by Susan DeFreitas

It seems you can’t turn around these days without encountering news of yet another major sporting arena gone green. From the Minnesota Twins’ LEED certified ballpark to the Redskins’ major solar power commitment, it seems clear that more and more professional sports franchises have gotten the memo about conserving resources — the latest of which is the Kansas City Royals, which will be using solar panels to provide a portion of the power used at Kaufman Field.

The Royals and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) have formed a solar energy partnership and unveiled what they’re calling “the largest in-stadium solar array in Major League Baseball.” That array consists of a string of 120 solar panels — 60 on each of side of the CrownVision board — that have been installed on top of the canopy of Kauffman Stadium’s Outfield Experience seating area. These panels will provide part of the electrical energy required to operate the stadium — specifically, the amount of energy needed to cool fans’ brews.

That’s right, baseball fans: solar-powered cooled beer.

Chuck Caisley, KCP&L vice president of marketing and public affairs, said, in a statement: “We’re thinking at this point it’ll probably be enough to power the refrigeration for all the beverages in the stadium. We’re working with [concessionaire] Aramark to confirm that, but about [what is needed for] four to six residential houses or 36,000 kilowatt hours a year is what it’ll produce.”

He goes on to note that the Kaufman Field solar installation represents a great opportunity to put the region on display to the world for things that people may not know about Kansas City — specifically, the fact that it is “a growing epicenter nationally of advanced energy.”

Other green initiatives in place at Kaufman field include paperless ticketing and recycling. More information is available online.

by Steve Duda

We recently reported on Elon Musk’s (of Tesla Motors fame) and his commercial rocket/space vehicle company’s use of solar power in its spacecraft. That mission, which used solar panels and battery storage to power parts of the craft, had full NASA backing. Now, we learn that NASA’s commitment to the use of solar as an important source of power while in space is strengthening.

The space agency recently put out a request for proposals looking for a company to prepare a high-power solar electric propulsion flight system technology for NASA deep space and human exploration missions. NASA’s goal is to develop a “space tugboat” that can ferry satellites from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), saving fuel and secondary booster costs. The availability of a solar-powered vehicle would make it possible to launch spacecraft to LEO, then ferry them to GEO, allowing much heavier payloads to reach GEO while still using existing launch vehicles.

Sounds like the typically awesome, big-brain concepts we’ve come to expect from the guys who brought us Tang! and microwave ovens, but just what is high power solar electric propulsion, anyway?

Warning: Science. Solar electric propulsion takes advantage of magnetism and electricity to push a ship through space. Electricity, generated by the ship’s solar panels, gives a positive electrical charge to atoms inside the chamber. They are pulled by magnetism toward the back of the ship and then pushed by magnetic repulsion out of the ship. (This is like what happens when you hold the same pole of two different magnets close to each other. They repel each other.)

This steady stream of atoms going out of the spacecraft gives it the thrust it needs to go forward through space. This is also known as ion thrust or propulsion. Ion propulsion needs to be constantly fed a stream of electrical power to function properly. The only way to ensure a constant stream of electrical power to the solar ion drive is to generate power as a craft travels through space. Solar panels are the best way to do that.

All together, five companies bid on the job: Analytical Mechanics Associates, Ball Aerospace & Technologies, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. In a recent press release, NASA announced that Northrop Grumman had been awarded the contract.

“We are working on alternatives to the typical solar array approach,” said Jim Munger, Northrop Grumman’s solar electric propulsion program manager, “Our concept will be scalable to 300 kilowatts and beyond and have the potential for reducing the cost and complexity of high-power requirements.”

by Andrew Burger

Germany’s Centrotherm Photovoltaics, the world’s second-largest manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment, has signed an agreement with IDEA Polysilicon to construct a polysilicon solar PV manufacturing facility in the Saudi Arabian Red Coast city of Yanbu, according to a Reuters News report. The agreement aims to provide IDEA the technology and know-how it needs to become a market force in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region, a market that’s attracting more and more interest from industry players globally.

The value of the contract wasn’t disclosed, though the project’s anticipated cost is more than 4 billion Saudi riyals ($1.1 billion), according to Reuters. Created by a group of Arabian Gulf investors, IDEA Polysilicon’s polysilicon plant will be the first in the Middle East. Planned capacity is 6,000 tons per year of high-quality polysilicon, according to the company.

