Coming soon: California's version of a solar feed-in tariff

California homeowners with solar panels have had an unusual arrangement: They’ve been able to use their utility as a kind of power storage bank through-out the year — but they’ve been forced to give the utility any extra power beyond what they use at home, free of charge.

This will change in early 2011…

Currently, when a California home solar installation produces more power than the home uses that month, this excess power can be “banked” for use in a subsequent month (applied against the bill for power bought from the utility). But every 12 months these power storage accounts must be reconciled — at which time the homeowner then either pays for a shortfall, or surrenders any remaining excess for free to the utility.

But in 2011, the state’s investor-owned utilities (Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric) will have to start paying homeowners for this extra generation capacity at a rate to be determined by the California Public Utilities Commission as early as January 2011.

The extra power production is recorded via net metering, one of the capabilities of smart meters. The “net surplus compensation” is required as part of AB 920 (the California Solar Surplus Bill), which was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and which took effect at the start of 2010.

Less than 10% of the state’s solar photovoltaic system owners are likely to be affected by this law. And in most cases, their compensation will be small.

However, the response of homeowners may be vocal. This is because most will follow their intuition, believing that they are entitled to be paid for excess generation at a rate equal to the retail price that they pay for the utility to provide electricity to them — not the wholesale price that utilities pay to conventional suppliers.

The wholesale rate for power runs about 5 cents per kWh, while the retail rate is more like 25 cents. This difference results from all of the other things included in electricity rates — including transmission, distribution, customer service, energy efficiency, and other programs.

Under the draft decision before the CPUC, the compensation for net surplus generation would be calculated by a formula that reflects short-term wholesale electricity prices. Because these prices vary hourly, the plan calls for averaging out 12 months of fluctuations. In 2009, the average price for was 5 cents per kWh for energy purchased between 7am and 5pm (typical hours for solar energy production).

The draft decision also calls for adding a payment to the wholesale electricity price that reflects the cleaner-energy attributes of solar or other renewable generation. This amount is to be based on the average market price of renewable energy credits. These are not yet traded on a public market in California, but could be about 1-3 cents per kWh.

The CPUC’s hands are somewhat tied as it addresses this pricing issue. California law requires that net generators receive “just and reasonable” compensation; but also that this cannot affect other ratepayers. But here, other ratepayers are benefitting only through avoided purchases from the wholesale market — hence the use of wholesale prices to set these rates.

A further wrinkle is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission policy which equates excess residential generation with wholesale power. (FERC regulates the wholesale power market.) Such power can be compensated only at the avoided wholesale cost, with reasonable adjustments. Thus, the CPUC may factor in the cleaner-energy attributes of renewably generated electricity.

Of course, the higher the rate paid to homeowners who generate excess power, the more it will promote residential solar panel installations. Look for the CPUC’s final ruling in the next few weeks.

Source:  eMeter Smart Grid Watch

Related Articles:   Click here to learn more about Feed in Tariffs

Top 25 U.S. Energy Lobbyists of 2010

Behind the financial sector, energy interests spend the most money on lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. - So how does the solar energy sector stack up?

Total Spent by Electric Utilities:         $151 Million

Total Spent by Oil & Gas Lobbyists:  $111 Million

Total Spent by Solar Lobbyists:         $    2 Million

Average spent per person in Congress:  $566,082 ... and that's just on Energy.

And you wonder why the Climate Bill is dead -- and why we have so many people out of work.

And then on top of that - they pass a food safety bill ... authorizing the FDA to set up offices around the world to ensure that US safety guidelines are taught and implemented.   It gets better - according to an article published in Italy (based on Wikileaked information) - the US Ambassador to France was putting together a "hit list" of European policy makers that are against - genetically modified foods - so they could be "targeted".   

What would you rather have -- a good job & lower utility bills & a clean environment -- or eliminating organic food and natural food supplements?   Congress thought the latter was better ... hmm, I wonder how much the food and big Pharma lobbyists spent.

Got to love those lobbyists - and the current American political system.

To read the full article click here. 

Another Example of How Going Solar Creates Jobs in the USA

The Climate Bill is dead. Comprehensive action on energy and climate change issues is not likely to come from the federal government any time soon. One of the oft-repeated opposition mantras is that times are too tough to think about climate action – and the costs that curbing emissions might impose would heavily impact those who can afford additional costs the least.

But in fact, it is exactly because of the economic landscape and the massive shedding of jobs in historically significant sectors that makes now the ideal time to make strategic public investments in our shared clean energy future. Without leadership from the feds, states are taking matters into their own hands.

And it’s not just the usual suspects that are or can make progress in clean energy development.

Like many parts of the US, the Great Recession has not spared my state of Kentucky. The state has lost 101,000 jobs since the recession began—40,000 in the manufacturing sector and nearly 19,000 in construction. Just since December 2007, the state has lost 16% of its manufacturing jobs and 23% of its construction employment. The loss of these jobs has contributed to keeping Kentucky at or above 10% unemployment for much of the last two years.

