I want to present some more eye-catching, positive developments for your delectation. To paraphrase the Gershwins, “It’s very clear, renewables are here to stay.”
Gulf Oil States in the Vanguard? – Why Not? In “Syriana,” a pretty cool movie if you haven’t seen it, an Arab Prince wants to move his country on from oil and gas, and there’s just a bit of resistance to his idea. (I can’t tell you what happens.) However, as the “NY Times” reports today here, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, ” are making a concerted push to become the Silicon Valley of alternative energy.” The Masdar Initiative, a collection of projects including a zero-carbon city, is discussed. (See at the end of Green Building + for more on Masdar.)
The article flags the World Future Energy Summit which convenes next week in Abu Dhabi. The “NYT” article characterizes it as ” something of a Davos gathering on renewable energy.” There is an impressive array of speakers covering the full range of renewable-related topics: Energy policy, Investment and funding, Green buildings, Clean transport, Solar, Wind, Biofuels, Ocean power, Geothermal, Waste to energy, Fuel cells, Carbon management and Environmental strategy. See the conference brochure.
See also Abu Dhabi: The New Prince of Solar Technology? from the always-informative RenewableEnergyWorld.com.
Losing Momentum? – I have written a bunch of times at the blog about the hard-charging renewable energy, clean-tech business, including in The Business of Renewables. Here’s another take from “BusinessWeek” – A Chill Blows Through Wind Power. According to the article, ” new installed wind capacity worldwide will increase by just 14% in 2009‚ less than half the typical annual growth rate booked in the past decade.” Not surprisingly, given the global recession in which we are mired, renewable energy growth is slowing, but is it stalling out? I doubt it. The article talks about not only the slowdown, but the growing levels of competition among manufacturers. Guess what? That’s a good thing.
Obama and Congress – Why don’t I think we’re going to fall into a serious renewable energy trough? Because the next President and the new Congress are on it. Stimulus Bill May Include Energy Measures reports the “Washington Post.” In October, the Congress crafted an extension and expansion of tax credits, long overdue, for renewables. (See Tax Credits!) Now, according to the WaPo, “Congressional leaders and Obama advisers are looking at including as much as $25 billion of energy tax credits in the economic stimulus package in an effort to bolster renewable energy projects ” (There are incentives for ethanol too – but you can’t have perfect public policy all the time. [You probably can, but not in this universe.] See Are Biofuels A Bummer?, among other posts, and stay tuned for a look at a new report on how dismally this particular approach rates environmentally.) See also this from Dow Jones.
In Obama renewables plan more ambitious than appears from Reuters, an Obama team member is cited as saying ” the administration would seek to add 20 gigawatts (GW) or more of wind power and 4 GW of geothermal and solar power in the next three years, doubling the nation’s current renewable power base of 24 GW through loan guarantees and, eventually, national renewable energy requirements.” I more-than-once lamented the exclusion of a Renewable Portfolio Standard from the December 2007 energy bill. (See this for example.) But we’re going to get one and I think it’s going to be this year. If the EU can do it, we can too. (See “Europe has passed its credibility test.”) And what about India?! (See India sets renewable minimum for utilities from UPI.)
IEA Shenanigans? – International Energy Agency ‘blocking global switch to renewables’ is an arresting headline, n’est-ce pas?! Now I am not an energy economist, and I am partial to renewables, so when I’ve read various IEA op-eds in the “FT” and elsewhere and quotes from them, I have shaken my head and said: “That doesn’t sound right. It sounds like they don’t really want to have renewables prosper.” But then I say, “Well, what the hell do I know?” and move on. But Shezzam, it appears as if I was right.
The German nonprofit, Energy Watch Group, has cast a skeptical eye on the traditional energy industry and governments and, in the context of a massive, very positive report on windpower, they say the IEA is “delaying the change to a renewable world.” The “Guardian” article quotes the report: “The IEA outlook remains attached to oil, gas, coal and nuclear, and renewables seem to have no chance to reverse this trend. This organisation has been deploying misleading data on renewables for many years [and is still doing so].” Further, “One has to ask if the ignorance and contempt of IEA toward wind power and renewables in general is done within a structure of intent.”
Geothermal on Federal Land – BLM Finalizes Plans to Open 190 Million Acres to Geothermal Power is the word from DOE’s generally excellent “EERE Network News.” I’ve mentioned geothermal here a number of times, including in this post from March that references the landmark M.I.T. study that puts geothermal in the forefront.
So remember:
