, Environmental Advocates of New York.

Studies show links between chemicals in common household cleaners and respiratory irritation, asthma, and allergies. Occupational exposures to some ethylene glycol ethers, often used as solvents in cleaning products, are associated with red blood cell damage, reproductive system damage, and birth defects. Some solvents in cleaning products are also toxic to the nervous system.

"Even today, women are still overwhelmingly doing the majority of cleaning, both in the home and as housekeeping staff in most workplaces. Since a woman's body is everyone's first environment, it's essential we protect them from chemicals known to cause reproductive harm, and New York should fully exercise its statutory right to do so," said Kathy Curtis, policy director from Clean New York.

Earlier this week, The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) announced the launch of a new website that includes ingredient lists for more than 230 household and commercial cleaning, disinfecting and auto care products in the U.S. and Canada, as well as a comprehensive glossary of terms for each ingredient.

Read additional coverage at the link below.

Website: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35242379/ns/us_news-environment/

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

by David Ferris

President Obama turned his attention to energy this week, and in a rapid-fire series of announcements scrambled the prospects of the entire industry. Just days after pledging the U.S. government to a 28 percent reduction in energy consumption by 2020, Obama proposed a 2011 budget that boosted every sort of energy but the fossil kind.

On one hand, solar, biomass, new vehicle technology and the smart grid all receive a boost of hundreds of millions of dollars under Obama's plan. On the other, the president again suggested ending $36.5 billion in subsidies for oil and gas. Lest coal states and Republicans get too exercised, he also committed $545 million to carbon-capture technology and a whopping $36 billion in loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants, a move that drew howlsin some quarters.

Combined with a generous investment in biofuels, especially advanced ones, it appears the president is preparing to to herd resurgent Republicans and reluctant Democrats toward an energy bill this year.

Meanwhile, three of the West's largest cities looked global warming in the eye and unslung their caulking guns. Seattle passed a law that requires large buildings report their energy use, San Francisco invested $19 million in greener interiors, and Los Angeles took a step toward collecting rainwater from its vast acreage of roofs.

A New York Times story detailed how thoroughly China is dominating the race toward renewables while the U.S. dithers. But the rising tide can cross the Pacific, as American Superconductors demonstrated when it won a $70 million contract to provide wind-turbine control systems to Shenyang Blower Works.

Hybrid cars ended the week with soot on their faces as an authoritative study concluded that some hybrid models don't save much gas and are loaded with too many expensive features. On Thursday, Toyota admitted that the 2010 Prius has a braking problem linked to regenerative braking.

European sportscar makers fell over themselves announcing (or at least suggesting) models that could hug the road and hug a tree at the same time. BMW expects a plug-in hybrid by 2013, Ferrari plans a souped-up hybrid for...someday, and Jaguar toys with a hybrid powered by a tiny gas turbine.

In other news, tigers get a reprieve, and global warming may be the reason trees in the Eastern U.S. are growing faster.

Reprinted with permission from The Ferris Files

We’ve talked here before about the importance of choosing recycled toilet paper. There’s really no reason that ancient forests should be wiped out just so we can wipe our behinds.

A new machine from Japanese company Oriental might make choosing recycled easier than ever, or it could be an expensive unitasker. You decide!

The idea is pretty simple: documents go into the machine, and rolls of toilet paper come out. White Goat uses about 40 sheets of A4 paper to make one roll of TP! Here’s a quickie video explaining how it works in a little more detail:

At a price of $100,000, this 6 foot tall machine isn’t quite accessible for home use, but it does seem like it could be a great solution for businesses looking to go green. The company says that it costs around 11 cents to produce a roll of TP with the machine and that with regular use each machine could save up to 60 cedar trees each year.

Reprinted with permission from Green Upgrader

Twenty-five solar industry and regulatory leaders shared data and forecast a positive future, especially for small-scale projects, at the third Solar Electric Utility Conference hosted by PHOTON International Thursday in San Francisco.

Smaller Is Better

Keynote speaker Pat Wood III, former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and now with Wood3 Resources, summarized the dominant theme of the day. “As I was preparing my presentation, I was struck by the growth of ‘bite-sized’ solar projects and how that is an emerging trend and is based on solid economic data,” he said.

The other panelists echoed this observation toward smaller-scale, distributed generation projects in the range of two to 20 megawatts. These projects are on the rise compared to utility-scale projects because they are faster to approve, have high profitability, have shorter connection and permitting reviews, and have increased flexibility.

Panelists described an average time for project completion in the range of six to 12 months for smaller projects, compared with two to four years for large utility-scale efforts. Ric O’Connell of Black and Veatch referenced his 2006 report that documents the high rate of renewable contract failure, and describes the risk factors that can lead to long project approval times.

“Distributed generation projects represent a hedge or safety value as we work to develop our business portfolios and regulators work to meet renewable portfolio standard goals,” added Recurrent Energy CEO Arno Harris.

Utilities Will Increase Smaller-sized Projects As Well

Paul Douglas of the California Public Utilities Commission described the significant challenge in meeting California’s Renewable Energy Standards – and as a result, the need to pursue a more diversified procurement strategy. Details of this challenge are in the PUC report 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard: Implementation Analysis.

The trend today is to increase the number of smaller-scale, competitive bid projects approved by the PUC, Douglass said. “Utilities know they have a deep hole to fill. Solar can do it in some ways even easier than wind.”

Douglass also shared details of a new proposed program that could streamline the ability for the PUC to approve smaller-scale projects. This proposal recommends a renewable auction mechanism for distributed generation procurement. The auction method is a market-based procurement process that utilizes some of the components of a traditional feed-in-tariff program.

“Because the distributed generation market is growing so fast, we think there is sufficient competition in the market space to make this program viable and accelerate project adoption,” Douglass said.

Panelists also identified another trend: an increase in vertical integration and the offering of full systems and services in addition to initial company products. For example, Michael Rogol, head of PHOTON Consulting, said the opportunity for increased profits comes from the addition of value added services and sale of full solar systems, and not merely panel manufacturing.

Howard Wenger, President of Global Business Units at SunPower, explained how his company initially sold its cell technology, but is now a fully vertically integrated solar business that participates in all segments of the market from cell manufacture to project development and construction.

U.S. Can Be a ‘Massive, Massive Market’

Overall, the speakers were optimistic for the future growth of distributed and utility-scale solar. “I think PV will grow faster than almost anyone in this room would believe,” said Rogol. In 2004 the global market was less than 1 gigawatt. This figure has grown to 12 gigawatts in 2009, and Rogal predicts a potential for 46 gigawatts by 2012.

PHOTON Conuslting’s research also forecasts, “The U.S. is a one-terawatt industry and this is 25 percent larger than all of Europe combined. It is a massive, massive market.”

Rogol was specifically positive about the opportunity for solar at the utility level, saying, “We believe the utility segment will fuel future growth. Two years ago, utility-scale solar was non-existent. We believe utility-scale solar can be as much as 50 percent of the total market.”

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechies

The Global Wind Energy Council this week announced that the world's wind power capacity grew by 31% in 2009, adding 37.5 gigawatts (GW) to bring total installations up to 157.9 GW. A third of these additions were made in China, which experienced yet another year of over 100% growth. The main markets driving this significant growth continue to be Asia, North America and Europe, each of which installed more than 10 GW of new wind capacity in 2009.

Newly added capacity of 1,270 MW in India and some smaller additions in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan make Asia the biggest regional market for wind energy in 2009, with more than 14 GW of new capacity.

"The continued rapid growth of wind power despite the financial crisis and economic downturn is testament to the inherent attractiveness of the technology, which is clean, reliable and quick to install. Wind power has become the power technology of choice a growing number of countries around the world," said Steve Sawyer, GWEC's secretary general. "Copenhagen didn't bring us any closer to a global price on carbon, but wind energy continued to grow due to national energy policy in our main markets and also because many governments in prioritized renewable energy development in their economic recovery plans."

China was the world's largest market in 2009, more than doubling its wind generation capacity from 12.1 GW in 2008 to 25.1 GW at the end of 2009 with new capacity additions of 13 GW.

"The Chinese government is taking very seriously its responsibility to limit CO2 emissions while providing energy for its growing economy. China is putting strong efforts into developing the country's tremendous wind resource. Given the current growth rates, it can be expected that the even the unofficial target of 150 GW will be met well ahead of 2020," said Li Junfeng, secretary general of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.

Newly added capacity of 1,270 MW in India and some smaller additions in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan make Asia the biggest regional market for wind energy in 2009, with more than 14 GW of new capacity.

The U.S. wind energy market installed nearly 10 GW in 2009, increasing the country's installed capacity by 39% and bringing the total installed, grid-connected capacity to 35 GW. In early 2009, some analysts had foreseen a drop in wind power development of as much as 50%, but the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with its strong focus on wind energy development in the summer reversed this trend. For more on U.S. installation numbers, read US Continues Breaking Records, Installs 9922 MW of Wind in 2009 by RenewableEnergyWorld.com's Graham Jesmer.

Europe, which has traditionally been the world's largest market for wind energy development, continued to see strong growth, also exceeding expectations. In 2009, 10.5 GW were installed in Europe, led by Spain (2.5GW) and Germany (1.9 GW). Italy, France and the UK all added more than 1 GW of new wind capacity each.

39% of all new capacity installed in 2009 was wind power, followed by gas (26%) and solar photovoltaics (16%). Europe decommissioned more coal and nuclear capacity than it installed in 2009. Taken together, renewable energy technologies account for 61% of new power generating capacity in 2009.

Investment in new European wind farms in 2009 reached €13 billion, including €1.5 billion offshore. 10,163 MW of wind power capacity was installed across the European Union – a 23% increase compared to 2008 installations – made up of 9,581 MW onshore (up 21% from last year) and 582 MW offshore (up 56% from last year).

“It is a remarkable result in a difficult year” said Christian Kjaer, CEO of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). “The figures, once again, confirm that wind power, together with other renewable energy technologies and a shift from coal to gas, are delivering massive European carbon reductions, while creating much needed economic activity and new jobs for Europe’s citizens.”

Wind power’s total capacity in the European Union has now reached 74,767 MW, up from 64,719 MW by the end of 2008 with Germany remaining the EU country with the largest installed capacity, followed by Spain, Italy, France and the UK. The wind capacity installed by the end of 2009 will in a normal year produce 163 terrawatt-hours of electricity, meeting 4.8% of total EU power demand.

Click here to view a video featuring Kjaer and get a look at more in depth wind installation figures from Europe.

Reprinted with permission from Renewable Energy World

Carbon emissions management is becoming an increasingly important business objective for US companies, but questions about accounting, reporting and tax considerations are far from resolved, leading to inconsistent practices, according to a new report.

The demand to focus on emissions reporting was heightened by the January 27 SEC decision to issue interpretive guidance to require greater consistency for registrant disclosures of the effects of climate change on their businesses.

The new Ernst & Young report, "Carbon market readiness: accounting, compliance, reporting and tax considerations under state and national carbon emissions programs," concludes that, while the timing and scope of climate change legislation in the US is uncertain, many countries around the globe (and many states) have some type of regulatory program to manage carbon emissions. With the strong likelihood that there will be more regulatory activity in the US, companies should consider carbon emissions requirements as part of their businesses and financial management strategies now, including establishing plans for measurement, monitoring, reporting and accounting.

Ernst & Young’s report reveals that, in a survey of more than 1,000 US public registrants with revenues between $1 billion and $100 billion, just 29 companies disclosed an accounting policy related to emissions credits or allowances in notes to their financial statements. Additionally, far fewer than half of the approximately 1,000 corporate representatives participating in an Ernst & Young webcast on January 12, 2010--Climate change and carbon markets: what every business needs to know and why--claimed to have a strategy in place to deal with carbon emissions regulations or markets.

“Being carbon market ready is logical business,” explains Steve Starbuck, the newly appointed Leader of Americas Climate Change and Sustainability Services for Ernst & Young LLP. Starbuck. “The global carbon market is likely to grow significantly in the future. Preparing for and identifying related business risks and opportunities up-front, can better position an organization for growth and provide a competitive edge. Last week’s SEC action further highlights the increasing need for companies to have the systems and processes in place to keep their stakeholders informed."

Following various state and federal reporting frameworks, as well as the evolving accounting standards and tax regulations governing carbon emission management could pose many challenges. To stay ahead of the curve, companies should fully embed carbon-related considerations in their business strategies to address climate change issues effectively. They should review their risk management processes as well as day-to-day business operations, accounting and tax planning.

Website: www.ey.com

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

by Zachary Shahan

Energy efficiency may not have the glamor of solar power or wind power, but it’s also a critical and immediate solution to cutting pollution.

Today, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced $19.2 million in funding for energy efficiency programs through the San Francisco Energy Watch program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

In the announcement, Newsom highlighted the creation of new local jobs through the programs and outlined the total energy and financial savings from the San Francisco’s energy efficiency work on city buildings during the last 6 years.

“San Francisco’s energy-efficiency programs demonstrate how protecting the environment creates jobs and helps businesses and property owners save money,” said Mayor Newsom. “To dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we have to be responsible stewards of our buildings and facilities. That’s why we are leveraging all these funds to create green jobs and further our environmental goals.”

Of the $19.2 million, $11.5 million is new funding for free on-site assessments of energy savings as well as the installation of energy-efficient lighting, refrigeration, heating, air conditioning, and food service equipment at greatly reduced costs. This program, in its first phase, has already delivered over 2,000 energy efficiency retrofits to mid and small-sized businesses and multi-family housing in San Francisco.

From the $7.7 million San Francisco was awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for energy efficiency programs that conserve energy in municipal buildings (including health centers, county jail buildings, and cultural centers), $3.1 million will now be used to conduct energy efficiency upgrades to an array of facilities in the city (including the Ella Hill Hutch Center and Southeast Health Center). These upgrades will result in nearly $3 million dollars in savings each year.

JobsNow

The recent expansion of the city’s energy efficiency programs have been aided by JobsNow employees that have been trained to introduce the Energy Watch program to San Francisco businesses. JobsNow is a stimulus-funded jobs program created by the City to put unemployed citizens to work. The program has already put nearly 1,700 San Franciscans back to work.

“We go to local businesses and tell them how they can save money by working with our program, installing new light bulbs and the like,” said Lee Williams of the JobsNow program. “Our team has learned so much by working with this program. We are all so happy to have this job. But to have a job where we also learn so much and do something we can feel good about, now that’s exciting.”

SF Environment’s combined energy efficiency programs dating back to 2001 have reduced the city’s overall energy use by 29 MW. The city expects to gain an additional 6 MW savings from these initiatives—totaling 35 MW — enough to power over 30,000 San Francisco residences.

More great news from the great city of San Francisco!

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

by Timothy B. Hurst

Last year the U.S. produced 11.1 billion gallons of biofuel. Obama’s new plan states that by 2022, 21 billion gallons of renewable fuels will need to come from so-called advanced biofuels.

This decision has been a long time in coming. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) actually started the whole process. Until now, however, the strategy to get to the goals set forth in the EISA were terribly murky. With yesterday’s announcement, the Obama Administration has set clear goals to achieving the required 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022. Last year the U.S. produced 11.1 billion gallons of biofuels. The new plan announced today states that by 2022, 21 billion gallons of renewable fuels will need to come from so-called advanced biofuels—biofuels that have at least a 50% reduction in GHG emissions when compared to their gas and diesel counterparts.

In addition to the 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels, requirements set forth by EISA dictated that any new renewable fuel facility constructed after enactment of EISA had to have at least a 20% reduction in GHG emissions when calculated on a lifecycle, cradle-to-grave basis—this includes any new corn ethanol facilities.

EPA’s new data and analysis show that modern corn ethanol facilities powered by natural gas, biomass, or biogas that use advanced technologies and use corn that is grown using modern methods will meet the 20% reduction criteria on a lifecycle basis. This sounds plausible to me, especially considering the thorough analysis by EPA using the best available models and data. EPA also took into consideration over a thousand pages of public comment and has asked the National Academies of Sciences to review its methodology. Based on what I’ve read, I do think the EPA has done the most thorough analysis of lifecycle emissions to date.

What this means, however, is that the roughly 10 billion gallons of biofuels that are currently made in the U.S. with older technologies do not have to meet the 20% GHG reduction criteria. Biofuels made at those facilities may or may not be any better for the environment than their gasoline and diesel counterparts. Some of them are corn ethanol facilities that are powered by coal electricity—which means, according to EPA data, they produce 34% more GHG pollution than their gasoline counterparts. These facilities will continue to exist until such time as they are replaced by newer facilities or the laws change to force retrofits.

So, in 2022, if the Renewable Fuels Standard can be implemented successfully and 36 billion gallons of biofuels are being produced, roughly 21 billion gallons (58%) of them will be “advanced” with a 50% reduction in GHG, 5 billion gallons (14%) of them will be EISA mandated to have at least a 20% reduction in GHG, and 10 billion gallons (28%) of them will be of the older type with questionable environmental benefit. To me, 28% is still a large amount of our total biofuels to be of questionable environmental benefit.

What impact will the renewable fuel standard have on land use and food supply?

What the Obama/EPA/DOE/USDA analysis doesn’t take into consideration is the amount of land required to produce 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels and what effect that might have on food supply. Sure the 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels produced in 2022 will typically come from non-food sources (with the exception of sugarcane ethanol and soy oil), but 15 billion gallons of our biofuels will still come from corn in 2022.

Let’s say that by 2022 our farmers are really good at growing corn for ethanol and have been able to squeeze about 500 gallons of ethanol out of every acre of corn. That would equal 30,000,000 acres, or roughly 14 Yellowstone National Parks. That’s a heck of a lot of food land going to production of biofuels. Does this make sense, or should we be emphasizing a phase out of all food-based biofuels after 2022?

Reprinted with permission from Ecopolitology

On Wednesday the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the finalization of rules for the Renewable Fuel Standard, including lifecycle analysis that takes into account land use changes.

The new rules reflect the fact that advanced and cellulosic biofuels deliver substantially greater pollution reductions than today’s biofuels, such as corn ethanol.

Despite intense pressure from the corn ethanol industry to exclude emissions from indirect-land-use change, the EPA found that such emissions are a major source of heat-trapping pollution from corn ethanol and other food-based biofuels. 

The new rules received a favorable review from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The science group praised the agency for a transparent process that accurately accounted for biofuels’ lifecycle heat-trapping emissions by including so-called “indirect-land-use emissions.”

The EPA also issued an analysis examining the scientific uncertainty involved in calculating emissions from indirect-land-use change and plans to ask the National Academy of Sciences to look at the issue.

Indirect-land-use-change emissions also have been the focus of recent analysis by the California Air Resources Board, as well as peer-review scientific articles, which concluded that using food crops to produce fuel increases worldwide demand for those crops, prompting farmers to clear previously untouched land to grow new crops. Clearing land, especially tropical forests, releases massive amounts of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

The Renewable Fuel Standard, enacted in 2005, requires fuel suppliers to blend a higher percentage of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, into motor vehicle fuels over time.

In 2007, Congress passed the "Energy Independence and Security Act," which expanded the standard's overall volume requirement from 7.5 million gallons by 2012 to 36 billion gallons by 2022, and significantly increased the requirement for low-carbon cellulosic biofuels. It also required the EPA to establish independent volume mandates for different fuel categories. Each category was to be defined by its lifecycle heat-trapping emissions compared with conventional gasoline.

The categories include: renewable fuel (20% less emissions than gasoline), biomass-based diesel (50% less), advanced biofuels (50% less), and cellulosic biofuels (60% less).

Corn ethanol facilities that were operating or under construction in 2007 are exempt from meeting the emissions-reduction requirements. The EPA projects that new corn ethanol facilities coming on line in 2022 could meet the 20% heat-trapping emissions reduction threshold for renewable fuels. However, this analysis is based on projected increases in crop yields and improvements in ethanol production technology and is not an analysis of the performance of today's corn ethanol facilities. 

UCS experts say cellulosic ethanol, derived from grass, wood chips and other waste material, is a better option. According to EPA analysis, ethanol made from corn residue, or stalks and cobs, could reduce emissions by more than 90% compared with gasoline, in part because it would not necessarily displace land used to grow food crops and therefore would not trigger significant indirect land use emissions. 

Cellulosic fuel production, however, has fallen short of the EPA target. The 2007 energy law required suppliers to produce 100 million gallons of cellulosic fuel in 2010. But current cellulosic ethanol production stands at only 6.5 million gallons. Therefore, the EPA announced Wednesday that it is waiving 93.5 million gallons of the 100 million gallon requirement. (This topic was discussed in a recent Green Week in Review interview with the CEO of cellulosic ethanol company BlueFire Ethanol.)

"Achieving energy security and tackling climate change will require a big contribution from cellulosic fuels," said Martin. "Just setting a goal isn't good enough in this economy. We need investment policies that help this industry get off the ground."

According to UCS, the most important thing federal legislators could do to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard's goals would be to support investment in building commercial-scale cellulosic biofuel facilities across the country. An investment in this essential clean energy technology would jumpstart rural economies and expand the economic benefits of biofuels production.

