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Evaluating Institutional On-site Clean Energy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:07:47 GMT

Earlier this month, I attended EUCI’s Utilizing Clean Power Development Conference in Philadelphia. The conference attracted a variety of large institutions (hospitals, municipalities, universities, etc.), developers, and financers to discuss the opportunity and challenges surrounding deployment of on-site renewable energy. Instit

When We Struggle, We Learn

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:42:49 GMT

If there was one key takeaway from the most recent RenewableEnergyWorld.com and Solar Power-gen webcast it was that the year ahead will be difficult for large-scale solar power development due to poor access to capital, an uncertain policy landscape, the pending trade case against China and module prices that are too low to support a healthy indust

Tackling the Renewable Energy Transmission Tiger - Is There Hope? Is There Help?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:36:00 GMT

Building transmission to accommodate utility-scale renewable energy generation in the U.S. is seen as essential by much of the renewable energy industry. But can it be justified? Doing so will necessarily involve constructing some of the longest stretches of wire ever undertaken in this country. Much of the best wind and solar resource is located quite distant from the load. Ultimately, thousands of miles of huge power lines will have to be built. It is not illogical to ask whether investment in such massive infrastructure "costs too much and provides too little." It is also not illogical to answer "no," not if the value proposition is laid out appropriately and a well crafted policy and regulatory approach can be established that effectively addresses the issues.

Baby Steps in Climate Negotiations are Still Steps in the Right Direction

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:36:14 GMT

I wasn’t able to attend the [frustrating] climate change talks in Durban, South Africa this year, although I would have loved to. South Africa is an incredible place to visit. I say the talks are frustrating because they always seem to go the same way. The European nations and some smaller countries attend the meeting armed with serious data

Renewable Energy Groups Seek 1603 Extension; Analysts Offer Hope for Life After the Grant

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:34:39 GMT

This week more than 750 large companies, small businesses and organizations sent a letter to Congress calling for a one-year extension of the Department of Treasury's Section 1603 Program.

Electric Vehicle and Lithium-ion Battery Investing For Imbeciles

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:00:00 GMT

In their 1969 bestseller "The Peter Principle" Laurence Peter and Raymond Hull quoted a Latin-American student named Caesare Innocente who lamented, "Professor Peter, I'm afraid that what I want to know is not answered by all my studying. I don't know whether the world is run by smart men who are, how you Americans say, putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." After watching the events of the last few weeks, I think most of my regular readers would agree that the imbeciles are clearly steering the ship.

Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards: Nominate Now!

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:43:00 GMT

Get ready to celebrate the industry's achievements. At RenewableEnergyWorld.com, we are ready to accept nominations for the Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards. These awards recognize the best companies, people and projects in the North American renewable energy industry.

Japan's Tipping Point

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:43:10 GMT

Most of you in the renewable energy world probably don't know me yet. This is my first blog here, so let me introduce myself. I write books for a living (a sort of living). In 2010, I published a book on public health (Inside the Outbreaks), and as a follow-up, I concluded that the overarching threat to the world's public health t

In Australia, Can Renewable Energy Get Over the Tea Party Blues?

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT

"It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things." Niccolò Machiavelli Australia’s government is trying to initiate a new era of clean energy and facing such powerful opposition that some renewables companies th

Obama Cleantech Stimulus: Bad Policy, Bad Politics and Bad for Cleantech

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:06:13 GMT

The Solyndra debacle is no surprise to this cleantech venture capitalist. The inherent conflict between trying to get money out of the U.S. Treasury as quickly as possible to stimulate the economy and, at the same time, have government agencies that are ill-suited at making business decisions do just that was nothing other than a recipe f

Electric Vehicle Envy

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:00:00 GMT

Much of the buzz around electric vehicles has focused on automobiles, including the launch of production plug-in vehicles by Nissan and General Motors in December 2010. These vehicles are slated to be followed over the next 18 months by models from Ford, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Tesla, among others.

Energy Entrepreneurs Flock to Renewables Bonanza

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:00:00 GMT

We hear a lot about the job-building benefits of renewable energy when it draws manufacturers and developers to local communities. Less talked about are those who arrive well before the shovels, steel, factories and jobs. These are the green energy entrepreneurs – the creative thinkers and risk takers responsible for the rise of clean energy ventures over the last decade.

Wanted: Chinese Cleantech Capital and Connections

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:09:32 GMT

With the emergence of China as the globe’s cleantech powerhouse (see Why China has already overtaken the U.S. in cleantech), it’s become fashionable for cleantech companies seeking large purchase orders to target China. What’s not been so popular is to go to China seeking investment capital. We and a handful of companies di

Trade Barriers Dim Renewable Energy's Prospects

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:00:00 GMT

Protectionism in the renewable energy industry takes many forms depending on location and sector. For example, in the U.S., Ohio is stringently enforcing a law that half of its mandated renewable energy must be supplied through in-state production.

Renewables Bounced Back in 2010, Finds REN21 Global Report

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:00:00 GMT

In the last year, the world has seen many significant developments that have had an impact – both direct and indirect – on renewable energy. The global economic recession entered a new phase in 2010, marked by massive public finance crises – felt most acutely in Europe – that led several governments to announce incentive cuts for solar energy. Natural gas prices remained low, temporarily reducing the competitiveness of renewable energy. At the same time, worldwide developments highlighted the security, economic and human costs of relying so heavily on fossil and nuclear energy.

Plug-in Vehicles Have Been Weighed in the Balance and Found Wanting

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:00:00 GMT

A comment from maxkilmachina recently drew my attention to an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences titled Valuation of plug-in vehicle life-cycle air emissions and oil displacement benefits. While it costs $10 to download the article and supporting documentation, I believe it's worthwhile for all serious energy storage and electric vehicle investors because the underlying study is the first comprehensive total cost of ownership analysis I've seen that includes both direct end-user costs and identifiable externalities like emissions, military and other indirect costs arising from oil consumption in the US.

Brazil Soars in Clean Energy Rankings

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:53:00 GMT

There is an old joke that says Brazil is the country of the future – and always will be. But with rapid economic growth, the government claiming that some 40 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the past decade and the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on the horizon, it seems the joke is about to fall flat. Brazil's time has arrived and the country of sun, sea and samba is keen to showcase itself to the world as a positive example of how to exploit renewable energy sources as well as how to perform on the football pitch.

Pure Fantasy On Green Manufacturing, Solar Jobs and The Mainstream Media

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:40:33 GMT

Over the last 36 months, more than 100 new U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency manufacturing plants have opened in the United States.

It's Time to Kill the Car Culture, Drive a Stake Through Its Heart, and Electrify Mobility

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:38:00 GMT

My friend and colleague John Petersen has it in for the electric car. Recently he wrote a summary of his anti-electric car views, entitled "It's Time to Kill the Electric Car, Drive a Stake Through its Heart and Burn the Corpse." Did I mention he also has a flair for the dramatic?

Malaysia Explores Its Renewables Options

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:00:00 GMT

Malaysia's potential for renewable energy generation is substantial. Its equatorial location is superb for solar, and its extensive tropical forests can supply large quantities of biomass. Hydropower already plays a significant part of the nation's energy mix, particularly on the island of Borneo, and mini-hydropower from streams and rivers has boosted the electricity supply in rural areas.