Solar power investment is growing in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with German industry participants particularly active of late. By far the largest country and economy in the region, prospects for solar energy are particularly attractive in Saudi Arabia, though the country has been slow to capitalize on them.

Centrotherm in China; Strong Solar Performance in 2011

For its part, Centrotherm, along with its peers in Germany’s solar energy sector, is looking to expand its international business. In December, the Blaubeuren-based company, announced that it’s supplying equipment for expansion of polysilicon fabrication operations with Shaanxi Tiahong Silicon Industrial Corp. (STSIC) as part of a “cooperation venture.”

STSIC began producing silicon ingots in mid-2011 using a Centrotherm multi-crystalline ingot furnace. The first phase of expansion is to realize production capacity of 1,250 metric tons of semiconductor-grade polysilicon. A second phase is to take that up to 3,000 metric tons.

In addition to fabricating polysilicon, Centrotherm and STSIC are working on technology and systems to manufacture silicon ingots and wafers. Two solar cell production lines with a combined 60-MW production capacity were being commissioned in December.

Revenue generated by Centrotherm’s Solar Cell & Module unit leapt 85.1 percent to 546.5 million euro (~$683.13 million) and operating earnings, as measured by EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes), leapt 70.2 percent to 102.3 million euros (~128.88 million) in the first nine months of fiscal 2011, management reported in November.

Consolidated 2011 revenue surged 38.7 percent year-over-year, to 635.7 million euros (~$795 million) in the first nine months of fiscal 2011. EBIT operating earnings dropped from 54.2 million euros (~$67.75 million) as EBIT margin was squeezed from 11.8 percent down to 4 percent, however. Consolidated net income fell to 16.6 million euros (~$20.75 million), down from 37.4 million euros (~$46.75 million) for the first nine months of fiscal 2010.

Investment in India's renewable energy is out-pacing the rest of the world, thanks to the improving cost-competitiveness of wind and solar.

Renewable energy investments reached $10.3 billion in 2011, 52 percent higher than the $6.8 billion invested in 2010, the highest growth of any significant economy in the world.

India now accounts for 4 percent of global investment in clean energy.

Policy measures like the India's National Solar Mission and declining prices for wind and solar have made this a record year.

India's National Solar Mission has set a target of producing 10 percent of its energy - 20,000 MW - using solar by 2022, equivalent to 18 nuclear reactors.

India will exceed its Five Year Plan (2007-2012) target, installing 14.2 gigawatts (GW) of renewables compared to its target of 12.4 GW, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Funding for solar projects has grown seven-fold since 2010, from $0.6 billion in 2010 to $4.2 billion in 2011, almost reaching that for wind at $4.6 billion.

India added 277 MW of solar in 2011, up from 18 MW in 2010, and will add another 500-750 MW this year. 

India ranks third in the world for wind capacity after China and the US. It added a record 2,827 MW of wind capacity in 2011, up from 2,140 MW in 2010. An estimated 2,500 - 3,200 MW will be added in 2012, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Most of the investments are for utility-scale projects at $9.5 billion, but there was also $425 million invested in companies through venture capital and private equity in 2011, more than four times the amount in 2010.

"India's record performance in 2011, and the momentum it is carrying into 2012, is one of the bright spots in the clean energy firmament. With support mechanisms falling away in the US, the ongoing financial crisis in Europe, and China already going flat out, it is gratifying to see some of the world's other major potential markets coming alive." says Michael Liebreich, CEO of Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

"The surge in installation of renewable energy shows that it is becoming cost competitive and scalable. To carry this momentum forward, federal and state governments will have to ensure four things. First, that transmission lines are available for projects; second, that the grid can handle an increased flow of renewable energy; third, that renewable purchase obligations are enforced; and, fourth, that project developers are paid on time for the power they produce," says Ashish Sethia, head of India research at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Last month, we reported that solar has become cheaper than diesel for back-up power in India. And the country is using auctions to drive down the price of solar.

Photo by Ho John Lee/flickr/Creative Commons

by Silvio Marcacci

Solar power has been one of renewable energy’s biggest success stories, especially in Europe. But a combination of austerity measures by cash-strapped governments and the industry’s own success are creating cloudy skies on the clean energy horizon.

New grid-connected global photovoltaic (PV) capacity nearly doubled in 2011, from 16.6 gigawatts (GW) in 2010 to 27.7 GW (with almost 21 GW in Europe), according to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association. 2011’s boom pushed total installed capacity to 67.35 GW.

Favorable government feed-in-tariff (FIT) programs fueled this solar boom by guaranteeing above-market rates to solar power producers. But ironically, the FIT programs worked too well and by exceeding their goals, have become too expensive to maintain. This quandary is most explicitly seen in Europe’s biggest solar market – Germany.

Germany

At the end of 2011, Germany had the most cumulative installed solar capacity in the world, with 24.7 GW. New installations reached a record 7.5 GW last year and solar output reached 18 billion kilowatt-hours, but the record jump was largely attributed to prices falling ahead of planned FIT reductions, made every six months. Solar panel prices have fallen 50 percent since 2007, and as prices fall, government officials have begun to debate how much they should scale back subsidies.

Germany’s economy minister has proposed legislation to limit new FIT-supported installations to 1 GW per year, accelerate planned subsidy cuts to an every-month basis rather than twice a year, and phase subsides out completely for some facilities by 2017. Unsurprisingly, the CEO of German manufacturer Bosch said “should we do that, then photovoltaic is dead is Germany.”

However, the harsh proposal has been countered by a more moderate proposal by the country’s environment minister. The alternate plan would cap new subsidized PV installations at 5 GW per year, and seems to have a better chance at passage. While Germany is the biggest market scaling back solar subsidies, it is not the only European country doing so.

United Kingdom, Spain, Greece

The United Kingdom is expected to announce plans this week that would reduce subsidies at routine intervals to curb new solar installations through a trigger mechanism once installations reach a predetermined level. The UK’s plan has exceeded all expectations and cost estimates – 284 MW of installed capacity were expected by April 2013, but 780 MW had been installed as of January 2012.

Conditions are even worse in Spain and Greece, two of the hardest-hit economies in the Eurozone. Spain, home to the world’s highest unemployment rate, passed a decree last week to “temporarily suspend” subsidies for all new solar installations. The move is expected to save 160 million Euros in 2012, but could have a severe impact on employment.

Spain first cut its renewable subsidy by 35 percent in 2008, a move that cost 20,000 jobs, and this suspension is expected to cut just as many jobs. Spain had the fourth-most installed solar in the world at the end of 2011, with 4.2 GW, and the government once estimated renewables would create 300,000 jobs by 2020.

Greece, the epicenter of the Eurozone economic crisis, has also targeted solar subsidies as a way to trim spending. Installed capacity more than doubled in 2011, with 350 MW of new capacity and 550 MW cumulative installed solar.

But last week the government drastically cut FIT subsidies, saying it can’t pay the current rates and had licensed enough new capacity to meet its renewable energy targets. All new solar power plants that go online starting in February would be reduced, with those generating more than 100 kilowatts facing an initial 12.5 percent subsidy cut with additional reductions every six months until August 2014.

Grid parity?

Fortunately though, the end of generous subsidies may not spell the end of renewables. Manufacturing costs have fallen fast, and the CEO of Suntech Power, the world’s biggest solar panel manufacturer, recently predicted solar will be as cheap as fossil fuels, saying “we believe that by 2015, there will be around 50 percent of countries where it reaches grid parity.”

Boulder City, Nevada, home of the Hoover Dam, is fast becoming an epicenter of utilty-scale solar plants, and is benefiting mightily from it financially.

The city had the foresight to set aside land for solar plants and as a result will rake in lease payments for decades to come. Residents had the same foresight with their near-unanimous support for the projects.

Since they set aside 8000 acres as an "energy zone," it's become home to the nation's largest solar PV plant, the 58 megawatt (MW) Copper Mountain Solar 1, owned by Sempra U.S. Gas & Power.

Online since March 2011, Copper Mountain will add another 92 MW by January 2013, and another 58 MW by 2015 on its 1100 acres. Sempra also has the 10 MW El Dorado Solar plant there.