In Related News...

The announcement about the Renewable Fuel Standard was part of a larger set of initiatives announced Wednesday by President Barack Obama to boost the U.S. biofuel and coal industries.

Read MSNBC coverage at the link below.

Website: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35217880/ns/us_news-environment/

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

Despite being a traditionally slow growth area and one that was impacted by the latest economic downturn, the market for Building Automation Systems will grow 3% globally from 2009 to 2015, according to a new market analysis.

At that point, the total market will reach a value of more than $36 billion, ABI Research says.

Recession and conflict always bring a re-evaluation of energy management and calls for new ways to ensure organizations and nations use energy more efficiently. The same is true in the latest downturn and it is driving significant interest and activity in the market for building automation systems (BAS).

Energy use within commercial buildings has been growing year-on-year for decades and by now accounts for up to 20% of national energy consumption in some developed countries. This makes it a prime target for energy efficiency and environmental measures.

Although low single digit BAS market growth may not look significant, it actually is, given the current economic climate and the performance of the building industry in general. It also masks the shifts that will take place between revenue streams within the BAS market, as contract values will increasingly skew toward software and services and away from hardware--another result of the emerging trend for improved communication and connectivity with BASs.

“Government financial incentives and regulations as well as organizations’ own financial and environmental goals are coinciding with a drive to open up building automation systems to wider network management and integration, drawing companies such as IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) into a market traditionally dominated by more specialist global companies such as Johnson Controls, Honeywell and others,” says principal analyst Jonathan Collins.

ABI Research’s new study, “Energy Management and Commercial Building Automation” examines the potential impact key factors upon the BAS market and provides market forecasts for equipment, software and services as well as wired and wireless connectivity out to 2015.

Website: www.abiresearch.com

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

Toyota acknowledged Thursday that it found software design problems with the antilock brake system on the 2010 model year Prius. The company corrected the problem in Prius models sold since late January. The company said it was still investigating how to inform people who had bought the 2010 model prior to January. Toyota has sold approximately 100,000 units of the 2010 model since it went on sale in spring 2009.

The braking issue is not related to the unintended acceleration problem that recently led to a series of recalls on earlier Prius models, as well as eight non-hybrid Toyota models.

Paul Nolasco, a company spokesman, said the time lag for Prius brakes kicking in felt by drivers stem from the two systems in a gas-electric hybrid—the gas engine and the electric motor. When the car moves on a bumpy or slippery surface, a driver can feel a momentary pause in braking—lasting about one second—when the vehicle switches between the traditional hydraulic brakes and the electronically operated braking system. The brakes start to work if the driver keeps pushing the pedal.

While the Prius braking issue could cause safety problems at high speeds, the common complaint from drivers has been related to the "feel" or "sensation" during braking. A visitor to HybridCars.com wrote, "It feels like the car is sliding on ice but only lasts a second then the brakes hold again." Others have described it as "lurching forward" or an "unsettling experience."

Toyota said Thursday a software glitch is to blame for braking problems in the 2010 model. In late 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started to track reports—so far about 100 consumer complaints—about the 2010 Toyota Prius’s braking performance.

Toyota has not yet issued a recall on the 2010 Prius. The likely fix would be a fairly routine software update. "We would want to be given a little time," Hiro Yuki Yokoyama, Toyota's managing officer, told reporters.

The Prius is Toyota's third best-selling model in the United States.

Reprinted with permission from Hybrid Cars

by Tim Hurst

Dave Matthews Band, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow among the founding artists working in new Green Music Group alongside record companies and concert venues to lessen the environmental impact of the music industry.

From the electricity required to power the sound and lights, to the fuel needed for touring buses, equipment trucks and rabid music fans, the environmental impact of music festivals and big (inter)national touring acts can be massive.

Seeing the massive amounts of resources being poured into touring and the waste it produced–both back stage and in the audience–was all that Guster guitarist/vocalist Adam Gardner needed to launch the non-profit organization, Reverb, in 2004. In addition to helping make touring operations more sustainable for 85 major music tours, Reverb has conducted grassroots educational outreach to over 10 million music fans.

But Gardner and his wife, environmentalist Lauren Sullivan, realized they had the opportunity to take things up a notch. “We recently realized that we were in the unique position to bring all aspects of the music community together into a powerful coalition,” said Gardner. “We wanted to do more – our founding artists, venues and labels wanted to do more, and our fans were calling on us to take the lead.”

So take the lead they did. Gardner enlisted the help of like-minded artists including Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews Band, The Roots, and Barenaked Ladies, and joined together with Brushfire Records and Warner Music Group to form the Green Music Group, a “large-scale, high-profile environmental coalition of musicians, industry leaders and music fans uniting in one voice behind a common goal: to use our collective power to bring about widespread environmental change within the music industry and around the globe.”

The coalition held its official launch party at Jane’s House in Hollywood on Saturday night to celebrate the coming together of a diverse group of musicians, record companies and large music venues.

Outside of the music industry, Green Music Group will engage fans to take part in regular calls-to-action, amplifying the campaigns of various environmental non-profits. Non-profit launch partners include: Oxfam America, Union of Concerned Scientists, Hip Hop Caucus, HeadCount, DoSomething.org, StopGlobalWarming.org, Music For Relief, Climate Counts, and Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance.

“Green Music Group’s incredible reach and deep connection to young people has the power to be a major megaphone for the Sierra Club’s environmental campaigns,” said incoming Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.

Sure there are summer music festivals with excellent greening initiatives; and then there are bands like Phish and Sound Tribe Sector 9, for example, that take the environmental impact of touring seriously, launching internal projects to reduce the environmental impact of a rock concert. But the industry as a whole has often characterized as one that is wasteful and inefficient — they don’t say “party like a rock star” for nothing.

That’s why the new coalition will offer something that in-house programs and other music-based environmental non-profits do not, trans-industry “voice” for sustainability. And it helps to have a little funding behind it too.

GMG will also be providing small grants for up-and-coming artists looking to go green. In the coming months they will begin accepting applications to our Green Grants program. Sign-up with GMG to stay informed about their future plans and how you can get involved.

Reprinted with permission from Green Upgrader

Seattle, Washington passed a new city ordinance requiring large commercial and multi-family property owners to annually measure energy use to allow comparison across different buildings. Building owners will also be required to share energy usage and ratings with prospective buyers, tenants and lenders during the sale, lease or financing of properties.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn approved the Energy Disclosure Ordinance Monday in an attempt to publicly identify energy-wasting buildings. It was unanimously approved by the Seattle City Council on January 25, 2010.

City officials say the new ordinance is critical to meeting the City's energy goals, and some commercial property owners and energy efficiency contractors point to the economic and business benefits of the new policy.

Energy disclosure is one of several measures recommended by the City's Green Building Task Force aimed at reducing energy consumption in existing buildings throughout the city by 20%.

"You can't manage what you don't measure," said Seattle City Council Chair Richard Conlin. "Energy disclosure is a key first step to tap into the gold mine of opportunities to save energy and money while improving the City's existing building stock."

Commercial property managers already benchmarking buildings say measuring energy use is critical to keeping costs down and staying competitive in the tight real estate market.

"Energy costs are one of the largest expenses facing property owners and tenants. Energy spending is also an expense that can be actively managed and controlled," said Christian Gunter, Vice President of Responsible Property Investing at Kennedy Associates, a Seattle-based institutional real estate investment advisor. "Energy-efficient buildings cost less to operate, attract top tenants, and create value for building ownership. With this new ordinance, prospective buyers and tenants will gain new information needed to factor energy use into their decisions about where to invest, live and work. If you are not monitoring, benchmarking and managing energy use, you will simply be less competitive in the market-place."

As more building owners and managers realize the market benefits of measuring and managing energy use, more are seeking ways to improve building energy performance, from no-and low-cost measures such as retro-commissioning, to deep building retrofits--all of which are contributing to growth in green building and energy services industries in Seattle and across the U.S.

"We believe that as more building owners work to bring energy use down and make their properties more attractive places to live and work, job opportunities will flourish for companies and contractors in the energy efficiency business" said Ash Awad, with McKinstry, a leading performance contracting company based in the Northwest.

Seattle's Energy Disclosure Ordinance builds on a state law passed last year to include multi-family dwellings and require annual reporting of building energy performance to the City.

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

by Leslie Blodgett

The United States is the largest producer of geothermal energy in the world, but one theme cropping up across sectors of the industry is simply that more needs to be done. Upfront costs tend to be high, but support from federal agencies combined with a marked rise in development in recent years renders a situation increasingly appealing for investors interested in payoffs from this trusted baseload renewable energy resource.

Despite the recession, geothermal energy added 750 full time jobs and 2,827 construction-related jobs from roughly $800 million that was invested in the industry in 2009.

Against this backdrop, the GEA welcomed financiers, politicians and industry developers, including many faces brand new to the industry, to a finance forum complete with model case studies, discussion of federal policies, and a keynote address from Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev). “More than half the attendees were brand new to us,” said Kathy Kent, events and marketing manager for GEA. “That’s a lot of new faces.”

Industry members shared project developments and opportunities with a slew of fresh faces. Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued an official proclamation for the day as “New York City Geothermal Energy Day,” and officers and members of GEA joined Executive Director Karl Gawell in ringing the NASDAQ closing bell.

“Geothermal energy is gaining momentum in our country as a clean, economically feasible alternative to fossil fuels. And as we invest in geothermal resources, we will not only help to improve our environment, but also strengthen our economy and create jobs,” said Bloomberg in his proclamation.

He added, “As New York City pursues its sustainability goals, we’re grateful for organizations like the Geothermal Energy Association, which is dedicated to supporting companies that are developing geothermal resources and helping to expand the use of geothermal power.”

The mayor also stated that his administration “is working hard to attract companies that are interested in investing in clean energy — just one of the many steps we’re taking to make New York City a leader when it comes to mitigating the effects of climate change and protecting the environment for future generations.” He concluded by offering his best wishes for the finance forum and the industry.

In Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s keynote address (left), he outlined areas for the industry’s political and financial partnerships to improve and declared his own commitment to geothermal energy and improvements on the energy front.

Reid noted potential for improvement in federal research and development, extending and expanding tax credits, transmission efforts, a needed national renewable electricity standard, lowering of oil consumption and the need for Congress to send the market a clear signal on the costs of global warming pollution.

“In my role as Majority Leader, I am committed to making the federal government a better partner, one that can help this industry continue to know the great success it has enjoyed over the last few years,” Reid said. “In my role as a Senator from Nevada — a state I like to call the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy — I am committed to realizing geothermal’s full potential.”