This impact is especially devastating for Kentucky’s working families, who have relied heavily on factory and construction work to provide decent, family-sustaining incomes. Even as the economy recovers, the viability of these sectors is questionable—the housing market is likely to take a long time to unravel from the bubble of the last decade, and when manufacturing jobs do rebound many fear they will do so outside Kentucky.

Yet it is exactly the decline of manufacturing and construction opportunities that presents a real opening for the emerging clean energy sector. Research from the Renewable Energy Policy Project indicates that between 70 and 80% of new jobs in wind and solar will be in the manufacturing sector. Similar studies show that retrofitting existing buildings, as opposed to building new structures, can create 8 to 17% more jobs by ‘fixing it first’. This bodes well for making green jobs a reality in Kentucky.

In fact, even without taking significant state action to embrace a clean energy, Kentucky has enjoyed a jobs growth rate of 10% between 1998 and 2007 in the clean energy sector according to a study by Pew Charitable Trusts, while the overall jobs growth rate struggled at a mere 3.6% during the same period.

States have taken the leadership over a period of years to transition to clean energy opportunities and capture the jobs that go with it, including leaders like California, Massachusetts and Oregon. In fact, CleanEdge just released the first U.S. Clean Energy Leadership Index to rank states’ leadership in supporting the development of the clean energy sector and grow jobs.

So far this list – and others like it – is dominated by the usual suspect of progressive states, but there are stories worth telling in places you might not expect.

Ohio has made significant progress in developing a renewable energy industry – especially solar—after passing a alternative energy resource in 2008. AEP Ohio has committed to both wind and solar generation projects located within the state. In addition to passing an RPS in 2009, Pennsylvania has undertaken a study of the potential for green job development in the state and begun to analyze what supports would be necessary to strengthen the clean energy economy.

Tennessee, while lacking the overarching legislation required to really boost statewide growth, has also studied similar issues in a report, as well as drawn on the success of pilot programs put forward by the state’s biggest utility the Tennessee Valley Authority. Indeed TVA’s pilot programs, including the feed-in tariff-style Generation Partners and Renewable Standard Offer programs, have proven so popular that long-term options have to be re-evaluated to ensure commitments can still be met.

Serious momentum is building across the purple states. Lessons have been learned: states that are in a position to offer clear market and regulatory signals are snapping up project developments. The clean energy economy holds promise across the board—but policy must set the direction. States like Kentucky need to take the plunge and pass meaningful and comprehensive clean energy policies that will spur real investment in the sector to solidify their places in the new economy.

Details on how Kentucky can harness its clean energy potential have been fuzzy. To help shed light on Kentucky’s road to a clean energy future, the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) released Building Clean Energy Careers in Kentucky; the report highlights the potential of the clean energy economy in Kentucky, assesses the role of workforce development in capitalizing on such potential, and proposes policy changes that will promote long-term, quality employment opportunities for all Kentucky’s workers.

But to make the most of these opportunities, the workforce training system must provide the kinds of training needed for growing sectors; create career pathways for workers; create access to that training and the resulting jobs for low-income workers and communities; and ensure that the jobs created are good quality, family-supporting jobs.

Institutionalizing such efforts requires substantive policy actions. Those policies should include an increasing portfolio standard for renewable energy generation and energy efficiency savings, as well as financing elements that spur investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy among energy developers, businesses, institutions and homeowners.

By aligning workforce development and training efforts with the needs of clean energy employers, by reducing hurdles to participation in training and education efforts for all Kentuckians and by demonstrating a policy commitment to pursuing clean energy sources Kentucky can begin to harness the employment opportunities inherent in the clean energy sector in earnest.

The failure of federal climate and energy action is a disappointment. But many states are taking decisive action anyway towards preparing their economic bases and workforce to capitalize on the opportunities presented by a transition to a clean energy economy. States like Kentucky are poised to benefit by getting in the game. If they do, the momentum building in recent years will continue even as we wait for federal action to take it to the next level.

Written by:  Kristin Tracz - a Research & Policy Associate at the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED).

Originally published by Renewable EnergyWorld

Views:   My advice - implement a Feed in Tariff Program - just look what it did for Europe.   To read our in-depth article about Feed In Tariffs click here.

Know Somebody that Wants a Job in the Solar Industry? Do you have what it takes? Click here For details about a Solar Training Program that will help you start a career you can build on.

SolarWorld supplies Haitian Hospitals with PV Panels

SolarWorld is supplying five medical centers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with 440 of its 230-watt Sunmodule PV panels to power equipment, refrigeration and air conditioning. The panels comprise the the third shipment SolarWorld has sent to the Haitian capital since it was struck by a catastrophic earthquake last January.

Preliminary site work at the clinics in La Colline, Arrondissement de Lascahobas, Thomonde, Petite Rivière and Verrettes is currently taking place prior to the mid-December arrival of the shipment, with installation expected to commence in spring.

"With the destruction of major medical facilities in Port-au-Prince, there is now greater reliance on rural health facilities. Some people have moved back to rural areas after the earthquake, resulting in a greater load on rural health centers and hospitals," said Robert Freling, executive director of Solar Electric Light Fund, the charitable organisation assisting SolarWorld with the project.

