Shareholder Advocacy 2003:A Great Leap Forward
Shareholder advocacy exploded in 2003, getting majority votes for the first time.
Shareholder advocacy exploded in 2003, getting majority votes for the first time.
Renewable Choice finds that 30-35% of the people it approaches sign up for wind power.
*News and Events DOE, USDA Award $23 Million for Biomass Research Projects DOE Funds Nine Energy-Related Inventions and Innovations Study: Renewables, Efficiency Could Cut Natural Gas Prices Renewable Hawaii to Fund Projects on Maui, Molokai, Lanai New York Dedicates New Energy-Efficient Residential Building ACRE Becomes ACORE as Renewable Energy Conferences Approach ———————————————————————- NEWS AND EVENTS ———————————————————————- DOE, USDA Award $23 Million for Biomass Research ProjectsDOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week their selection of 19 biomass research, development, and demonstration projects that will receive a total of $23 million in joint funding. Biomass is organic matter from plants or animals that is available on a renewable or recurring basis. Several of the new projects are aimed at developing the next-generation of “biorefineries,” industrial complexes that convert a range of biomass materials into biobased products and biofuels. Two of the projects focus on efficient biomass-fired energy systems, including a combined heat and power system and a district energy system that will heat a number of buildings with one biomass energy system. The remaining projects run the gamut of biomass technologies, including pretreatment processes for biomass, catalysts for biomass conversion processes, new bioproducts from biomass,anaerobic digestion (converting biomass […]
*News and Events California Utility Exceeds 20 Percent Renewable Energy Use USDA Awards $21 Million for Efficiency and Renewable Energy New York Provides $14.5 Million for Clean Energy Projects Cielo to Build 80-Megawatt Wind Plant in New Mexico First Solar Adds 240 Kilowatts to Arizona Solar Project DOE Project to Use Superconductors to Protect the Power Grid *Energy Connections U.S. Renewable Energy Use Increases 11 Percent in 2002———————————————————————- NEWS AND EVENTS ———————————————————————- California Utility Exceeds 20 Percent Renewable Energy UseSouthern California Edison (SCE) drew on renewable energy resources for 23 percent of its power in June and 22 percent of its power in May, achieving the state’s 20-percent renewable energy requirement 14 years early. Approximately 150 independent power producers now supply the utility with more than 13 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. But SCE is not stopping there: the utility also released a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking new contracts for up to 20 years of power from renewable energy sources. See the press release from SCE’s parent company, Edison International, at: [sorry this link is no longer available]Responses to SCE’s RFP are due on September 23rd. SCE aims to obtain final approval for any power agreements by the […]
*News and Events Hydropower and Conservation Contributed to Blackout Recovery San Francisco Approves $16 Million Energy Efficiency Program New Jersey Awards $2.7 Million to Renewable Energy Companies Companies Unveil New Building-Integrated Solar Panels Automakers Drop Lawsuits Over California ZEV Rules Organizations, Consumers Still Pursuing Electric Vehicles*Energy Connections After Blackout, Groups Envision Future Power System Options———————————————————————- NEWS AND EVENTS ———————————————————————- Hydropower and Conservation Contributed to Blackout RecoveryNew York State may draw on a wide number of energy sources for its electricity, but when it needed to recover from the August 14th blackout, it turned to hydropower. Hydroelectric power plants have the ability to “blackstart” — start generating power without help from any external power source — and to produce power immediately. In contrast, nuclear and fossil-fuel power plants require significant startup times, and nuclear power plants are not permitted to operate while the power grid is not energized. According to the National Hydropower Association (NHA), hydropower facilities were the first to be placed in operation in order to establish a stable power grid, the critical first step in restoring power to the region. See the press release on the NHA Web site at: http://www.hydro.org/Energy conservation also played an important role during […]
*News and Events Secretary Abraham Leads Power Outage Investigation DOE Awards $17.3 Million for Renewables & Efficiency DOE Holds Natural Gas Forums DOE Releases 25-Year Strategic Plan *Energy Connections Blackout Spurs Interest in Renewables & Efficiency———————————————————————- NEWS AND EVENTS ———————————————————————-Secretary Leads Power Outage InvestigationSecretary of Energy Spencer Abraham dispatched teams of investigators over the weekend to the Northeast and Upper Midwest to begin onsite investigations into what caused the nation’s worst power outage last week. In an additional effort to uncover possible causes for the outage, Secretary Abraham is scheduled to meet with Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Herb Dhalwal in Detroit today to finalize the United States/Canada Joint Task Force established last Friday by President George Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Abraham and Dhalwal will lead the task force set up to identify causes of the power outage and make recommendations to prevent future outages. See the August 18th press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]DOE Awards $17.3 Million for Renewables and EfficiencySecretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced last week that DOE will provide $17.3 million for 187 efficiency and renewable energy projects. State energy offices will use these funds to improve the energy […]