The senator’s state, Nevada, has about 450 megawatts of conventional geothermal power in production. “In the next three to five years — with the right mix of incentives and policy — my state alone could add 64 new projects that would bring that number up to nearly 2,500 megawatts,” he stated. “When you take into account the rest of the West, that number could easily double. That’s a lot of clean power. That’s a lot of jobs.”

Presentations on “Recent Models of Geothermal Success” provided examples of current developments that are underway from a variety of companies. “Federal Financial Incentives for Geothermal Development” speakers discussed impacts of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the U.S. Treasury grant program and the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Guarantee program. Grant and tax subsidies have time constraints so quick action is needed for developers to get the full benefits. And at the time of the event, four geothermal energy award winners had already received their ARRA funds.

In “Geothermal 201: Examining Key Issues for Investors” presenters covered areas of risk associated with geothermal development. This included discussion on the potential of the resource base, successes in drilling, associated costs and rates of return. The afternoon “Finance and Investment Dialogue,” explored the experience of panelists in geothermal energy investments. “Federal and State Legal and Regulatory Issues” tied together issues related to property and permitting, transmission connection and power purchase agreements.

Participants took home the insight of the geothermal industry’s top experts and experienced a celebration of the renewable energy resource. A new report, available on GEA’s website and released at the event, highlights the geothermal industry’s growth and identifies up to $342 million of federal funding currently allocated to 132 geothermal research, development, and demonstration projects in 27 states.

Reprinted with permission from Renewable Energy World

" alt="" title="" align="right" valign="top" hspace="5" vspace="5" border="0" />The largest epidemiological study of Parkinson’s Disease in the United States shows that the incidence of the illness is extremely high in many parts of the Northeast and Midwest, strongly implicating environmental factors in the ailment, according to a new study. Based on data from 36 million Medicare patients aged 65 and older, the study found numerous areas in the Northeast and Midwest where 14 percent or more of the population suffers from the neurodegenerative condition, which causes tremors,stiffness, and mood and behavioral changes. Many regions of the West, as well as Alaska, had extremely low rates of the disease, according to the study, conducted by physicians at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Allison Wright Mills, assistant professor of neurology at the school, said that finding clusters of the disease in the Northeast and Midwest was “particularly exciting” because these two regions are most involved in metal processing and agriculture, which produce chemicals that have been linked to higher rates of Parkinson’s. The study, published online in the journal Neuroepidemiology, also found that Asians and blacks developed the disease at half the rates of whites and Hispanics, which Willis said may be because Asians and blacks possess genes that protect them from exposure to environmental factors that cause Parkinson’s.

Reprinted with permission from Yale Environment 360

The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) this week announced the launch of a new website that includes ingredient lists for more than 230 household and commercial cleaning, disinfecting and auto care products in the U.S. and Canada, as well as a comprehensive glossary of terms for each ingredient.

In 2009, Clorox was the first major consumer packaged goods company to launch a product ingredient communication program in North America.

The updated site is perhaps a response to the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) stated mission to update the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The EPA recently announced that it will not allow companies to withhold chemical information based on claims of corporate competition.

Clorox is now providing information on how the company screens ingredients, including fragrance components for new products. For example, Clorox requests all of its fragrance suppliers to follow a series of strict guidelines for ingredients used in any new fragrance the company purchases. In addition to complying with fragrance industry standards by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM), fragrances must not contain Alkylphenol (APs) or Alkylphenol Ethoxylates (APEs), including, but not limited to, Octylphenol Ethoxylates and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates; Musk Ambrette; Musk Xylol; Polycyclic Musks; Diacetyl and Phthalates (such as DEP, BBP, DBP, DiBP, DPP, or DEHP).

"Clorox is continuing to demonstrate the kind of progress we need companies to make," said Sierra Club Chairman Carl Pope. "Since we began working with them on the Green Works brand, we've seen their commitment to important areas such as product innovation, ingredient communication, environmental stewardship and the transition to eliminate chlorine transportation from their U.S. supply chain. We applaud their approach to becoming even more open in communicating about their business practices and CSR commitments."

Website: www.cloroxcsr.com

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

President Obama announced on January 29 that the Federal Government will reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by 28% by 2020, in an effort to lead by example.

On October 5, 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order on Federal Sustainability, setting measureable environmental performance goals for Federal Agencies. Each Federal Agency was required to submit a 2020 GHG pollution reduction target from its estimated 2008 baseline to the White House Council on Environmental Quality and to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget by January 4, 2010. The Federal target announced today is the aggregate of 35 Federal Agency self-reported targets.

As the single largest energy consumer in the U.S. economy, the Federal Government spent more than $24.5 billion on electricity and fuel in 2008 alone. Achieving the Federal GHG pollution reduction target will reduce Federal energy use by the equivalent of 646 trillion BTUs, equal to 205 million barrels of oil, and taking 17 million cars off the road for one year. This is also equivalent to a cumulative total of $8 to $11 billion in avoided energy costs through 2020, the White House said in a release.

“As the largest energy consumer in the United States, we have a responsibility to American citizens to reduce our energy use and become more efficient,” said President Obama. “Our goal is to lower costs, reduce pollution, and shift Federal energy expenses away from oil and towards local, clean energy.”

Federal Departments and Agencies will achieve greenhouse gas pollution reductions by measuring their current energy and fuel use, becoming more energy efficient and shifting to clean energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal. Examples of agency actions that are underway are available on the White House Council on Environmental Quality website.

As a next step, the Office of Management and Budget will validate and score each agency’s sustainability plan, assuring a long-term return on investment to the American taxpayer. To ensure accountability, annual progress will be measured and reported online to the public.

Administration's Budget Drops Cap-And-Trade Revenue

The White House has dropped projected revenues from a "cap-and-trade" mechanism to fight climate change from its new budget, an administration official said, bowing to the possibility that the U.S. Congress may not pass it.

Read the Reuters report at the link below.

Website: www.reuters.com/article/idAFN0117296420100201?rpc=44

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

by Bruce Haring

Windation Energy Systems has developed an urban-wind rooftop turbine designed for commercial and industrial buildings. Billed as “permit-ready” and “bird safe,” Windation’s 5 kW turbine resembles a commercial AC unit and leverages a proprietary vacuum system to purportedly amplify wind speed and boost energy output. The company’s first installation is expected this quarter in Palo Alto, CA.

CleanTechies aimed four questions at CEO and founder Mark Sheikhrezai.

CleanTechies: Your statement on the Palo Alto project says it’s “permit-ready” and “bird-safe.” What makes it so?

Mark Sheikhrezai: Windation develops “ducted wind systems,” enclosed machines that resemble a commercial air conditioning unit. Each Windation unit measures 9 by 10 feet and weighs roughly 2,200 lbs, less than half an HVAC system. This conventional size, shape, and weight enable Windation’s wind systems to meet established permitting and siting codes for rooftop appliances and uses the same method of installation.

By internally housing the rotating blades and generator, the threat to birds and other wildlife is eliminated. In fact a number of safety, maintenance and other advantages result form the enclosed design, including minimizing noise, vibration, and aesthetics concerns.

CleanTechies: How will this be used at most businesses?

Mark Sheikhrezai: Windation’s Turbo WindMill 5000 can produce 10,000 kWh per year in average wind speeds of 7.2 m/s. The energy generated will feed directly into the building’s electrical system and reduce the amount of energy consumed from the utility grid. If higher generation capacities are desired, multiple Turbo WindMills can be installed on individual buildings; only 30ft of open space is required.

CleanTechies: Tell us about the proprietary vacuum system. How does it work?

Mark Sheikhrezai: Wind in city environments is more variable and turbulent than in rural settings, therefore an urban wind system must be equipped to handle incoming wind from all directions. The technology behind Windation’s urban wind system was inspired by Persian wind-catcher buildings. The system captures and funnels turbulent wind in a smooth, counterclockwise stream. A vortex is created beneath the internal turbine enabling a vacuum effect, pulling more wind into the frame and amplifying input loads.

Energy available in the wind is proportional to the cube of its speed. A basic principle that applies to all wind turbines is the faster the wind stream, the more energy will be generated. While the cut-in speed for Windation’s unit is 2.7 m/s, the system is most effective operating within the range of 4.5 to 9 m/s.

CleanTechies: Is there an energy storage component to this? What kind of battery if there is?

Mark Sheikhrezai: The unit is tied to the utility grid. Any additional energy generated that is not consumed on-site is fed to the grid.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechies

On Monday, the Obama Administration sent its $3.8 trillion budget proposal to Congress, including an additional $1.8 billion for the Department of Energy.

Not surprisingly, the budget focuses on job creation, calling for $100 billion in additional stimulus spending.

It also cuts funding for the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--though the EPA said it will actually increase staff members, while cutting funding in non-critical areas.

The budget also calls for an end to $36.5 billion in subsidies for oil and gas companies. The administration asked for these subsidy cuts last year as well. Read additional coverage at the link below.

Energy efficiency and renewable energy programs got a boost of $113 million over last year's budget to a total of $2.4 billion, according to Reuters estimates. However that pales in comparison to the request for $36 billion in new loan authority for nuclear power facilities.

Below are some highlights from the budget requests for various agencies.

Department of Energy

Loan guarantees for nuclear power facilities - $36 billion in new loan authority for a total of $54.5 billion

smart-grid technologies - $144 million for research, development, and demonstration activities

Biofuels and biomass R&D - $220 million

Solar energy - $302 million

Advanced vehicle technologies - $325 million

Carbon capture technologies - $545 million for "advanced" coal Clean energy activities and civilian nuclear energy programs - $793 million

Office of Science - $5.1 billion, including $1.8 billion for basic energy sciences to discover novel ways to produce, store, and use energy

Department of Interior

Renewable Energy Permitting - $73 million--a $14 million increase--to build agency capacity to review and permit renewable energy projects on federal lands.

Environmental Protection Agency

Climate Change Mitigation

* $21 million--an increase of $4 million from 2010--to implement the Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule and ensure the availability of high-quality emissions data.

* $56 million--including $43 million in new funding--for the EPA and states to address climate change effectively through regulatory initiatives to control greenhouse gas emissions

* $25 million to aid states in permitting activities for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the New Source Review and Title V operating permits programs

* $7 million to develop New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) to control GHG emissions from major stationary sources

* $6 million in new funding to implement the 2010 light duty vehicle rule and to develop regulations for large mobile sources

* $5 million to develop guidance regarding the best available practices and technologies to control GHG emissions under permitting

Department of Labor

Green Job Training - $85 million

Department of Transportation

National Infrastructure Innovation and Finance Fund (new) - $4 billion

President’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities - $530 million

High-speed rail - $1 billion

Department of Commerce

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - $712 million for development of standards ranging from cybersecurity and smart grid to energy efficiency

Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership - $130 million to enhance the competitiveness of the nation’s industries by facilitating the adoption of more efficient manufacturing processes

Department of State

$1.4 billion to help developing nations adapt to climate change and pursue low-carbon development with the assistance of U.S.-built clean energy technologies and increased sequestration of carbon stored in soils, plants, and trees.

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

by Nick Chambers

Over the last year, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has been aggressively seeking partners in their zero-emissions mobility quest—stitching together a veritable patchwork quilt of cooperators from a diverse variety of sectors. Now they can add one more feather in their cap in the form of a partnership with the All Japan Ryokan Association of hotels.

According to the press release, the partnership will not only seek to install charging stations in about 18,000 Japanese hotels, it will go further to promote such things as “eco” travel packages that include zero-emissions EV tours. The agreement also lays the groundwork to provide extended test drives to potential EV buyers as well as educate hotel guests on the “environmental performance” and “attractiveness” of EVs.

Certainly having a network of charge stations at places you are already planning on spending the night while on vacation makes a ton of sense. Given that Japan is so compact—with the largest island being only about 900 miles long from tip to tip—a network of 18,000 charge points would seem to more than satisfy the needs of a vacationer who was willing to take their time every now and then to recharge the cars’ battery. I mean really, that’s what vacationing is all about anyways, right? While you’re waiting for your car’s battery to recharge you could recharge your own as well.

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

by Tina Casey

Magnetic materials are set to play a big role in a more energy efficient future for the information technology sector. Last month the U.S. Department of Energy announced $47 million in grants for new IT energy efficiency projects, and a big chunk of that – $2.8 million – will go to the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University (SEAS) to develop new computer chips using nano-scaled magnetic materials.

Columbia will be working with partners IBM and Cornell University on the project, which is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). It’s a compelling example of the ripple effect that government investment in research can have, as the increased efficiencies are expected to yield significant bottom line savings for established IT players and startups alike. Private industry is chipping in a cool $70 million in matching funds for the overall DOE program.

IT and Energy Consumption

According to DOE, computer servers in the U.S. account for more than 50 billion kilowatt hours of electricity every year. That’s three percent of total U.S. consumption. With a scale like that, even a single-digit increase in energy efficiency would be significant. A ten percent savings in processors could result in a savings of 1.9 billion kWh in large servers alone. Along with Columbia University the other DOE grant recipients will be developing more energy efficient designs for IT equipment and software, power supply, and cooling.

Columbia SEAS and Energy Efficient Computer Chips

The SEAS project involves building a power converter that can fit on a silicon chip, instead of being positioned on the main circuit board (converters adjust the voltage to the low level required by silicon chips). Energy is lost when electricity travels from the converter to the chip, so locating the two in close quarters is more efficient. The focus will be on magnetic materials because they enable high density, high efficiency energy storage on a nanoscale.

Energy Efficient Computer Chips and Magnetic Materials

Cornell will supply the know-how for the materials aspect of the design. The University’s School of Applied and Engineering Physics specializes in nanomagnetics, and researchers there are exploring the manipulation of “electron spin” from one nanomagnet to another. Cornell’s Center for Materials Research has developed a thin film “superparamagnetic” materialbased on microscopic particles of ion oxide, which could also have application in medical diagnosis. The researchers have developed devices in which the alignment of two magnetic layers can be switched from one configuration to another. In effect, it’s a highly efficient, high density binary operation that serves as a memory device.

Magnets on the March

Aside from their use in boosting IT efficiency, magnets are coming into play in various aspects of sustainable energy. Magnet research got a big boost this year when Florida State University announced funding for the National Magnetic Field Laboratory, which will house a high efficiency superconducting magnet that could help lower the cost of basic research. The advent of flywheel-based energy storage systems also means a growing role for magnets in wheel bearings. On the individual end of the scale, at least one company has developed a battery that is based on a spring-loaded coil-magnet, which a person can recharge by shaking vigorously.

Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica

by Paul Gipe

In a truly groundbreaking move for the English-speaking world, Britain's Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has released a full suite of renewable energy tariffs that go into effect in April.

And Britain will fully index the tariffs with inflation. This often overlooked aspect of the British program will significantly boost earnings by protecting investors from the ravages of inflation.

Britain will become the first country in the world to offer a comprehensive system of tariffs for renewable heat, including tariffs for solar domestic hot water and ground-source heat pumps among others.

In another first, Britain will also offer a tariff for biogas injected into natural gas pipelines.

Britain has gone farther, faster than almost any other jurisdiction worldwide in moving to feed-in tariffs. From open ideological hostility to their new-found political embrace, the turn about has been striking and could offer the prospect for similarly rapid movement in North America.

Though Ontario had implemented a modest feed-in tariff program in 2006, the Canadian province moved swiftly when it decided to revamp the program. Ontario implemented its system of Advanced Renewable Tariffs, the most comprehensive in North America, in less than eight months, including public consultations and tariff price-setting.

However, critics charge that Britain's DECC has set its sights too low. The limitation of feed-in tariffs to a micro-generation "ghetto" remains troubling to many renewable energy advocates. Wind, solar PV, and hydro projects are limited to no more than 5 MW, or roughly two commercial wind turbines. Further, the tariff tranche for wind projects from 1.5 to 5 MW is so low that only the windiest sites in Britain will be suitable, raising concerns about more siting conflicts.

In a press release, Friends of the Earth's Dave Timms says, "The introduction of cash incentives to boost small scale green electricity generation is welcome, however, ministers have been far too timid with a policy that could make a significant contribution to cutting emissions and boosting energy security.

"Installing renewable technologies will now be a good investment for many homes, but farmers, businesses, communities and others will get little or no extra incentive to invest in clean electricity," Timms argues.

At the same time, the World Future Council's Miguel Mendonça says, "The UK is taking its first steps towards a policy environment which encourages citizens, farmers and others to become an active part of the climate change solution - and make a solid investment while doing so."

Renewable Heat Tariffs

Potentially far more significant than the wind and solar tariffs, all of which have been done many times before, Britain's tariffs for renewable heat could be a game changer. There has been widespread intellectual reluctance to tackle tariffs for renewable heat. It's as though policy makers don't understand that heat, in kilowatt-hours or any other units, is just as measurable as electricity. Then too, hot water from a solar panel is not quite as "sexy" as a spinning wind turbine or a gleaming solar-electric system.

But Britain finds itself in an unenviable position. Heat is needed and the British Isles are at the end of the continent's natural gas pipelines. Coupled with the country's disastrous experiment with so-called market deregulation, Britain is vulnerable to gas shortages during the heating season.

In 2007 the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) recommended in its report Renewables without Limits that the Ontario Power Authority institute solar thermal tariffs of $0.20 CAD/kWh for residential solar thermal and $0.10 CAD/kWh for commercial solar thermal installations. OSEA's recommendation was not included in the recently launched Ontario feed-in tariff program. OSEA also recommended that OPA set a tariff for biogas pipeline injection. This feature was also not included in the new Ontario program.

Where Ontario hesitated, Britain acted. This one policy tweak could be the gem hidden in the British program. "This is a significant step forward that policymakers in northern climates should definitely be paying attention to" says Toby Couture, one of North America's foremost authorities on feed-in tariffs.

Wind Tariffs

While the wind tariffs were designed to benefit British small wind turbine manufacturers, the tariffs for larger projects is sufficiently attractive to interest manufacturers of mid-size machines such as Enercon. The German manufacturer is one of the few major players that still supply a full line of products in the mid-size class.

Enercon offers both a 330 kW model, and two 800 kW models. These turbines would qualify for the 9.4 pence/kWh ($0.15 USD/kWh, $0.16 CAD/kWh) tariff class of up to 1.5 MW.

Solar PV Tariffs

Britain's less than 4 kW solar PV tranche offers a better tariff than that found in Germany, the world's solar PV powerhouse. Larger systems don't fare as well as in Germany but are protected from inflation.

Not known for its sunny weather, Britain could now serve as model of solar development for its former colonies, such as Nova Scotia, with similar climates.

Tariffs Indexed with Inflation

Unlike in Germany, British tariffs will increase with inflation. The tariffs were calculated to offer between 5-8% return on initial investment, says the Department of Energy & Climate Change. Because the tariffs are indexed to inflation, the nominal rate of return could be as much as 7-10%. Indexation is calculated by the percentage increase or decrease in the Retail Price Index (RPI) over the previous 12 months.

Residential Income Tax Exempt

Significantly, income from residential renewables, such as rooftop solar PV, will not be taxed as income. This provision could prove a boon to the retail solar PV industry, practically non-existent in Britain.

Once the laughing stock of the world's renewable energy community, Britain's new feed-in tariffs could finally put it back on the world stage alongside up and coming centers of renewable energy development such as Ontario and China.

For background on the policy, see Britain to Launch Innovative Feed-in Tariff Program in 2010.

Reprinted with permission from Renewable Energy World

SYNOPSIS: Tesla's Model S electric sedan will incorporate battery swapping capability. Beijing is considering installing battery swapping stations.

PAPILLION, NE -- One of the overlooked elements in Tesla Motors' recent SEC filing for its upcoming IPO is the statement that its next electric car, dubbed the Model S, is being engineered to allow its battery pack to be swapped. Specifically the S1 form states, "The Model S battery pack is also being designed with the capability of being rapidly swapped out at specialized commercial battery pack exchange facilities that we anticipate may be available in the future."

While the idea of swapping batteries is as old as the electric car itself -- early electric taxis more than a century ago used this approach to extend their operations -- for their part, the major carmakers, with the exception of Renault, have dismissed the idea as impractical.

But with the demonstration last May in Tokyo of a robotic battery exchange system built for Better Place, the electric car service provider founded by Shai Agassi, the concept has started to gain some, albeit, slippery traction.

Better Place's business model revolves around the sale of travel miles (kilometers) to its customers, rather than vehicles, per se. Based on a cellular telephone-like service contracts, customers are provided with an electric car built specifically for Better Place by Renault, along with charging stations for their home and place of work. Additionally, robotic battery exchange stations will be strategically located so that a depleted battery can be swapped for a freshly recharged one as part of the service contract. The whole exchange process takes less than 2-minutes, assuming, there aren't other cars ahead of you, like at a busy car wash.

Better Place's efforts to interest carmakers other than the Renault Nissan Alliance have been met with largely disinterest, until now, it would appear. While Better Places' Jason Wolf says Telsa's plans for the Model S are in no way connected to Better Place's system, it does indicate a shift in thinking, as does recent news out of Beijing.