"The reliability of the clinics' power is absolutely critical. SolarWorld's panels offer the double benefit of providing clean, healthy power without fail for decades while also saving money otherwise spent buying scarce fuels and making machine repairs. In turn, the clinics apply the savings to answer the primary need: medical relief," Freling added.

“With its solar power modules, SolarWorld is contributing to a better and more reliable basic health-care system in the disaster area. Thanks to our local partners, the power systems can be installed without any undue delay,” said Dr. Frank Asbeck, SolarWorld's chairman and CEO.

Source:  PV Tech

Solar Companies Getting Boost From Government Initiatives and Innovation

Companies involved in solar technology are having no trouble keeping the heat on this winter, as interest in the industry as well as technological advancements are increasing. Government promotion of green initiatives and the implementation and spread of smart grid technology are also working in favor of solar. 

One example of government involvement is The Department of Energy's recently announced $50 million funding opportunity, designed to test and develop new solar technologies. 

Two companies hoping to benefit from the increased interest in solar are Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. and New Energy Technologies Inc. Both Ascent and New Energy have recently announced new additions to the corporate work forces, with Ascent announcing the appointment of a new board member, and New Energy hiring a new Chief Operating officer. 

Ascent is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules that due to their flexibility can be used in a variety of non-traditional applications, such as automotive and building solutions, as well as electronic devices. 

New Energy is also working on solar innovations, and is in the process of developing their SolarWindow product. The technology is designed to generate electricity on glass that is see-through. 

For more information go to:  Solar Energy Stocks

Sunlight Exposure is Good For You - According to UK Non-Profits

 Seven leading health groups in the UK have announced a "definitive statement" that reverses decades of ignorant opposition to sunlight exposure. This statement admits that sunlight exposure is good for you and that people should seek to expose themselves to the sun, without sunscreenin order to produce more vitamin D.

This definitive statement was issued by the following non-profits:

Cancer Research UK, National Osteoporosis Society, Multiple Sclerosis Society, British Association of Dermatologists, Diabetes UK, National Heart Forum and the Primary Care Dermatology Society.

The fact that these seven non-profits are now admitting that sunshine is good for you represents a monumental change in the longstanding position of most conventional health non-profits who have long insisted that sunlight is bad for you.


Watch out or sunlight might kill you

That's the position of the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, conventional dermatologists and virtually the entire western medical system -- that sunlight is dangerous to your health and the only "safe" way to go outside is after you're slathered up with sunscreen lotions. It is, of course, a philosophy of ignorance and darkness, but it has been the very foundation of the conventional medicine system for so long that most health experts never bothered to question it.

Western medicine, you see, depends on the continuation of widespread vitamin D deficiency. It is that deficiency that promotes cancer, schizophrenia, bone disorders, kidney problems, diabetes, obesity and many other diseases upon which the industrial medical complex depends. For decades, the American medical system has depended on vitamin D deficiency as a cornerstone of its repeat business (and profits). That's why this announcement from these UK non-profits is so dangerous to the medical system in the United States. If people begin to allow a little sunshine into their lives, vitamin D deficiency will plummet -- and cancer rates along with it. That's because vitamin D prevents 77% of all cancers .


Why the sick care system is terrified of vitamin D

Boosting vitamin D intake through both sunshine and nutritional supplements is arguably the single most important thing that needs to be done right now to improve health, reduce health care costs and prevent degenerative disease. But because of these remarkable properties of vitamin D, it represents a grave threat to the continuation of the sick-care medical system. That's why U.S. non-profits will undoubtedly continue to resist making any kind of announcements that support vitamin D.

You won't hear Komen for the Cure promote vitamin D; you won't witness the American Cancer Society recommend it; and you won't even hear President Obama recommending it as a health solution for the nation. Instead, in the United States we get these ridiculous warnings about vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine which actually went out of its way recently to declare that people shouldn't take too much vitamin D because it might harm them.

Even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) won't allow vitamin D supplement manufacturers to tell the truth about vitamin D and how it can help prevent disease. Such claims are illegal in the United States of America, where pharmaceuticals are considered "healthy" but nutrients are considered contraband.


No nation can survive widespread vitamin D deficiency in the long run

Eventually, however, even the US government will be forced to come to the same conclusion that the UK government has already reached: That the people need vitamin D to maintain their health, and ongoing vitamin D deficiency population will bankrupt your nation from sick-care costs.

Even though this announcement from UK non-profits is a huge step in the right direction, it's still rife with huge information gaps. For example, these groups are advocating 10 minutes a day of sunshine but still warn that anything over 10 minutes is dangerous for your health. That's a lie, of course -- especially if you have darker skin color. Those of African descent who live in the UK actually need more like three hours of sunlight a day to generate sufficient levels of vitamin D. 

So even though this new statement may help reduce vitamin D deficiency in whites, it will do virtually nothing to solve this nutrient deficiency for blacks. And that makes the policy downright racist because it discriminates against people based on their skin color.

