US Proposes More Tariffs For Chinese Solar Power Modules
For companies that participated in the Dept of Commerce's investigation the preliminary tariffs are roughly 31%, and much higher for those that didn't.
For companies that participated in the Dept of Commerce's investigation the preliminary tariffs are roughly 31%, and much higher for those that didn't.
Are IT Data Centers Emerging as a ‘Killer App’ for Green Power? Part 1
Last month, Greenpeace launched a series of coordinated protests at Amazon, Apple and Microsoft locations to draw attention to the companies’ use of GHG intensive fuels in powering their data centers. The protests were a follow up to their recently released report, “How Clean is Your Cloud,” which criticized the companies fo
Tesla to Begin Repaying Department of Energy Loans by End of 2012
Against all the odds, Tesla is about this ship the first Model S electric sedans to customers and the company will begin repaying its debts by the end of this year.
A National Clean Energy Standard Is Good Policy — And Good Politics
by Richard W. Caperton
Do anti-clean energy senators have any idea what Americans want? If this morning’s hearing on the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 is any guide, they don’t. The truth is that Americans support a clean energy target for this country. Senators should listen to the American public and pass this bill.
Let’s start at the beginning. In her opening remarks, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked, “To me, the biggest question … is whether American’s really want a CES?”
If that’s the biggest question, then it’s time for the Senate to pass the CES Act, because the American people want more clean energy.
According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans think that developing clean energy sources should be a bigger priority than expanding oil and coal production. This is exactly what a CES would do. The Energy Information Administration testified today that the Clean Energy Standard Act would lead to increased electricity generation from all low-carbon sources of power including renewables, nuclear, and natural gas. While the exact mix of those resources is impossible to predict, wind and solar power increase dramatically in every scenario the EIA has analyzed.
That wasn’t the end of Murkowski’s misunderstanding of what the American people want. She went on to say to the witnesses, “I think this is where the consuming public is coming from: If this is going to save me money, let’s talk about it; if it’s not, let’s not talk about it.”
In fact, that’s not where the consuming public is coming from. Researchers from Harvard and Yale have found that Americans would be willing to pay an extra $162 per year to get 80 percent of their electricity from clean sources. Conveniently, that’s exactly what the CES would do, so we know that Senator Murkowski’s presumption about what the public wants is wrong. It’s also important to remember that while the EIA predicts small electricity rate increases from the CES, CAP’s analysis of state renewable energy standards shows that there’s no evidence that this policies increase rates.
Unfortunately, Senator Murkowski’s thinking is stopping the Senate from passing this common sense legislation that would drive clean our air, help prevent catastrophic climate change, and drive investment that can reinvigorate our economy.
Some senators are siding with the American people, though. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), who originally introduced this proposal and is leading the fight for a CES, understands why this bill is critical. His opening statement is a welcome contrast to Murkowski’s:
The purpose of the Clean Energy Standard is to establish a national standard for electricity to make sure that we leverage the clean resources we have today and provide a continuing incentive to develop the cheaper, cleaner energy technologies of the future. By design, it would drive continued diversity in our sources of energy, and it would also allow every region to deploy clean energy using resources appropriate to that region. The Clean Energy Standard does this in a way that is intended to support home-grown innovation and manufacturing, and keep America competitive in the global clean energy economy.
Using cheaper, clean energy technologies to support innovation and manufacturing is something that everyone should get behind. That’s why the Center for American Progress has supported this bill from the start. As Kate Gordon, CAP’s Vice President for Energy Policy, said when the bill was first introduced:
Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) proposal would be a tremendous contribution to the United States’ clean energy economy. By prioritizing low-carbon energy sources, a clean energy standard would drive investments in renewable energy and other low-carbon energy infrastructure that will put Americans back to work while also improving our air quality and reducing the likelihood of catastrophic climate change. This bill will also create stable demand that’s critical for growing our domestic clean energy manufacturing base, and will help spur new innovations in the low-carbon energy technologies of the future.
There are legitimate policy questions about the design of this bill. It would be good to find a way to include more support for energy efficiency, although there are technical challenges with treating efficiency as a resource just like power generation. And, Duke Energy explained today why they’re afraid that the CES could lead to over-reliance on natural gas. These issues can and should be dealt with while still supporting the bill.
The Clean Energy Standard Act is not just good policy, it’s good politics.
Richard W. Caperton is the Director of Clean Energy Investment at the Center for American Progress.
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Portland’s Bikeways: 30 Years of Evolution in 1 Map
It shows the evolution of Portland's bikeways from 1980 to the present, and is a good visual reminder that great biking cities are made deliberately; they don't start out already formed, people have to put in the effort of making them bike friendly.
World’s First Ethanol Cooking Fuel Plant Opens in Mozambique
Part of a venture aimed at knocking charcoal out of the market in Africa, the Dondo biofuel plant turns locally grown cassava into ethanol.
Councils Need to Lower Emissions
Source: BBC
Outlined in an article on the BBC website today is how local authorities across the UK should have a statutory duty to combat climate change, government advisors have recommend.
The Committee on Climate Change says that councils can make major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in areas such as housing, traffic and waste. Its report claims that some councils are taking action but many others are not, which threatens national climate goals.
But with many councils struggling with finance, the committee says more government support may be needed.
The committee is the government’s statutory adviser on climate change, and has recommended progressively tighter carbon budgets for the UK leading towards the legally binding goal of an 80% cut from 1990 levels by 2050.
What are Local Councils Doing?
“Local authorities can have a very big impact in areas such as improving energy efficiency in buildings, sustainable travel and waste management,” says the CCC
The committee calculates that having all councils invest in these measures will bring UK emissions down by about 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, or about 3%.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents the interests of councils across England and Wales, highlighted the policies that some councils have already implemented and the impacts they are having.
Bristol, for example, has set a target of reducing emissions by 40% between 2005 and 2020. The council has cut its own energy use by nearly a third. It has invested in wind turbines, biomass boilers and solar panels for schools, and insulated 30,000 homes.
Islington in North London has set the same target. A district heating network and a zero-carbon school are among its flagship projects, while the council is also engaging with industries to reduce their emissions.
Woking is promoting cycling and developing ways to reduce the volume of waste produced, which also lowers emissions.
And Kirklees Council, which encapsulates Huddersfield, offers residents free home insulation.
Apart from reducing emissions, the report also notes that local authorities have the power to increase communities’ resilience to climate impacts, for example through wise siting of buildings and encouraging frugality with water.
Earlier this week, the European Environment Agency said councils had to show leadership in this area, adding that the costs of taking action would quickly be outweighed by the costs of not doing so.
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Mission Critical: A Clean Energy Call to Arms
They say nothing can get done in Washington, D.C. on the issue of clean energy, which has become a political lightning rod over the last year. With Congress at a high watermark of partisanship, accusations abound on Capitol Hill that American energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and the policies that support them are job killers and a money-wasting hoax on taxpayers. And yet, there's reason for optimism about energy innovation in this country. Why? Because the most powerful force in the world, the U.S. military, is mobilizing on a clean energy mission — and I believe they're going to win this war.
POLL: Marriage Equality Support Remains Strong In New Jersey
A new Quinnipieac poll finds that 53 percent of New Jersey voters would support a marriage equality law with 52 percent opposed. Though support dipped when respondents were giving the additional choice of civil unions — which New Jersey already has — 48 percent still supported marriage equality compared to a combined 47 percent who support civil unions or nothing. A strong majority of 67 percent still welcomes the opportunity to vote on same-sex marriage at the ballot, but support for Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) veto of marriage equality legislation declined from 48 percent to 44 percent since March. Reactions to President Obama’s support for marriage equality were split, with Republicans and older voters becoming less likely to vote for him and Democrats and younger voters becoming more likely to vote for him.
Rethinking the Role of Government in Cleantech
Another year, another wringing of the hands over tax credits and incentives for clean technology.
Lobbyists and vendors in the U.S. are once again singing the blues, calling for continued and expanding government investments in clean technology. At the same time, political challengers continue their Solyndra hootenanny, raking the curren
Electricity Transmission Line for 7 GW of Offshore Wind Power Off Mid-Atlantic States Given Go Ahead
Now if the US could just build the wind turbines to actually generate the electricity...
Electricity Transmission Line for 7GW of Offshore Wind Power Given Go Ahead Off Mid-Atlantic States
Now if the US could just build the wind turbines to actually generate the electricity...
Five Shining Examples of Renewable Energy Innovation and Investment
Sinking revenues and shrinking policy support may be causing a bit of a haze on the renewable energy horizon, but there's plenty of sunshine trying to peek through if you look hard enough.