Acciona's Nevada Solar 1 is there too - a 65 MW concentrating solar plant on 400 acres that's been operating since 2007.

Both companies plan to expand significantly and will be joined by others to eventually cover the entire energy zone. There are plans for about 1400 MW of solar to be built there, supplying energy to 420,000 homes.

Raking in the Cash

Mayor Roger Tobler says the projects could eliminate the city's debt and stabilize its revenue stream far into the future, reports Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Unlike other cities in Nevada, Boulder City has been able to avoid laying off employees and other drastic spending cuts because it will collect about $12 million a year in lease payments from the two projects it's approved thus far.

Besides the lease payments, the city requires solar developers to pay millions of dollars in upfront payments that cover the 2-4 year construction phase.

In total, the city stands to collect over $480 million in rent through the life of the contracts, increasing its annual revenue by almost 50 percent. Leases average 40-50 years.

Sempra also gave Boulder City $500,000 to install any kind of renewable energy on its buildings.

On top of that, the county will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from property taxes, and Boulder City will receive some of that revenue too.

And even on top of that, the solar plants are creating many hundreds of renewable energy jobs.

What attracts so many solar developers there? There's plenty of sunlight, land and access to transmission lines. And they avoid the lengthy, expensive approval process required to build on public land.

Photo by Pardee Ave./flickr/Creative Commons

by Tina Casey

“Turbine Cowboys” is a new reality series premiering on The Weather Channel this spring, and anyone with an interest in clean energy should check it out. Despite the highly mechanized nature of wind turbine construction and the use of robotic devices for maintenance, the human element is still very much at work. Turbine Cowboys is an important reminder that while renewable energy is cleaner and safer in terms of emissions and overall public health impacts, that does not necessarily translate into a low-risk work environment.

Wind and Workers

The Turbine Cowboys crew has been filming as far south as Baja California and up north to Alaska, which is a hint about the direction it’s going in. Along with the hazards you’d expect from working around electricity and huge pieces of equipment, and occupying a workspace far above the ground, the workers have to deal with rain and snow, extreme heat and cold, and of course, wind. The show will also cover the “boot camp” training received by turbine workers. As far as green jobs go, it’s hard to imagine one that’s tougher.

In the Words of a Wind Power Worker

The hazards of wind power work are aptly summed up in a posting on the Turbine Cowboys production company Facebook page (typos corrected):

“To say they are not dangerous is ignorant. The amount of safety classes, first aid and rescue training, OSHA certs, ect. is never ending. I work on turbines every day and find new risks every day. I”m constantly reminded of how a simple slip at any point in my day can harm/kill myself or a co-worker.”

Another Turbine Cowboy

“Turbine Cowboy” is a play on the old John Travolta movie Urban Cowboy, so it stands to reason that the same title has come up in the past. Sure enough, somewhere in a record shop bin out there is a 45″ single, “Turbine Cowboy,” written and recorded in 1981 by a graduate of GE’s Field Engineering Program (FEP). The program dates back to 1966 and was initiated to train workers in conventional power generation and industrial equipment work. FEP graduates have some great stories of their own and you can read all about it at their website, turbinecowboy.com (the site is not affiliated with GE, by the way).

Turbine Cowboys: A Celebration of American Labor

As a side note, The Weather Channel Companies is owned by a consortium consisting of NBC Universal, The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. Yes, that Bain Capital. Bain is perceived as an outfit that has made huge profits by eliminating jobs for U.S. workers, so it’s a little ironic that the company is connected (albeit remotely) to a show celebrating the skill, courage and resourcefulness of American labor, but whatevs. Turbine Cowboys is just one part of TWC’s upcoming “Braving the Elements” series on American workers that so far includes high-rise ironworkers and utility emergency repair crews. TWC expects to add more titles throughout the year.

by Susan DeFreitas

Sure, you love your go-anywhere little wireless computer mouse. But do you love those hard-to-recycle batteries loaded up with heavy metals you’re blowing through every month? If you’re reading this article, chances are, you don’t.