Peoples Daily reports that the Municipal Science & Technology Commission has begun studies on how to recharge electric taxis and passenger cars. In addition to the likely construction of fast charging stations, the Commission is also looking at battery exchange where, "the staff will remove the car battery and directly replace it with a new fully charged battery." The paper notes, however, that this would require maintaining a large inventory of replacement battery packs, representing a significant investment in costly inventory.

Better Places' exchange system, now completing production engineering, presently recognizes two different battery pack designs. Whether it can also be tailored to handle other manufacturer's packs is uncertain, which raises the key sticking point for companies like Toyota, GM and VW. A proliferation of different battery pack configurations would necessitate the installation of separate battery exchanges at hugely redundant costs, or would compel the adoption of a narrow set of battery pack standards, limiting manufacturer vehicle design opportunities.

Last year only one carmaker considered going this route. Now it would appear a second has signed on, and should Beijing decide to follow, that would cascade down through the entire Chinese EV auto industry. Could U.S. and European manufacturers then afford to ignore the trend, is the key question?

Reprinted with permission from EV World

Ford (NYSE: F), Airbus and Levi Strauss are among sixty corporations that began road testing new accounting systems last month for the greenhouse gas emissions associated with products and supply chains.

Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the two new GHG Protocol standards--the Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard and the Scope 3 (Corporate Value Chain) Accounting and Reporting Standard--provide methods to account for emissions associated with individual products across their life cycles and of corporations across their value chains.

Jonathan Lash, president of WRI, said, “We are encouraged by the overwhelming response from the private sector seeking to road test the new standards. There were more than 120 applications across a broad array of sectors and regions worldwide. The road testing will provide critical input in ensuring that the standards generate credible and meaningful data for business and government decision-makers, while considering the practical challenges that businesses and programs will face during implementation.”

While many companies have been measuring the emissions from their own operations and electricity use, the Scope 3 Standard will allow companies to look comprehensively at the impact of their corporate value chains, including outsourced activities, supplier manufacturing, and the use of the products they sell. Road testers of the Product Standard will measure the climate change impact of products ranging from magazines, food and jeans to computers, wind turbines and steel.

Ashley Crepiat, environmental footprint and economics manager for Airbus, said, “Managing the transition towards a low-carbon economy is now a true concern for corporations. Airbus understands that beyond reducing its direct GHG emissions from its operations, evaluating emissions throughout the whole value chain is also a major challenge. By road testing the GHG Protocol’s Scope 3 Accounting and Reporting Standard, we believe this will help establish harmonized international guidelines enabling a common and robust framework for Scope 3 accounting.”

The draft standards were developed over the last year through a global, collaborative multi-stakeholder process, with participation from over 1,000 volunteer representatives from industry, government, academia and non-governmental organizations. The road testing process is meant provide real-world feedback to ensure the standards can be practically implemented by companies and organizations from a variety of sectors, sizes and geographic areas around the world. The final standards are scheduled to be published in December 2010.

Michael Kobori, Levi Strauss & Co.’s vice president of Social and Environmental Sustainability, said: “Levi Strauss & Co. is thrilled to be road testing the GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard. If this method becomes widely accepted, it will enable us to better calculate and share the climate change impact of our products. Being able to credibly measure and communicate that product impact to consumers can unleash the power of the market to address climate change on a global scale.”

Companies participating in the road testing represent 17 countries from every continent and more than 20 industry sectors. The companies include: 3M Company; Acer Inc.; Airbus S.A.S.; AkzoNobel; Alcan Packaging; Alcoa; Autodesk, Inc.; Baoshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd.; BASF SE; Belkin International; Bloomberg LP; BT Plc; CA, Inc.; Coca-Cola Erfrishungsgetranke AG; Colors Fruit SA (Pty) Ltd.; Deutsche Post AG; DuPont; Eclipse Networks (Pty) Ltd.; Ecolab; The Estee Lauder Company; Ford Motor Company; General Electric; U.S. General Services Administration; Highways Agency (UK); Hydro Tasmania; IBM; IKEA; Italcementi Group; JohnsonDiversey, Inc.; Kraft Foods; Lenovo Corporation; Levi Strauss & Co.; Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation; National Grid; Natura Cosmeticos; New Belgium Brewing Co.; Otarian; Pinchin Environmental Ltd.; PricewaterhouseCoopers (Hong Kong); Procter & Gamble Eurocor; Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc.; Rogers Communications, Inc.; SAP AG; SC Johnson; Shanghai Zidan Food Packaging & Printing Co., Ltd.; Shell International Petroleum Company Ltd; Swire Beverages (Coca-Cola Bottling Partner); TAL Apparel Limited; Tech-Front (Shanghai) Computer Co., Ltd./Quanta Shanghai Manufacturing City; Tennant Company; Veolia Water; VT Group Plc; Webcor Builders and WorldAutoSteel.

In Related News...

Suppliers that fail to manage their greenhouse gas emissions could lose clients, according to a new report published by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Read Reuters coverage at the link below.

Website: planetark.org/wen/56569 planetark.org/wen/56569

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

by Tim Hurst

New gearless wind turbine from WindTronics and Honeywell said to generate electricity at one-third the cost per kWh of any other wind turbine.

Unlike the more traditional geared systems found in both horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines, the new 2kW wind turbine from Honeywell uses a gearless blade tip system. A wind turbine that has no gears and no hub is lighter, quieter, has fewer moving parts, and is arguably more suited for rooftop applications than those that do.

The fan-like Honewywell WT6500 turbine, which is being sold at selected Ace Hardware stores in February of 2010, will generate 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually for a home with a strong wind resource; and up to 2,700 kWh for a location with a strong (class 4) wind resource. Depending on wind speed and energy use, a single unit can be expected to generate up to 20 percent of the annual electricity for the average American home.

Including tax and installation, the entire cost of the turbine will range from about $7,000 to $8,000, which isn’t exactly cheap for a turbine of its size. Or is it?

With a federal small wind tax credit of $2,000 for a 2 kW wind turbine, plus other state and local incentives, the total price of the WT6500 is quite reasonable, especially if it lives up to its billing as a low-wind rock star. You see, what sets the Honeywell Wind Turbine apart from others of similar size is that it starts spinning at winds of just 1 mph and generating electricity at 2 mph; generating power in low wind conditions, when others do not.

In fact, Michigan-based WindTronics says it generates electricity at one-third the cost per kWh of any other wind turbine (in both class and size).

A gearless turbine harnesses energy from the tips of the turbine blades, where they are moving the fastest. The low-vibrational impact of the gearless wind turbine means that the 95-pound, 6-foot diameter unit can be mounted on a pole, a rooftop, or even attached to a chimney — although I’d want someone else to test that last one before I’d try it.

According to CNET, Windtronics has big plans to make small wind a more viable option for the general public. And with the company expecting to produce an estimated 50,000 units in its first year, they might just be able to do that.

Until the WT6500 is available at your local Ace–and it may be on the truck as I write–you’ll have to settle for the latest glimpse of it in the wild.

Reprinted with permission from Green Upgrader

US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu on Friday announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Commission to provide recommendations for developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the nation’s used nuclear fuel and waste.

The announcement drew critical responses from within the environmental community. The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) said nuclear power opponents sent more than 3,000 letters to President Obama in less than 48 hours, demanding an end to proposed federal loan guarantees for new nuclear power reactors and challenging his State of the Union statement that nuclear power is safe and clean.

Pointing to radioactive tritium leaks at more than 20 nuclear reactors sites discovered in the past few years, many of the letters asserted forcefully that nuclear power has proven neither safe nor clean. Letter writers also took strong issue with reported accounts that President Obama is considering tripling the amount of money available for taxpayer-backed loan guarantees for new reactor construction.

“President Obama needs to remember what Candidate Obama promised: no more taxpayer subsidies for nuclear power,” said Michael Mariotte, executive director of Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS). “Renewables and energy efficiency provide both greater carbon emissions reductions and more jobs per dollar spent than nuclear. Unlike nuclear power, they are relatively quick to install, and are actually safe and clean.”

NIRS also objected to the makeup of the Blue Ribbon commission, which does not include a "known critic of the nuclear industry," the group said.

The Commission is being co-chaired by former Congressman Lee Hamilton and former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft. It also includes former Senator Pete Domenici, whom NIRS called a "radical nuclear ideologue", and John Rowe, head of Exelon, the nation’s largest nuclear utility and former president of the Nuclear Energy Institute.

In light of the Administration’s decision not to proceed with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, President Obama has directed Secretary Chu to establish the Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The Commission will provide advice and make recommendations on issues including alternatives for the storage, processing, and disposal of civilian and defense spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

“Promoting new nuclear waste production from new reactors, as the Obama administration is doing with its loan guarantee program, while seeking to address the existing radioactive waste problem is like a announcing a study of obesity at an ice cream social. We must isolate this waste from our environment for as long as it is hazardous, which is tens of millions of years; making more will only make that challenge harder” said Diane D’Arrigo, Director of the Radioactive Waste Project at NIRS.

The Commission is made up of 15 members who have a range of expertise and experience in nuclear issues, including scientists, industry representatives, and respected former elected officials. The full list is available here.

"Finding an acceptable long-term solution to our used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste storage needs is vital to the economic, environmental and security interests of the United States," said co-chari Congressman Hamilton. "This will be a thorough, comprehensive review based on the best available science. I'm looking forward to working with the many distinguished experts on this panel to achieve a consensus on the best path forward."

“As the United States responds to climate change and moves forward with a long overdue expansion of nuclear energy, we also need to work together to find a responsible, long-term strategy to deal with the leftover fuel and nuclear waste," said co-chair General Scowcroft. "I'm pleased to be part of that effort along with Congressman Hamilton and such an impressive group of scientific and industry experts."

The Commission will produce an interim report within 18 months and a final report within 24 months.

Unacceptable Risk

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the Obama administration plans to triple federal loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors, from $18.5 billion to $54 billion.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said such a move would shift unacceptable risks from the nuclear industry to taxpayers.

Both the Congressional Budget Office (2003) and the Government Accountability Office (2008) have estimated that the risk of default for new nuclear reactors could be as high as 50 percent based on the industry's history of cost overruns and plant cancellations. In 2007, six of Wall Street's largest investment banks told the Department of Energy that they were unwilling to accept any financial risk for nuclear power loans: "We believe these risks, combined with the higher capital costs and longer construction schedules of nuclear plants as compared to other generation facilities, will make lenders unwilling at present to extend long-term credit." Pointing to past experience, the banks stated that "lenders and investors in the fixed income markets will be acutely concerned about a number of political, regulatory and litigation-related risks that are unique to nuclear power...." Last June, Moody's Investment Service called investing in new nuclear power a "bet the farm" risk.

