Miscellaneous, News, Sustainability
The Evolution of Aviation: Biofuels
Earlier this week, Boeing released it’s 2009 Environmental Report which highlights 2008 reductions in energy and water consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. On the more innovative side, the Boeing report describes biofuel demonstration flights held over the past year which document the technical feasibility of using biofuels in commercial jetliners. The demonstration flights represent a [...]
Will China initiate a carbon tax?
China’s Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Environmental Protection have requested research from a regional think-tank to develop preliminary proposals for a national carbon tax. The proposals, which are due for publication within the month, may one day become a part of the Chinese government’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. International governments have pressed [...]
Governor Sarah Palin Rejects Federal Funding for Renewable Energy
Alaska governor Sarah Palin has rejected $28.6 million dollars in federal stimulus money for Alaska’s State Energy Program. However, Gov. Palin did accept all other federal stimulus money that her state is eligible for ($930 million). Palin’s rejection of the funds is founded in her opposition to strengthening state building codes and making energy efficiency [...]
Will the US be the Leading Market for Electric Vehicles?
As industry leaders closely watch the consumer response to new electric vehicles, ideas are quickly taking shape in regards to where manufacturers should target their sales and production. While North American, European and Chinese auto manufacturers race to bring a viable electric car to market, the question remains, who will arrive first and where will [...]
American Clean Energy and Security Act: What business leaders need to know.
It’s been an exciting week as commentaries on the merits and shortcomings of the American Clean Energy and Security Act have taken place among the sustainability and business leadership communities. If enacted, this legislation could propel the US into an entirely new economy comprised of clean energy technologies & infrastructure, reduced greenhouse gas emissions across [...]
Wattz up with Consumption Calculators?: Newer Options Have Come a Long Way.
With the increasing likelihood of a federally mandated system for regulating carbon emissions (aka “cap and trade”), it is becoming apparent that businesses will soon be required to implement accounting measures to report on their emissions of greenhouse gases. A cornerstone measurement to be required in this process will be the consumption of services and [...]
350 MW Solar Project Pipeline Acquired
San Francisco-based Recurrent Energy just brought distributed solar generation closer to a large scale with their acquisition of a 350 MW solar project pipeline from UPC Solar. The recent acquisition represents a significant milestone in Recurrent’s focus on smaller utility-scale assets across the Continental US, Hawaii and Canada. Read more about this exciting development.
Municipal financing programs for renewables
A quick link to a recent NYTimes article on municipal financing for residential renewable energy infrastructures: Harnessing the Sun, With Help From Cities
"Solar as a service"
If you have not already read about the innovative business model that Recurrent Energy is built around, you might want to spend some time reading about their, “solar as a service” approach to enabling commercial, residential and government entities to adopt a solar energy infrastructure without investing in the upfront costs. EIA‘s updated Annual Energy [...]
California Prop 7
A friend just asked me about my thoughts on California’s upcoming Proposition 7. Many individuals and organizations within the renewable energy industry (especially solar) oppose this proposition based on the language and definition around the size of the producers (the proposition explicates that the producer must generate 30MW or more). One point that I do [...]