Greener options of course exist, such as the DX-ECO wireless mouse, which eschews those many AAAs and lithium-ion batteries in favor of a quick-charge system, reducing e-waste and material use; or HP’s Wireless Eco-Comfort Mobile, which is said to be so energy efficient that its single AA battery can last up to seven months (it also features recycled plastic and packaging components). But in the future, you may have an even more attractive option in greener computer peripherals in the Leaf Wireless Kinetic Mouse.

This concept design (which comes to us via Yanko Design) builds on a commonsense insight: the main thing we do with a computer mouse is move it. That movement, properly harnessed, could create energy, which in turn could power the mouse. The brilliance!

Designers Lu Hairong and Zhang Xuehui make use of a basic circuit board and internal battery powered by a “self-powered” kinetic energy system that produces 3 volts of electricity to keep you happily clicking away. Laser tracking keeps the mouse’s movements consistent with the movement of your cursor on-screen, while its slim, ergonomic design keeps the mouse comfortable in your hand.

Now, if only everything we moved around on a regular basis could produce electricity. How about the computer keyboard itself? Not to mention kinetically powered iPods, iPads and—why not?—Nintendo Wiis. Concept designs such as this could help to get our various electronic devices off the dole and on the road to self-sufficiency, which could spell real changes in the way we use energy. Kinetic energy for all!

Semprius says it's reached a new world record for concentrating solar PV modules of 33.9 percent.

The previous record was 32 percent. This new module will become commercially available later this year.

Using a propriety, micro-transfer printing process, Semprius makes the world's smallest solar cell - about the size of a pencil point.

"This is a significant milestone for Semprius and the entire PV industry," says Scott Burroughs, vice president of Technology at Semprius. "For the first time, we have been able to convert more than one-third of the sun's energy into usable electricity. This demonstrates how concentrated PV can leverage rapidly increasing efficiencies to continue driving down the cost of solar generated electricity."

The module was tested indoors at Standard Test Conditions by the Instituto de Energia Solar at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid. The result was confirmed by outdoor measurements at the Institute of Concentration Photovoltaic Systems in Puertollano, Spain.

Semprius developed the module with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab. Semprius is now ramping up global deployment of demonstration systems while completing construction of a pilot plant in Henderson, North Carolina. Commercial production at the plant will begin during the second half of 2012.

Photo by Semprius

by Lauren Craig

Picture yourself in a car with a transparent roof. You have just finished a long commute; and you take a moment to switch off your car's engine to enjoy a view of the stars from your driver's seat. Now, imagine that you accidentally drop your keys into that frustratingly impossible-to-reach crevasse between the seat and the console.

If you were in any other car, you would curse the inability of your interior lights to illuminate the dark expanses of this key-devouring abyss. But, this car is special. When you need light, you simply switch on your light-up moon roof, which is made of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) that give off a soft, ambient glow inside the car.

As futuristic as this scenario sounds, it could actually be closer to reality than you think. The OLED car roof concept is the product of a collaboration between Dutch electronics manufacturer Philips and German chemical giant BASF. An OLED is a light-emitting diode (LED) that contains a layer of organic semiconductor material that emits light in response to an electric current between two semiconductor layers. The car roof concept is based on Philips' Lumniblade OLED technology.

Using dyes developed by BASF, the team has engineered highly efficient OLEDs that are just 1.8 millimeters thin. The lights are so thin that they can be made to appear transparent. The concept is engineered to provide light within the vehicle when turned on, and remain transparent while switched off, allowing the driver to see outside the vehicle. The transparent OLED structure can also be "sandwiched" with transparent solar cells to provide solar charging capabilities.

"This combination allows the driver to enjoy a unique open-space feeling while it generates electricity during the day and pleasantly suffuses the interior with the warm light of the transparent, highly efficient OLEDs at night," said Dr. Felix Görth, head of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes and Organic Photovoltaics at BASF.

The two companies have been working together, as part of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research's OLED 2015 Initiative, since 2006. Last year, the team marked the second phase of the initiative by launching the "TOPAS 2012" consortium project. "TOPAS" stands for "thousand lumen organic phosphorescent devices for applications in lighting systems." In this project, the partners will focus on developing new materials, component architectures, and new production machines for OLED lighting solutions.