It seems that even though these UK non-profits are beginning to nudge their message in the right direction, they haven't yet found the depth of honesty required to admit the full truth about vitamin D deficiency, breast cancer and women of African descent. Perhaps in another decade, they'll somehow discover the scientific integrity to admit the full story on sunshine and vitamin D.

Until then, they insist that you limit your time in the sun to 10 minutes a day. Because, after all, we wouldn't want vitamin D deficiency to be eradicated too quickly now, would we?

US non-profits, by comparison, still insist that daily sunshine exposure should be limited to zero minutes a day, if you can believe that.


Source:  Natural News


Click here to read more about Vitamin D

Sharp to Begin Mass Production of New Single Crystalline Solar Cells

Sharp Corporation has developed a new single crystalline solar cell with what the company says has a high conversion efficiency.


Sharp will begin mass producing this solar cell at an annual production capacity of 200 MW within fiscal year 2010 at its solar cell plant in Green Front Sakai, located in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The facility will manufacture from solar cells through to solar modules.


The total investment in the facility will be 15 billion Yen.


This single crystalline solar cell with high conversion efficiency uses a Back Contact structure (electrodes are connected on the back-side), which eliminates the need for electrodes to be set on the front-side. This new structure increases the light-receiving area on the front-side’s surface.


In addition, a new alignment technology (Alignment Sheet system), which reduces the connection resistance between adjacent cells, was also developed. A broad range of applications in the global market, including residential and industrial use, can be anticipated in the future.

Further details about: Sharp Corporation

The Best Christmas Ever

For those readers who also visit our web site you've probably seen the tab called - Solar Gifts.  One of those gifts is a portable solar generator, which I think is a great idea.

Here's a Christmas story sent to me by the CEO of that company - and another reason why I like to support what they are doing.


Dear Stevan,

Years ago when our kids were little I used to say to them, each year "This is going to be the best Christmas ever." It was always a little tongue-in-cheek, and our kids would always smile (they still do) when I would say it. I would dutifully then go on to do my best Clark W. Griswold and try make it so.

But this Christmas season it actually happened. For myself, my family and any members of our Solutions From Science staff... we really had the best Christmas ever. Here's why:
A week ago, we had Dave Young and Jan Ross here in Thomson from Heart of God Ministries. They came to express thanks for a Solar Generator (Power Hub) we had donated to the orphanage in Haiti. Brian and I did an Off The Grid Radiointerview with them in the morning last Thursday, and then we wanted Jan and Dave to tell our employees how the Solar Generator was being put to use to help the children. We reserved a room at a local restaurant, served lunch to about forty people as Dave (also a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserves) gave a power point presentation on the project in Haiti.

Turns out that after the earthquake, most of Haiti was without power and still is. Dave told us how the Power Hub was being used to power a reverse osmosis water filtration system that provided the only pure drinking water in this particular part of Haiti.

Here's the thing that made all of our jaws drop: Shortly after getting the Power Hub set up, a cholera epidemic swept through the area and killed almost everyone. Everyone except the 77 orphans and about 300 others who were able to drink the purified water. He told our group that without the Power Hub, they all would have died. We were all blown away by his presentation.
Then, something too amazing for me to comprehend happened. He called the pastor at the orphanage in Haiti and actually got through on his cell phone. He put the phone on speaker and you could hear a pin drop in the room. The pastor in charge of the orphanage thanked us personally for donating the technology that kept 377 people alive through hell on earth. Then the magic. Then the best Christmas ever! The surviving orphans sang a Christmas song for us. A joyous, beautiful song from kids with amputated arms, amputated legs and no living family left on this earth. Many of us had tears as we hung up the phone.

We were also able to provide the orphanage with an additional gift of $10,000.00 to help buy some food and medical supplies. But here's the thing: The money really came from you. Earlier in the year, we decided to take a small part of the money we received from each sale and set it aside for a project like this. As it turned out, the year ended in God's providence with a perfect opportunity to make a difference.

Having the poorest of the poor bless us with such a heart-warming song and being in a position to help the helpless, has truly made this year... the best Christmas ever for me, my family and our company.

All this, not because of anything great we have done. But because God is good and because you have been kind enough to do business with us or read some of our articles on Off The Grid News.
One more thing. Before the day is over, be sure to read Isaiah 53 and learn how the Prince of Peace suffered and died for you. You see, we're all orphans in that we're all sinners, cut off from God's family. But there's a way back, a way to be part of God's family. Read all about this good news in John 3.

Thank you again for being our customers, our readers and our friends.
Merry Christmas!

Bill Heid
President, Solutions From Science
Founder, Off The Grid News

P.S. You can get updates on the orphanage in Haiti here.

Official NORAD Santa Tracker (with videos)

We learned about the Official NORAD Santa Tracker last year ... and our grandson really enjoyed ... getting reports on Santa's travels around the world - and seeing the videos of the places he visited.

It's also helpful for getting the kids to bed early (where parents typically let their kids stay up very late).

Santa's already started making his deliveries ... and to find out where he is now ...

