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Among the many innovative technologies we’ll see in the near future, here are a couple of innovative uses for solar coming down the pike: solar energy beamed down from space and solar used to recycled carbon dioxide into fuel. These and hundreds of other technologies we can barely imagine today offer solutions to our climate change challenge – if we can cross the threshold and put a price on carbon through US legislation and if countries take a stand and commit to moving forward to a prosperous, green economy at Copenhagen. Solar from Space? Yes, the first contract for beaming solar energy from space has been approved. As part of its effort to obtain 33% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the contract. California utility PG&E will receive solar energy generated by Solaren Corp’s orbiting satellites through a long term power purchase agreement. Solaren says it can provide 1700 GW-hours of energy a year for the 15-year contract, which starts in 2016. Once the 200 MW solar plant is hoisted into space (no mean feat) it has the advantage of 24-hour a day sunlight. No clouds to worry about. The day/ […]
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DOE: $366M for Energy Innovation Hubs Bill Funds Transit Projects, Home Retrofits, Global Clean Energy Boeing Launches Fuel-Efficient 787 Dreamliner NASA Calculates California’s Carbon Budget DOE to Invest $366 Million in Energy Innovation Hubs DOE outlined plans in December to invest up to $366 million to establish and operate three Energy Innovation Hubs, each of which will focus on accelerating research and development in a key energy area. The three hubs will focus on producing fuels directly from sunlight; improving energy-efficient building systems design; and developing advanced nuclear reactors. Each hub, to be funded at $122 million over five years, will bring together a multidisciplinary team of researchers to speed research and shorten the path from scientific discovery to technological development and commercial deployment of highly promising energy-related technologies. The hubs are expected to begin work in 2010 and become fully operational by 2011. Of the two hubs that relate to renewable energy and energy efficiency, the Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub will likely draw on the mechanisms of photosynthesis, mimicking the ability of plants to convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into sugar. The Energy Efficient Building Systems Design Energy Innovation Hub will focus on advances in core […]
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By Rona Fried After two years of negotiations leading up to the Copenhagen finale, few of us are waiting with baited breath for the outcome. Maybe it’s too much to ask for hundreds of countries to successfully negotiate complex issues – even with such high stakes, the challenge is just too great. If we add up all the commitments made at Copenhagen, the sum total is about half of what’s necessary to stave off climate change. This graph from the Climate Action Tracker shows that countries’ reduction proposals leave us with a temperature increase of 3.9°C, equivalent to 770 ppm of carbon dioxide (CO2). Science tells us catastrophic climate change will occur if we exceed 1.5°C – 350 ppm of CO2. Unfortunately, the US continues to hold the world back. Under President Obama’s leadership, we’re finally moving ahead with serious commitments to energy efficiency, green manufacturing and renewable energy. But our specific GHG emission reduction targets are pathetic – and an embarrassment. As the world’s leading polluter for the past century (and the creator of climate change), the US should take a strong leadership position on emission cuts – 40% by 2020, not a measly 3% by 2020 below 1990 […]
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The Green Week in Review is a podcast, hosted by SustainableBusiness.com News Editor Bart King. It’s posted every Friday morning and is about 15 minutes long. You can listen to it through your browser or download it to a portable MP3 player. Sign up for our General News RSS Feed and it will be automatically downloaded to your computer’s media player each week. In this week’s show… Copenhagen Week 2 Coverage: Copenhagen Summary: Signs of Hope? Copenhagen Summary: Two Days Left US Announces $350M Initiative for Clean Energy in Developing Nations Copenhagen Summary: Day 8 Copenhagen Summary: Halfway Mark Copenhagen Summary: Day 5 Editorial: Copenhagen is About More Than Climate Change Plus, a summary of the week’s top cleantech headlines. ++++ Email comments or questions to bart@sustainablebusiness.com
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Whether you believe recent reports that global climate change is on course for worst-case scenarios, or you believe hacked emails from the University of East Anglia prove it’s all a big hoax, one thing is undeniable: international negotiations on climate change have brought us to a critical juncture in world history. The international community will soon agree to a common path for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or abandon the idea altogether, return to our respective corners and wait to see what happens. Following two years of laborious negotiations, world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 7-18, in an effort to reach final agreement on emissions targets for the year 2020 and funding for poor nations–two obstacles that have thus far proven insurmountable. These elements would be the core of a protocol to take effect in 2012 when the current Kyoto Protocol comes to an end. The Kyoto Protocol, which was devised as a test period for global greenhouse gas reduction strategies, is already widely considered a failure. This is largely because the United States chose not to participate, thereby undermining the protocol’s economic and political effectiveness. President Obama has pledged to the world that the United States will participate […]