Although these technologies might not be quite ready the next time you drop your keys between the seat and the console, they could be the future of automotive lighting.

by John Gartner

Even before selling its first all-electric sedan, Coda Automotive has spun out a subsidiary looking to take its battery technology in a new direction.

The newly created Coda Energy will leverage the company's expertise in designing automotive battery systems and apply it to the grid energy storage market. Coda Energy hopes to carve out a niche in the burgeoning market for lithium batteries that will be used to support utilities, renewable power, and microgrids.

Coda is hardly alone in this move. Many battery companies that originally targeted the automotive market (e.g., A123 Systems and Ener1) have widened their focus to include the grid storage market.

With its origin as an automaker Coda is unique, but the company has built up several battery assets that it will use to pursue grid opportunities. The company's batteries are produced in China through a joint venture with China's Lishen Power Battery, and Coda acquired battery management systems company Energy CS in September of 2011. This expertise in building complete battery systems can be applied to either market, although there are important distinctions (customers, regulatory requirements, etc.) that Pike Research will be exploring in an upcoming webinar.

Though sales from lithium ion battery makers to the transportation industry are expected to be more than four times greater than to the grid services market ($14.6 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively, in 2017), having a secondary battery market is essential to producing batteries in volume and for competing with other similarly diversified companies.

Diversifying the battery customer base is a credible strategy for a young company, but dividing the company's attention even before the first sedans are sold (cars are due to ship in February) could give the impression that the Coda is hedging its bets on becoming a serious contender in the EV world.

Coda is also hoping to build batteries packs in Ohio, but it has been waiting for a loan from the Department of Energy. Approval for that loan would face intense political scrutiny as many of the clean tech companies that have received loans have been in Republican crosshairs since the Solyndra debacle.

Most recently, on January 26, 2012 DOE loan recipient and lithium ion battery maker Ener1 filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the political blowback occurred almost immediately. However, as PluginCars.com pointed out, state and Federal and state financial support started during the Bush Administration, and was championed by Indiana's Republican governor Mitch Daniels, who is featured in an Ener1 promotional video.

Photo by woodleywonderworks/flickr/Creative Commons

by Timothy Hurst

On the sidelines of the recent World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, former New Mexico Governor and U.S. Secretary of Energy, Bill Richardson was meeting with foreign officials, business leaders and members of the press to advocate for clean energy on a macro scale. Richardson, who was also U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, even got the ear of UN General Secretary Ban-Ki Moon in Abu Dhabi after the General Secretary's press conference kicking off the Year of Sustainable Energy For All.

"Renewable energy is the future," Richardson said at the outset of a 45-minute chat upstairs at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Richardson, along with Nick Aster of Triple Pundit and Brian Merchant of TreeHugger, and talk about renewable energy, energy policy and the environmental movement's strategy given the current political stalemate in Washington.

Encouraging action at the government level

Richardson compared the inactivity and sluggishness in the United States, in terms of clean energy development, to the aggressive moves by the emirate of Abu Dhabi to reinvest and remake its own economy into one centered on clean energy.

"Politically, it is a very smart move and it is going to be considered a master stroke," Richardson said.

Richardson was very clear about government's role in igniting a clean energy revolution in the United States.

"Government should be a catalyst. It can't sit back and not be engaged," he said. "The role of government is to establish with the private sector, with NGOs, with environmental organizations, public-private partnerships. I'm a strong believer in that."

Driving action at the grassroots level

But the biggest difference between what is happening in Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates and what is (not) happening in the United States (of the several), is that the UAE is a monarchy, the US is a democracy -- and democracy is much messier. For that reason, getting governments to adopt pro-renewable energy policies takes a coordinated ground game.

"The message is going to be from the American voters: 'Democrats, Republicans you guys have to start working together.' And that means a jobs program, an energy policy for America," says Gov. Richardson. "The message will be clear: Voters will reward those legislators and policymakers that develop consensus around American's problems. And I think you're seeing an evolution that climate change is becoming more accepted in America. The importance of renewable energies is becoming more accepted."

And the movement needs to be about more than just technology and clean energy, according to Richardson, who calls himself "a traditionalist."

"Don't just talk about solar and wind, talk about protecting land and water," he said. "You can't just say the environment is jobs and the economy. It's also about protecting our land and water."