Click here to access the OffICIAL NORAD Santa Tracker



May you enjoy a good time and good food with friends and family alike.  Merry Christmas

Click a deer for holiday cheer

200 MW CSP MOU Signed in China

Sopology and Yu Hao Long Corporation Sign MOU for 200 MW Solar Project using MicroCSP Collectors and Hybrid Sterling Engine

Sopogy, Inc., a leading developer of reliable and cost-effective micro concentrated solar power (MicroCSP) technologies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Yu Hao Long (YHL) Corporation, the developer of a patented Stirling energy generator for the installation of a 200MW concentrating solar plant for the China National Utility. The MOU also formalized a goal to demonstrate the combined system in Hawaii during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) which will be hosted in Honolulu.

“This MOU signing brings a spotlight to Hawaii’s developing technology industry. I hope this collaboration is the first of many to come between Hawaii’s companies and the global economies we touch,” said Senator Carol Fukunaga, Chairperson of the Senate Economic and Technology committee.

“Sopogy’s proprietary concentrating solar platform produces high-temperature heat which is a robust energy source for clean power generation,” said Darren T. Kimura, President and CEO of Sopogy. “The heat we produce is captured in thermal energy storage tanks and helps to produce firm and reliable energy during the day into the evening peak. This makes for a perfect complement with a Stirling generator and the China energy grid.”

Kimura and YHL’s Dr. Francis Fung collaborated for over a year to identify and develop a plan for the mass production of YHL’s low temperature, hybrid Stirling engines which use ready-made auto components for utility scale power generation.

“The joint collaboration will create jobs and increase the export market for both China and America,” said Dr. Fung. “It is a natural pooling of resources of two great nations to work unanimously toward human and environmental harmony.”

“Sopogy’s work is a great example of Hawaii’s global market position as the ideal location for research and development of clean technologies. This agreement is a great step forward,” said Ted Peck, Energy Administrator for the State of Hawaii.

Most recently, the 5-megawatt Kalaeloa Solar One broke ground on the island of Oahu which will feature Sopogy’s MicroCSP technologies.

Designed, engineered and proven in the US, MicroCSP technology consists of parallel rows of proprietary parabolic mirror collectors, optics and an integrated tracker to concentrate the sun’s energy on a centrally-located receiver tube and re-circulate heat transfer fluid within the system. The generated high-temperature heat will be used in conjunction with the hybrid Stirling engine to provide a renewable source of power.

Why China - Not the USA will Save The Planet

I must start with a fundamental law: as long as fossil fuels are the cheapest energy, they will continue to be burned. This law is as certain as the law of gravity. No “caps”, “goals” for future emissions, or other self-deceptions can alter this fact. Caps only alter who burns the fuel and the pace of burning – they will not leave fossil fuels in the ground, as science demands. Caps are also inherently disingenuous – a pretense that the price of fossil fuel energy does not need to steadily rise, an attempt to circumvent the “law of gravity”.

Fossil fuels are cheapest in part because they are subsidized, but mainly because they do not pay their costs to society. Enormous world-wide medical costs due to air and water pollution, primarily caused by fossil fuels, are borne by the public, not fossil fuel companies. Nor do they pay for environmental damage or the costs of climate change, which instead will be shouldered especially by our children and grandchildren.

These facts expose the crucial element for solution of the energy and climate problem. A steadily rising carbon fee must be collected from fossil fuel companies. All funds should go to the public on a per capita basis to allow lifestyle adjustments and spur clean energy innovations. As the fee rises, fossil fuels will become increasingly unprofitable and will be phased out, replaced by carbon-free energy and increased energy efficiency. This is the economically-efficient path to a clean energy future – the cure to fossil fuel addiction.

Wait a minute! If a carbon fee makes economic sense and saves the planet, why is the United States, for example, not following that path? Fossil fuel interests reign in Washington and other capitals. Big money forces legislatures to hatch ineffectual schemes such as “cap-andtrade- with-offsets”, a system designed by big banks and fossil fuel interests that assures continued fossil fuel addiction.

Is there any hope that China will take the game-changing first step by adopting a carbon tax? Why would they do so? Why would this be the harbinger of a global framework?

I believe that China has powerful reasons to place a rising fee on carbon: (1) China will suffer more than most nations from changing climate and rising sea level, (2) China has horrific air and water pollution from fossil fuels, (3) China wants to avoid the enormous costs and burdens that accompany fossil fuel addiction, (4) there is great economic advantage in having the leading low-carbon technologies.

All four reasons are old news. My optimism (Part 1) that China can, indeed must, lead the world toward a global solution is not based only on these reasons. It also is based on insight that emerged during the Beijing Forum, exposing a fundamental flaw in my prior reasoning about the framework needed to achieve an effective global agreement – as discussed below.

I attended conferences in Hong Kong and Beijing, losing track of the number of meetings and talks, expertly arranged by Christine Loh. [Christine, I was told by others, was a primary force in helping bring order to Hong Kong development, limiting expansion into the harbor.]