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US to Deploy Clean Energy in Developing Countries DOE Issues Final Rule on Loan Guarantees Anaerobic Digesters Help Cut Dairy Emissions 25% by 2020 EVs Coming in 2010 from GM, Toyota, and Fisker California Releases Preliminary Cap-and-Trade Rules DOE Launches Energy Tech Information Wiki DOE Enforces Appliance Standards Status Quo: U.S. CO2 Emissions to Grow 8.7% by 2030 US to Help Deploy Clean Energy in Developing Countries Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced on December 14 that the US is contributing at least $85 million to an international initiative to promote clean energy technologies in developing countries. Speaking at the Copenhagen climate conference, Secretary Chu said that a new five-year, $350 million Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative, or "Climate REDI," will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and improve public health in developing countries via three new clean energy technology programs: The Solar and LED Energy Access Program, designed to deliver affordable solar home systems and light-emitting diode (LED) lanterns to people without electricity, providing alternatives to polluting kerosene; The Clean Energy Information Platform, an online platform for sharing clean energy information, such as resource maps, policies, and deployment hotspots; and The Super-Efficient Equipment & Appliance Deployment Program, intended to improve the […]
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The Green Week in Review is a podcast, hosted by SustainableBusiness.com News Editor Bart King. It’s posted every Friday morning and is about 15 minutes long. You can listen to it through your browser or download it to a portable MP3 player. Sign up for our General News RSS Feed and it will be automatically downloaded to your computer’s media player each week. In this week’s show… Copenhage Week 1 Coverage: Copenhagen Summary: Day 1 ‘Danish Text’ Disrupts Copenhagen Copenhagen Funding Debate Copenhagen Summary: Day 4 First Decade of New Century Is Hottest on Record EPA Clears Path for GHG Regulations Plus, a summary of the week’s top cleantech headlines. ++++ Email comments or questions to bart@sustainablebusiness.com
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Obama Proposes Home Energy Retrofit Program for Job Creation DOE, USDA: $564M for Biorefinery Projects DOE Launches Save Energy Now LEADER Program ARPA-E: $100M for Biofuel, Battery Research Commerce Dept to Speed Review of Green Technology Patents Energy Star Labels Prohibited on Some LG Refrigerators U.S. GHG Down 2.2% in 2008 Obama Proposes Home Energy Retrofit Program for Job Creation President Obama proposed a new rebate program on Tuesday to reward homeowners for making their homes more energy efficient, while also proposing additional federal investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. As part of a speech about jobs and the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., he noted that home energy retrofits create jobs, save money for families, and reduce the pollution. He also called for aid to small businesses and new investments in infrastructure. Most of the president’s proposals require congressional approval. Obama’s job plan calls for an expansion of select ARRA initiatives that promote energy efficiency and clean energy jobs. He noted that a third of the Recovery Act is intended for investments "to put Americans to work doing the work that America needs done," such as doubling U.S. capacity for producing power from renewable energy. […]
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The Green Week in Review is a podcast, hosted by SustainableBusiness.com News Editor Bart King. It’s posted every Friday morning and is about 15 minutes long. You can listen to it through your browser or download it to a portable MP3 player. Sign up for our Podcast RSS Feed and it will be automatically downloaded to your computer’s media player each week. In this week’s show… We are proud to announce this is the one-year anniversary show! A quick update on the negotiating environment going into next week’s Copenhagen Climate talks: Leaders Delay Copenhagen Deadline US, China Solidify Energy and Environment Initiatives Obama Launches ‘Green Partnership’ With India Australia’s Parliament Rejects Carbon Scheme US, China Pledge Emissions Reductions India Approves 20GW Solar Plan Developing Nations Reject Copenhagen Targets Plus, and interview with President and CEO of Ocean Renewable Power Company, Chris Sauer. ++++ Email comments or questions to bart@sustainablebusiness.com
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This is the full interview with President and CEO of Ocean Renewable Power Company, Chris Sauer. The interview was excerpted in the Green Week in Review on December 4, 2009. This full interview gives detailed background on the development of ORPC’s unique turbine design and Sauer’s broader views of the industry. (www.OceanRenewablePower.com)
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