"At a time when our country is struggling economically, it is a mistake to force U.S. taxpayers to assume financial risks that the private sector will not by guaranteeing tens of billions of dollars in risky loans to an industry with a track record of cancellations and defaults," said Ellen Vancko, nuclear energy and climate change project manager at UCS. "While it may be appropriate to provide loan guarantees to support a small number of first-mover reactors, any decision to triple federal loan guarantees could divert critical financial resources from more cost-effective clean energy projects that would come on line much mor

e quickly and put Americans back to work right now."

A March 2009 UCS report, "Nuclear Loan Guarantees: Another Taxpayer Bailout Ahead?," recounts the nuclear industry's disastrous financial history and documents the hundreds of billions of dollars taxpayers and ratepayers already have spent to keep the industry afloat.

That report is available at the link below.

Website: www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_power/nuclear_power_and_global_warming/nuclear-loan-guarantees.html

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

by Todd Woody

Twenty years ago when an epic clash over the logging of ancient redwood forests roiled California, the battle lines were clear-cut.

On one side stood a Texas corporate raider who acquired the Pacific Lumber Co. in a junk bond-fueled takeover and began felling vast swaths of primeval redwoods to pay off the debt. On the other side was Earth First! and other grass-roots greens who staged a campaign of civil disobedience to disrupt the logging. And while mainstream environmental groups may have looked askance at such tactics, they supported the cause in the courts, suing to stop the clear-cutting of ancient trees.

Today, another monumental environmental fight is unfolding in California over plans to build dozens of multi billion-dollar solar power plants in the Mojave Desert that could power millions of homes. But in this battle everyone is wearing green — from the solar developers seeking to generate carbon-free electricity, to feuding factions of environmentalists split over developing the desert.

The Mojave has become a metaphor for an existential crisis in the environmental movement as it tries to balance the development of renewable energy with its traditional mission to protect ecosystems.

In recent years, the movement’s focus on wildlife, habitat preservation, and pollution has been eclipsed by the climate change imperative. National groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Sierra Club have joined with the more forward-looking members of the Fortune 500 to push cap-and-trade legislation and other climate-change initiatives and to promote alternative energy.

These disparate interests also have worked together to identify suitable areas to build large-scale solar farms. Over the past few years, Goldman Sachs, utility giants Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and FLP Group, and a slew of Silicon Valley-backed startups have filed applications to build solar power plants on hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land in California’s Mojave Desert and across the desert Southwest.

Now comes the backlash.

In December, this coalition found itself outflanked by a small Southern California group called the Wildlands Conservancy that persuaded U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to introduce legislation banning renewable energy development on more than a million acres of the Mojave — including the land on which PG&E and others had set their sights. While hundreds of thousands of acres remain in the Mojave for potential solar farms, the area targeted by the Feinstein legislation had been particularly valued by developers for its proximity to transmission lines and the huge Southern California market.

Elsewhere in California’s deserts, solar power plant projects have become bogged down as grassroots advocates challenge their impact on water resources, desert tortoises, and other rare animals and plants that inhabit a fragile arid ecosystem. For some, the desert is iconic and untouchable; for others it’s a vast resource to be tapped.

After the Energy Policy Act of 2005 opened up the desert Southwest to renewable energy development, a solar land rush ensued.

When Feinstein, a California Democrat, first indicated she favored walling off a large swath of the desert from renewable energy development, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger growled, “If we cannot put solar power plants in the Mojave Desert, I don’t know where the hell we can put it.”

I trekked into the desert to see for myself. A few days before Feinstein introduced her bill last December to create two new national monuments in the Mojave, I met David Myers, executive director of the Wildlands Conservancy, in Barstow and we set out for what he hopes will become the Mojave Trails National Monument.

You may never have heard of Myers, but the ardent conservationist has emerged as renewable energy power broker thanks to his connections to Feinstein and David Gelbaum, a press-shy Southern California financer turned philanthropist who bankrolls the Wildlands Conservancy. (So secretive is Gelbaum that a confidentiality agreement bars Myers from acknowledging his existence as a donor. Federal records show, though, that Gelbaum sits on Wildlands’ board.)

A decade ago, Gelbaum — who has given $100 million to the Sierra Club, according to a 2004 Los Angeles Times story — contributed tens of millions of dollars for the Wildlands Conservancy’s acquisition of a half-million acres of former railroad holdings owned by the Catellus Development Corp. The Catellus lands form a checkerboard of 640-acre parcels across the Mojave. Feinstein, who sponsored the 1994 legislation that created Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks and the Mojave National Preserve, pushed for federal matching funds to complete the purchase of the land, which was then donated to the government for preservation.

But after President George W. Bush opened up the desert Southwest to renewable energy development in 2005, a solar land rush ensued, as developers proposed building some two dozen solar power plants and wind farms on federal lands that include the donated Catellus property. Myers then contacted Feinstein about preserving the lands by putting them into a vast new national monument.

“Al Gore called these lands out here some of the most pristine and scenic desert lands in the world,” says Myers as we cruise down Route 66 in his Subaru. He pulls over and we walk across the road to take in the sweep of the Sleeping Beauty mountain range that rises from a broad valley where BrightSource Energy and other solar developments had proposed building massive solar power plants.

“You have this incredible landscape of these bighorn sheep corridors back and forth across the valley,” says Myers. “You couldn’t put a project in a worse area from a landscape connectivity point of view... It’s a philosophic non-sequitur that you can destroy hundreds of thousands of acres to save the Earth from global warming.”

The vistas and wildlife in this stretch of the Mojave are indeed spectacular, if not totally pristine — power lines march across the desert floor and some ranges are scarred by mining operations.

BrightSource Energy, which built this demonstration solar complex in Israel, has filed an application to build a 400-megawatt solar power plant in Southern California. Establishment environmentalists tend to dismiss Myers as a “purist” who is unwilling to consider solar development in the desert.

“I don’t think many in the environmental community share the extreme views of people like David Myers — I think he’s an outlier,” says John White, executive director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies in Sacramento, which is involved in a state-federal effort to identify desert areas suitable for solar development.

The soft-spoken Myers is no Earth Firster. He says he supports solar development in other parts of the Mojave but prefers power plants be built on degraded farmland, or better yet, through a massive expansion of rooftop solar arrays. The Feinstein legislation includes provisions designed to speed up the licensing of renewable energy projects on federal land elsewhere in the desert and provides incentives to developers who build on former farmland.

“We don’t have to choose between having renewable energy development or complying with the Endangered Species Act,” says Johanna Wald, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco who is also participating in the solar planning process. “We can have them both, and certainly the California experience is that we have the resources to do both.”

Still, Myers has thrown a monkey wrench in plans to tap about 10,000 megawatts of electricity in this area before its environmental value could be formally evaluated, as is being done elsewhere in the Southwest. While the monument legislation’s success is by no means assured, most of the solar developers — including BrightSource Energy, Goldman Sachs, and Tessera Solar—had abandoned their projects before the bill was formally introduced in late December. No one, it seemed, wanted to take on Feinstein, who first raised concerns about the projects last spring.

“Senator Feinstein’s proposal created a fair amount of uncertainty and we wanted to collaborate with the senator and make sure we were investing our time and effort in the area with potential to go forward,” Sean Gallagher, Tessera’s vice president for regulatory affairs, told me in December after the company canceled its plans for a massive 12,000-acre solar farm, whose peak output would have equaled that of a nuclear power plant.

PG&E, FPL, and Iberdrola Renewables, the Spanish renewable energy giant, say they are either cautiously proceeding or re-evaluating their Mojave projects in light of the legislation. Most developers have staked multiple land claims elsewhere in the Southwest. (That, of course, doesn’t mean they’re happy about the situation. “Iberdrola Renewables believes the environmental community is taking away one of the few places in the U.S. suitable for utility-scale solar development,” Jan Johnson, a company spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail.)

So we return to the governator’s question: Where can you put a solar power plant?

That question was being debated last month in Sacramento at California Energy Commission hearings on the state’s first new solar power plant to undergo licensing in two decades.

In August 2007, BrightSource Energy, an Oakland, Calif.-based startup, filed an application to build a 400-megawatt solar power plant in the Ivanpah Valley — an area outside the Feinstein monument area — just over the Nevada border in Southern California.

BrightSource — which is backed by Google, Morgan Stanley, and a clutch of oil companies — has signed contracts to deliver 2,600 megawatts of electricity to California utilities, which is needed to secure 24,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2020 to meet state mandates. John Woolard, BrightSource Energy’s chief executive, alluded to the difficulty in finding suitable desert land for solar power plants. “Frankly, it says a lot that Ivanpah’s the only site that we think we’re able to build on right now inside of California,” he said.

The surrounding desert landscape would not inspire Edward Abbey. Interstate 15, which connects Los Angeles to Las Vegas, slices through the area. A few miles from the BrightSource site, Buffalo Bill’s and Whiskey Pete’s — two hulking casinos connected by a monorail — rise from the desert like an apparition from a Mad Max movie. Adjacent to the solar site sits a 22-acre golf course that consumes a half-billion gallons of water a year. To the west are two mines and a pipeline that carries mining waste to an evaporation pond.

After an extensive two-and-a-half-year environmental review, the energy commission concluded in late 2009 that the BrightSource project “would have major impacts to the biological resources of the Ivanpah Valley, substantially affecting many sensitive plant and wildlife species and eliminating a broad expanse of relatively undisturbed Mojave Desert habitat.”

The project would sit on 4,000 acres of habitat, home to 25 desert tortoises, as well as rare plants like the Mojave milkweed. The tortoises must be removed and suitable replacement habitat purchased for them, the energy commission said.

While the Sierra Club’s national organization has supported desert solar power plants, a local chapter has challenged the Ivanpah project, joining Defenders of Wildlife and other environmental groups in urging that the project be reconfigured and moved closer to the highway to lessen the impact on the tortoise.

Even if BrightSource abandons Ivanpah, the industrialization of the desert will proceed apace. According to the California Energy Commission, some of the projects on the drawing board for the surrounding area include a 500-megawatt natural gas power plant and an airport on the Nevada side of the border, as well as seven other massive solar power plants to be built within miles of the BrightSource site.

The party line among greens of all hues is that we can have it all — renewable energy production and protection of wildlands. That may well be true, but there will have to be some hard choices made about just what kind — and how much — development we want in the desert.