The physical development of Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and other populous areas in China is awesome, even though big challenges remain, pollution not the least of them. However, what impressed me most was the focused rational approach to dealing with the challenges, epitomized by Dr. Jiang Kejun, the lead speaker in the session “Global Environmental Policies and National Strategies” at the Beijing Forum.

Jiang Kejun laid out sector-by-sector projections of transitions to low-carbon and no-carbon energies and improved energy efficiency that would allow CO2 emission growth to be slowed and then reversed over the next few decades. Technology development is supported, and, when lower carbon technology becomes available, efficiency standards are promptly ratcheted downward. Most encouragingly, there is recognition that this strategy requires a rising carbon price for most successful results. The Chinese authorities appear to grasp that rapid attainment of the tipping points at which clean energies quickly displace dirty energy requires an economic incentive.

One reason to believe this approach will work is the scale of manufacturing in China. The scale is so great that the unit price of new technologies can be brought down, putting China in a position to sell carbon-efficient technologies to the rest of the world. That is important, because, as Figure 2 reveals, emissions from other developing countries are increasing as fast as those of China. But those countries, too, have every reason to minimize fossil fuel addiction.

The Chinese approach stands in stark contrast to that in the United States. As described in “Storms of My Grandchildren“, my “A-Team” (student-teacher-researcher team) showed years ago (as did others) that existing technology would allow a 30 percent vehicle efficiency improvement, saving $100 billion per year in imported oil costs. Yet our automobile efficiency standards were stuck for decades. I testified in court on the side of states trying to force better standards, e.g., Vermont vs. Auto Manufacturers, while our federal government stood in court alongside the polluters.

We “won” the court case, yet appeals stretched the time of action for years. I came away feeling that not only is it nearly impossible to get effective legislation through Congress, but that the special interests can prevent implementation almost interminably. Democracy of the sort intended in 1776 probably could have dealt with climate change, but not the fossil-money-‘democracy’ that now rules the roost in Washington.

There was a flaw in my prior thinking that became clear to me during my visit to China. I had argued previously that global action to stem climate change required agreement between China and the United States for a rising carbon fee. That would work, but it is not realistic – such a treaty requires approval by the dysfunctional U.S. Congress.

However, there is a way around that, which becomes obvious with the realization that an initially modest carbon fee is in China’s own interest. After agreement with other nations, e.g., the European Union, China and these nations could impose rising internal carbon fees. Existing rules of the World Trade Organization would allow collection of a rising border duty on products from all nations that do not have an equivalent internal carbon fee or tax.

The United States then would be forced to make a choice. It could either address its fossil fuel addiction with a rising carbon fee and supportive national investment policies or it could accept continual descent into second-rate and third-rate economic well-being. The United States has great potential for innovation, but it will not be unleashed as long as fossil fuel interests have a stranglehold on U.S. energy policies.

By:  Professor James Hansen of Columbia University

Source:  eco-business.com   ... read the full article 

Grant Program Passed, Thousands of Renewable Energy Jobs Saved

In typical fashion, the U.S. Congress passed a suite of last-minute tax laws last night, including an extension of the Treasury Grant Program (TGP) for renewable energy project developers.

Trade groups in Washington have been pushing hard for an extension of the program, which provides a cash payment of up to 30% of equipment costs in place of the Investment Tax Credit. The grant program was responsible for a large portion of the renewable energy projects built throughout the U.S. in 2010. Originally passed as part of the 2009 stimulus package, the TGP was supposed to expire at the end of December.

Because there are still a limited number of financial institutions able to finance projects by taking advantage of tax credits, the TGP has opened up new sources of capital for project developers. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the grant program spurred over 1,100 solar projects and $18 billion dollars of investment in 2010.

“This program has successfully created thousands of jobs and opportunity in all 50 states for construction workers, electricians, plumbers, contractors that have struggled in this harsh economic climate,” said SEIA President Rhone Resch in a statement.

While the wind industry saw a significant drop in installations compared to 2009, the grant program helped keep thousands of MW on the table for 2010 and 2011. American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode projected a loss of tens of thousands of wind jobs in 2011 without an extension of the TGP.

The program was also beneficial to many geothermal companies. According to theGeothermal Energy Association (GEA), between 500 and 700 MW of geothermal projects may come to fruition in 2011 and 2012, with most of those taking advantage of the grant. Without the TGP, many of those projects would not have financial backing.

“This extension is a substantial benefit to new geothermal power projects...this provision will greatly facilitate their ability to obtain the several billion dollars of capital investment needed to move them forward,” said Karl Gawell, executive director of the GEA in a statement this morning.

The renewable energy industry has been calling for an extension of the TGP all year. With no chance of getting a price on carbon or a federal renewable energy target, this was the one piece of legislation that had a shot at passing.

The TGP was passed as part of an $858 billion tax bill that extends Bush-era tax breaks to individuals and businesses. This was the one legislative vehicle that offered the possibility to get the program through before the end of the year. Industry trade groups worked overtime to put the TGP in the Senate version of the bill last week.