When I asked Richardson about the strategic direction of the environmental movement should the federal government fail to act with either a comprehensive energy policy, he said, "states should act if the federal government won't"

"If your federal government is not acting, is not being responsible to the environment-like in the Bush Administration, when they said, well, we're not going to abide by the Kyoto Treaty-defy the federal government. And set up your own standards. We approved a renewable portfolio standard. We mandated the Kyoto Protocol targets. There's nothing illegal about that; I just think that's progressive government."

In terms of the "how" question, Richardson said that young people need to send strong messages via social media channels.

"There has to be a way that young people, through social media, send dramatically strong messages to not just policymakers, but to institutions, demanding the protection of air and wildlife," Richardson said.

"It'd be sort of like an 'Arab Spring' for the environment."

by Mackinnon Lawrence

Massive, varied, and intricately woven into the fabric of modern industrial society, the global chemical industry was valued at over $4 trillion in 2011, according to Pike Research's Green Chemistry report. The non-pharmaceutical chemicals industry in the United States is valued at around $700 billion per year.

The rise of bio-chemicals promises to transform that industry. Bio-based chemicals and plastics - often referred to as bio-based products - are commercial or industrial products (other than food or feed) that are derived from biological products or biomass. They serve as direct replacements for the building blocks used in petrochemical production.

At last week's 3rd Annual Bio-based Chemicals Summit, in San Diego, upstart biomass innovators and stalwart petrochemical industry stakeholders converged to capitalize on opportunities in the emerging bio-based economy. Excitement is high, but it is largely a derivative of unrealized potential in the biofuels industry. That potential could be accelerated by federal action: this week, President Obama is expected to unveil his Blueprint for a Bioeconomy. (The bio-chemical sector is covered under our Bioenergy Advisory Service, which was launched last week.)

The bio-based segment of chemical production looks poised for dramatic growth. As discussed in our recent report, Biofuels Markets and Technologies, there has been a significant shift away from a primary emphasis on biofuels production towards high-value, low-volume bioproducts in the last couple of years. Currently, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that at least 20,000 bio-based products are currently being manufactured in North America. USDA has certified dozens of products with a "bio-preferred" label, which denotes a high percentage of bio-based ingredients.

The shift in strategy away from biofuels and towards bio-based products aims to generate near-term revenue to facilitate broader scale-up efforts. Ultimately, stakeholders envision a pervasive, renewable bio-based economy, comprising power, heat, fuel, and chemicals production derived from biomass resources.

The strategy flies in the face of existing biofuels policy in the United States, which one presenter in San Diego called "ass-backwards." From subsidies to loan guarantees to grants, the federal government has relied on a number of mechanisms to ramp up biofuels production. Where there are bio-based chemical incentives, they are typically treated as complimentary to biofuels policy.

Shifting this paradigm is of chief concern among bioproduct advocates. Bioproducts, the logic goes, are a natural stepping stone to biofuels production, which is tasked with supplanting an entrenched and highly profitable petroleum fuel industry. The price tag for doing so is daunting - roughly $16 billion per year to meet the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) mandate. Requiring less capital and feedstocks, widespread bioproducts production is viewed as a lower hurdle that can spearhead development in the utilization of biomass as a replacement to crude oil.

Despite its promise, the bioproducts market faces many challenging obstacles that will likely stifle growth in the United States over the near-term. Three key issues are summarized briefly below:

- First, EPA's regulation of industrial chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) may lead to delays and increases in the time-to-market. While bio-based chemicals are subject to review, many petroleum-derived chemicals were grandfathered in when the regulation came into force in the 1970s.
- Second, limited access to feedstocks may confine production to areas with access to regional biomass supply chains, potentially stifling growth in the industry. Even where feedstocks may be prevalent, cost remains a barrier to the commercialization of biobased production from advanced (non-commodity) feedstocks, such as camelina, jatropha, algae, and switchgrass.
- Third, accessing capital for scale-up remains a difficult challenge. Although higher-value bio-based products require less capacity than biofuels production, many investors are wary of building a first plant given the associated technology and market risks. Without steel in the ground, it's difficult for the industry to accurately assess the risks of subsequent investment.