*News and Events Italy to Join DOE’s International Hydrogen Partnership DOE to Award $2.9 Million to 16 Tribal Clean Energy Projects Minnesota Utility to Build a 100-Megawatt Wind Power Plant New Jersey Agencies Buy 11 Megawatts of Wind Power California, DOE to Support Electric Energy Storage Projects Boeing to Lead Fuel-Cell-Powered Airplane Demonstration *Energy Connections Growing U.S. Stores of Natural Gas Show Promise for Winter Italy to Join DOE’s International Hydrogen PartnershipDOE announced on August 5th that Italy intends to join its International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy. Italy has a well- developed research and development program that addresses hydrogen and fuel cell applications in vehicles and for electric power. The Italian government plans to cooperate with the United States on investigationsof hydrogen production, storage, and transport, as well as end-use technologies and codes and standards. Italy and the United States currently cooperate under a bilateral science and technology agreement and under the implementing agreements of the International Energy Agency (IEA).Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham proposed the new partnership during a speech to the IEA ministers in April, and encouraged the European Commission to participate in June. Italy will be the first country to join the partnership, although several other countries […]
*News and Events DOE Provides $200 Million for Hydrogen Technology Projects USDA Funds Rural Renewable Energy Projects in Alaska, Hawaii Spectrolab Concentrating Solar Cell Sets Efficiency Record Reports See Major Growth in Store for Renewable Energy FERC Sets New Rules for Connecting Generators to the Grid Awards Honor Champions of Industrial Energy EfficiencyDOE Provides $200 Million for Hydrogen Technology ProjectsDOE announced the release of two hydrogen technology solicitations on July 31st. The solicitations will provide up to $200 million in funds over four to five years (subject to congressional appropriations) for research and development to support the President’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.The first solicitation, for hydrogen production and delivery technologies, covers processes to make hydrogen from biomass, devices to convert fuels into hydrogen, photovoltaic and biological processes to generate hydrogen using solar energy, and other advanced technologies to produce hydrogen by splitting water molecules.The solicitation also covers hydrogen separation and purification technologies, advanced hydrogen delivery technologies, and analyses of hydrogen production infrastructures.The second solicitation, for hydrogen storage technologies, seeks to establish virtual “Centers of Excellence” — led by the DOE national laboratories — for metal hydrides, chemical hydrides, and carbon-based hydrogen storage. Applications are also being requested from universities and industry […]
*News and Events University of Missouri-Rolla Wins American Solar Challenge Massive New Wind Power Plants Planned for Texas and Wyoming Ten Northeast States to Cooperate to Lower Carbon Emissions Research Advances Show Promise for Solid-State Lighting AstroPower Accounting Crisis Leads to Delisting from NASDAQ*Energy ConnectionsEIA Maps Out U.S. Household Energy Use by RegionUniversity of Missouri-Rolla Wins American Solar ChallengeThe University of Missouri-Rolla took first place last week in the American Solar Challenge, the 2,300-mile solar car race from Chicago to Los Angeles. Missouri-Rolla took the lead on the fourth day and never let it go, averaging nearly 43.3 miles per hour overall and beating the record time from the 2001 race by more than four hours.The University of Minnesota came in second, nearly five hours behind Missouri-Rolla, while the University of Waterloo took third place. The race is sponsored by DOE, DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory,BP Solar, and EDS. See the July 23rd press release from DOE at:[sorry this link is no longer available]See also the American Solar Challenge Web site:[sorry this link is no longer available]Meanwhile, the Houston Solar Car Team won the Dell-Winston Solar Challenge last week. The high-school team from Houston, Mississippi, logged 689.2 miles on the […]
There have been a slew of great articles covering sustainable business lately in the major media – in Barron’s, Fortune, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal and the NY Times. The article, “Good Vibes: Socially Responsible Investing is Gaining Fans and Clout,” appeared in Barron’s Mutual Fund Quarterly Report. Robin Blumenthal, the author, points to the silver lining of the “tidal wave of disclosures about wrongdoing in Corporate America’s executive suites and boardrooms.” It has put a surprising amount of cash and clout in the socially responsible investment (SRI) proponents’ corner, she says. In 2002, SRI mutual funds grew by $1.5 billion, while conventional U.S. equity funds shrunk by $10.5 billion. Mainstream asset managers including Vanguard, State Street and Gabelli now offer SRI investment options and 14 indexes world-wide track SRI investments. As SRI proponents have claimed for many years, their independent research and emphasis on company transparency helps them invest in companies with higher quality management and avoid some of the red-flag problems like asbestos liability, or Enron-style management. The title of the June 4 Fortune Small Business Special Report says it all: “The Green Business Revolution, The Next Big Thing.”The article confirms what we all know: the titans […]