In addition to the TGP, the bill provides a retroactive tax credit to biodiesel producers for $1 per gallon, a $0.50 per gallon credit for ethanol producers and (much to the chagrin of Brazilian ethanol producers) a $0.54 tariff on important ethanol.

The Senate passed the legislation earlier this week. After rancorous debate, the House passed the bill last night. The tax package now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign it into law later today.

For the World's Rural Poor, Solar Innovations Offer Hope

Innovations in solar energy have the potential to bring electricity to much of the rural poor in developing countries.

The United Nations Development Programme estimates that 1.5 billion people—including 89% of rural sub-Saharan Africa—still lack electricity. African villages tend to rely on diesel generators and highly toxic kerosene lamps for light, even in rural clinics, despite the risk of respiratory diseases.

Solar power, however, is starting to make inroads in locations where extending the electric grid may not make economic sense. Various solar applications are becoming more affordable thanks to such technological innovations as photovoltaic panels that use thin films; light bulbs that capture energy during the day to provide light at night; and solar mobile-phone chargers.

Abundant Offerings

Speaking at a conference on solar lighting in Africa earlier this year in Nairobi, Kenya, Johannes Zutt, a World Bank country director based in east Africa, said that as recently as 2008 there were only a handful of quality solar products under $50. Today, he says, "there is a wide variety of products between $25 and $50."

Rural communities in developing countries could be a bounty for solar companies. For just sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank estimates the off-grid electricity market at $17 billion a year.

Solar-powered projects have sprung up in some of the sunniest, poorest corners of the planet, financed by international financial institutions, nonprofits and microfinanciers. These range from water pumps in Bangladesh and Benin to makeshift hospitals in Haiti set up after the earthquake.

At 100 schools in East Africa, U.K. charity Solar Aid has installed booths where people pay to use solar power to charge their mobile telephones. The proceeds go to buy books for the schools. In northern Tanzania, locally based Zara Solar Ltd. has also installed more than 4,000 such systems with support from the United Nations Development Programme.

Asia, too, has seen rapid progress in some areas. The World Bank helped finance installation of 400,000 home solar systems in rural northwest China, for example.

Still, challenges remain before small-scale applications of solar technology can get further traction. Batteries for solar power, for example, can't hold charges for long. Their toxic components make disposal and recycling a challenge as well.

London's New Black Cabs Must be Electric by 2020

In a push to improve air quality in London, city officials will require that all new black taxi cabs be electric by 2020.


Under increased pressure to reduce the worst air pollution in Europe, London Mayor Boris Johnson says the city will refuse licenses to any taxi older than 15 years beginning in 2012, a move that will remove about 1,200 black cabs from London’s roads. 


Beginning in 2013, the city will require that cabs undergo two emissions inspections annually. In Central London, vehicles account for about 80 percent of air pollution, with black cabs contributing about 20 percent of the emissions. 


The new policy in London comes as officials announced plans to install 4,000 new electric vehicle charging stations throughout the UK, calling 2011 the “year of the electric car.”

Leave the Lights on -- No Problem!!

Family sees electricity bill go from $400 a month to $5 with solar panels

The family of five lives in a newer 4,000-square-foot, ocean-view home in Pismo Beach full of modern conveniences, including two refrigerators, a hot tub and lots of lights and electrical appliances.

There was just one problem: their PG&E bill was killing them. They were paying more than $400 a month for electricity.

“It just kept going up and up and up,” Lanie said.

They decided they had to do something. Phil, branch manager of Coast Hills Federal Credit Union in San Luis Obispo, carefully researched his options, including installing a wind turbine.

Four months ago, he settled on a 7.5-kilowatt rooftop solar system from REC Solar in San Luis Obispo. It took the technicians three days to install the 35 photovoltaic panels.

The Koziels decided to go whole-hog. Their solar system is big enough to supply an average of 110 percent of their electrical needs.

PG&E installed a new meter when the solar panels were put in. The new meter has never run forward, only backward, meaning the system is feeding small amounts of excess electricity into the grid. The family is able to bank that surplus electricity using a program called net metering.

The effect of the new system on the family’s electric bill was dramatic. It went from $415 to $5 a month. The $5 is a fee PG&E charges to be connected to the grid.

After the first of the year, state energy officials are expected to approve a plan whereby families like the Koziels can sell their excess power to PG&E for a modest fee. The solar panels will start making them money.

“It’s the best investment I’ve ever made,” Phil said. “Part of my retirement plan is the solar panels on my roof.”

In spite of the benefits of the solar installation, it took Phil a while to persuade Lanie to sign off on the deal. That’s because solar installations are expensive — in their case more than $47,000.

The family was able to take advantage of a package of state and federal incentives that covered $18,000. But they had to get a 15-year loan to cover the remaining $29,000. Solar system retailers say most homeowners would be happy with a smaller, less expensive system than the one the Koziels opted for.

The fact that the family’s PG&E bill has been virtually eliminated more than covers the monthly loan payments, so now Lanie is equally happy with the decision. She doesn’t have to worry if their 11-year-old daughter or twin 4-year-old boys accidentally leave the lights on or play video games.

Source:   Renewable Energy World

Universities Lag Reality in Renewable Energy Training

Getting MBAs involved in renewable energy will do more to advance the industry than offering training for renewable energy trades.

I scanned the curriculum of prominent business schools to see how many address topics in renewable energy and the subject is absent in nearly all of them. This holds back the advancement of the industry, and deprives MBA candidates of access to information about what may turn out be both the most pressing issue of our age and the greatest business opportunity of the century.

On the one hand, we have public policy that focuses on renewable energy. In Cancun at the climate change conference, no major leader questioned the role of emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels as the main contributor to global warming. Thus policy support for the spread of green, renewable energy worldwide is strong.

On the other hand, we have technical, implementation-oriented training for “trades” relating to solar installations and energy audits, involving professional credentials such as NABCEP, CEM or LEED AP. This is fine but not enough. In between exists an education chasm the renewable energy business community has not recognized, and therefore growth eludes the industry.

Yes, we know technical breakthroughs in superior conversion of solar to electricity, or storage, or equivalent, would also help push the industry forward. In the United States, Secretary Chu, Department of Energy, has put in place admirable R&D projects to address this. What is missing at the policy level, and in educational institutions, is what I call a “translation curriculum” that bridges the policy-commercial projects divide, and empowers MBAs to think of renewable energy in pragmatic ways.

We need an army of MBAs trained in the language of renewables, who can apply the tools of finance, marketing, and feasibility assessment to energy. How is this done? Public policy and science must converge into projects whose technical and operational metrics are measurable through traditional business means like Net Present Value.

Innovation must be factored in as uncertainty as should be the risks associated with timing. Not only timing for individual ventures but also at the macro level dealing with oil and coal reserves, the impact of increasing concentration of CO₂ in the air and so forth. Only when customer assumptions favorably match the production and delivery constraints can we expect renewable projects to increase in number, gain in scale, and deliver green energy for a sustainable future.

When energy got tied to American Recovery and Renewal Act of 2009, the focus became job creation through, for instance, “weatherization” projects. It was a national planning moment and certainly worthwhile.  But it’s not enough to foster true growth of an industry like renewable energy.  Unless businesses pick up the policy initiatives and run with them, national planning is like pushing a string – movement without traction.

Today, the energy fuse is lit, curiosity about the subject is high, but there is no sense of “bang” that a new industry creates. Why is that? My answer is that there are not yet enough people in the population – a critical mass - who know how to make the businessdecisions about whether and when pursuing solar, wind, hydro, geothermal or biomass projects, or weatherization are good business opportunities that have economically sound benefits.

Renewable energy fundamentals must enter the MBA curriculum in a big way.

Here is what I believe we need to do:

Think beyond Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and look at hard-nosed business: MBA students today are lucky to find an elective on renewable energy, although some B-schools have green MBA programs, and many have relationships with other academic departments under the umbrella term “Sustainability.”

This umbrella term, alas, has a vast scope and runs the danger of falling under “Corporate Social Responsibility,” a soft area popularly and unfortunately associated with charity. Even Triple Bottom Line - businesses that consider People, Planet and Profit - while recognized as an element of corporate strategy -- has not penetrated deep into operational levels.

Demystify jargon: Among the difficulties surrounding global warming is that the issues are either arcane science, or policy or research projects in university or national energy laboratories. Implementation is generally by socially conscious individuals, many of whom are hobbyists. Distributed generation is in its infancy. The impact of commercial renewable projects is miniscule when compared to fossil fuel consumption. Energy awareness needs to spread, and Therms and Joules must be calculated along with return on investment.

Stop putting the cart before the horse: Certification courses presuppose a market for the skills that are taught to prospective practitioners. In the case of renewable energy, the training for “trades” precedes the existence of a meaningful market. Policy may coax a market along with subsidies and incentives, but it cannot create the market to suit a timetable set up by Kyoto, Copenhagen, Washington, DC, or Cancun.  Business innovators with MBAs will do that.

Decide who will run with it: Since the subject is inter-disciplinary, we need to figure out which university department should offer an MBA in Renewable Energy: Atmospheric sciences? Public policy? Engineering? Natural sciences? Private educational organizations focused on certification for LEED AP or Certified Energy Manager? The answer is all of the above.

Under our current situation the experts that typically occupy faculty positions in the fields mentioned above naturally feel uncomfortable expanding their scope to include the larger yet relevant field. Business schools are the natural arena to bring these experts together in one place and give momentum to the field.

It is wrong to assume MBA students are not interested in sustainability and global warming. Rather, they have not been presented with assignments that combine the science, policy, and business issues brought together into classical project analysis. Sustainability projects, including renewable energy projects, deserve to be subjected to rigorous business assessments that require finance, marketing, operations and distribution, the staple of business schools. 

Source:  Mahesh P. Bhave is Visiting Professor of Strategy at Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. He is a LEED AP. He may be reached at mahesh@iimk.ac.in.

View:    As an MBA graduate - I agree and seized on the opportunities in Renewable Energy years ago - and as a result our company is actively involved in the financing and development of renewable energy projects.