Reprinted with permission from Yale Environment 360

American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC) continues to expand its business in China's booming wind industry. The company announced a $70 million dollar initial order for full wind turbine electrical control systems from China’s Shenyang Blower Works (Group) Co., Ltd. (SBW).

The systems will be deployed in the 2-megawatt (MW) doubly fed induction wind turbines that were co-developed with AMSC Windtec, a subsidiary of AMSC. This is the largest initial electrical control system order that AMSC has received to date from any wind turbine customer.

Founded in 1934 and based in Shenyang, China, SBW (www.shengu.com.cn) is a large state-owned enterprise that provides an array of industrial equipment including large-scale compressors, blowers, fans, heat exchangers as well as large-scale nuclear power pumps, boiler feed pumps and petrochemical pumps. The company has more than 5,700 employees and approximately US$1.4 billion in annual sales.

SBW plans to erect its first 2-MW wind turbine in March 2010 and will be the fourth AMSC customer to enter volume production of advanced wind turbines in China. AMSC expects to begin shipping the electrical control systems to SBW in the second half of calendar 2010 and complete shipments in the first half of 2013.

AMSC Windtec co-developed the 2 MW doubly fed induction wind turbine with SBW under a contract signed in late 2008. Under the terms of the agreement, SBW has the right to sell the 2 MW wind turbines globally.

“The magnitude of this electrical control system contract sends a strong signal that Shenyang Blower Works is positioned to be a key player in China’s vibrant wind power market,” said Greg Yurek, founder and CEO of AMSC. “The company is planning to begin volume production later this year and sees significant long-term potential for this new line of business. AMSC expects to help every step of the way...”

AMSC’s wind turbine electrical control systems and core electrical components include the company's proprietary PowerModule power converters, pitch and yaw converters, SCADA systems and other power electronics. They enable wind turbine operation by controlling power flows, regulating voltage, monitoring system performance, controlling the pitch of wind turbine blades and the yaw of the turbines to maximize efficiency.

In January AMSC announced a follow-on contract with China's Dongfang Turbine Co. Ltd. to design and jointly develop 5-MW full conversion wind turbines for the offshore wind power market.

AMSC offers proprietary technologies and solutions spanning the electric power infrastructure--from generation to delivery to end use.

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business

Up to now, the more than 28 desalination plants scattered around the Kingdom have had to rely of fossil fuel, most notably fuel oil, to provide to power to run the equipment used to extract salt and other minerals from sea water.

Much of this may be changing, however, as Saudi Arabia is now interested in using solar energy to provide the power needed, instead of oil. According to an article on the UAE Top News media site, the Kingdom is now planning to build solar energy based desalination plants in order to save on energy costs, as well as be in tune with new environmental polices. This might be to secure membership in the International Renewable Energy Agency, otherwise known as IRENA.

Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Al Assaf said "desalination is our strategic choice to supply an adequate supply of drinking water to people across the Kingdom."

He added that by using solar energy instead of oil, it will focus more on using renewable energy and even become an exporter of this clean form of energy as it has been doing with oil. A tremendous amount of oil is currently being used to provide power for the country's desalination plants; around 1.5 million barrels per day. This has caused the price of desalinated water to rise as oil prices have risen.

The use of solar energy to power desalination plants is just one of several projects in the Kingdom that are more environmentally friendly. The Kingdom is also embarking of projects to improve its inland transport systems including building a high speed train network to carry pilgrims to and from the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina.

Reprinted with permission from Environmental News Network

The Air Force Real Property Agency and Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) executed an Agreement to Lease, setting the stage for development of the largest solar photovoltaic development in North America. The 3,288 acre parcel of land, with an estimated production capacity of up to 500 megawatts, would also be the largest energy Enhanced Use Lease for the Department of Defense.

The signing of the Agreement to Lease represents a significant first step in the overall development process, lease execution will likely occur in late 2012, with commencement of construction targeted for 2013.

Enhanced Use Leases allow the Air Force to partner with private industry by leasing non excess real property. The agreement grants FRV exclusive access to the proposed development site in order to conduct necessary environmental and transmission studies. It also gives the company the first option to lease the parcel upon successful completion of the studies and associated permitting activities.

The agreement is a boon to the Air Force EUL program, as it is the largest public-private energy development opportunity to-date. The EUL program is a major part of AFRPA's mission to manage, acquire and dispose of Air Force real property worldwide. To date, the agency has more than 30 EUL projects in various stages of development at bases throughout the United States and its territories.

“This is a significant success because it allows the Air Force to partner with renewable energy experts to effect positive economic and environmental change for the state of California,” said Dennis Guadarrama, chief of strategic asset utilization for AFRPA.

The signing of the Agreement to Lease represents a significant first step in the overall development process, lease execution will likely occur in late 2012, with commencement of construction targeted for 2013.

Reprinted with permission from Renewable Energy World

by William Sarni

The Security and Exchange Commission’s new corporate guidance for disclosing climate change risk may signal the end of voluntary sustainability reporting as we know it.

Any notion that companies may have had that voluntary reporting was, in fact, voluntary has now disappeared.

The two key events that have laid this notion to rest were the announcement late last year by the Carbon Disclosure Project that they would be sending out a “Water Questionnaire“; and last week’s announcement from the Securities and Exchange Commission suggesting companies “should warn investors of any serious risks that global warming might pose to their businesses.”

First, a little bit of background on the Carbon Disclosure Project is in order. The first CDP questionnaire was sent out in 2003 and now represents over 475 investors with roughly $55 trillion in managed assets. These investors are “asking” companies to disclose their carbon emissions and associated risk (along with potential business opportunities).

This is not an “ask.” There are increasingly few companies that do not respond to the CDP or are on the verge of responding to the CDP this year. Eighty-two percent (over 3,700 companies) of the Global 500 companies (as measured by market capitalization) responded to the 2009 questionnaire. The CDP is now moving ahead with “asking” companies what is their business risk from increasingly scarce water resources.

Now we move to the Securities Exchange Commission’s new guidance that companies should report on climate risk to their businesses. The SEC has required companies to disclose possible financial or legal impacts from environmental issues (such as soil and groundwater contamination). However, this is the first time the SEC has specifically cited climate change as having potentially significant business risks (or opportunities).

The SEC’s “interpretive guidance” highlights that companies could be hurt or helped by climate related litigation, business opportunities or legislation. A straightforward example of a potential risk from climate change would be a company that has invested in coastal properties. Rising sea levels from climate change would represent a risk to these real estate investments.

Investors driving increase in transparency

The bottom line with voluntary reporting is that one of the most critical stakeholders a public company has is their investor group. When an investor asks for information on risk from climate change or water scarcity providing an answer is no longer optional. No public company wants to be in a position of being asked a question they cannot answer. This why most companies are now working on their 2010 CDP responses, perhaps preparing to answer the CDP Water Questionnaire, and now, figuring out how to respond to the SEC guidance on climate change disclosure.

 

Reprinted with permission from Earth & Industry

by Nick Chambers

A group of scientists from both the public and private arenas has announced that they’ve successfully engineered a microbe that contains all the bits required to turn raw plant matter directly into diesel without any refinement or intermediary steps required. 

The microbe is a modified strain of E. coli (that’s right, the same type of bugger that’s responsible for some nasty gut infections) that has been enhanced to produce tailor-made diesel molecules, alcohols and waxes directly from hemicellulose—one of the main components of plants. Not only can the microbial products be used for fuel, but the team is also setting their sights on directly producing environmentally-friendly—and industrially-necessary—surfactants, solvents and lubricants.

The researchers, including collaborators from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), employees from next-gen biofuel company, LS9, and scientists from UC Berkeley, have published their results in the January 28th issue of the prestigious and well-respected scientific journal, Nature—which gives some idea of how important this research is.

Apparently, the successful experimentation shows that the process can be altered to also produce substances that can be directly substituted for gasoline.

LS9 has been working on this method for a number of years now—their slogan being “The best replacement for petroleum is petroleum.” The fuels made in this process are different from your standard biofuels in several key ways. They are essentially straight substitutes for the diesel and gasoline that you currently put in your car, which means no modifications necessary and that your brand new high-mileage diesel can run a 100% blend.

“It’s a nice milestone in the field of biofuels, and it has a lot of promise for actually being commercialized,” James Liao, a metabolic engineer and synthetic biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told the journal Nature.

Although LS9 has made some major breakthroughs on their own, it took the collaboration with this new multi-institutional team to jump the last hurdle. In the end, the research team made more than a dozen genetic modifications to the E. coli. The major modifications included short-circuiting the microbe to produce large fatty-acid molecules and giving them the ability to convert these molecules directly into fuels and other chemicals. In order to make the process more efficient and able to use a large variety of plant materials, the researchers also inserted genes that allow the modified E. coli to produce enzymes for breaking down hemicellulose.

 

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

Ferrari will show its first hybrid production car this March at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The high-end hybrid specimen will be a gas-electric version of the carmaker’s eye-popping 599 GTB. It will also be the world’s first ready-for-market exotic hybrid.

The exact specs will not be known until the car is unveiled, but it will most likely unite a lithium ion battery pack with a pair of electric motors fixed at the rear axle, along with Ferrari’s outlandishly powerful 600-plus horsepower V12 engine. Other fuel-saving features will include start-stop capabilities and Formula One-based regenerative braking technology known as KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). Fuel economy is expected to increase by about 30 percent over the non-hybrid 599 GTB. In other words, it will go from about 9 miles per gallon to about 12 miles per gallon.

The World's Fastest Eco-Cars

The days of fuel economy only coming in small, slow and stripped-down cars are over. Every major auto show these days brings the unveiling of another green super car using hybrid or electric car technology to conserve fuel while delivering Ferrari-like performance.

Nobody expects the Ferrari 599 GTB to save the earth from global warming—especially when you consider how few Ferraris there are, and how little they are actually driven by their owners. Ultimately, this move serves more as a sign of the times and a testament to technology, rather than having any kind of tangible impact on the environment. “It sends a message,” said Ben Davis, roadtest producer for PBS’ MotorWeek. “It’s a ripple effect that starts at the upper echelon of the auto industry, and echoes a theme that green is good.”

Reports of Ferrari testing a hybrid powertrain first surfaced in June 2009, but details were sketchy. Ferrari’s plans to reduce carbon emissions have been making news for the last few years, mainly due to Europe’s resolution for more stringent emissions standards to take effect in 2012. Still, it is unclear what route Ferrari and other ultra-luxury brands will take. Hybrids are just one possibility in a field of options that included diesels, electric cars, biofuels, and hydrogen. Ferrari may explore these other areas, but gas-electric technology is the carmaker’s first concrete initiative on the green front.

Reprinted with permission from Hybrid Cars