Browsing Archive: September, 2011
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 28, 2011,
from Triple PunditThe U.S. Department of Defense increased its clean energy investments from $400 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2009 and it is on track to spend than $10 billion annually by 2030, according to a new study by the Pew Environment Group. That may come as little surprise to our readers, since TriplePundit has been covering the U.S. military’s sustainability programs for a while now, most recently with the the dramatic demonstration of a jet biofuel blend by the Navy’s leg... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 27, 2011,
from The Advertiser-TribuneBLOOMVILLE - Bloomville's skyline could look radically different in 2013. Thursday evening, representatives of NextEra Energy hosted an open house at Bloomville Community Center to answer questions about a 14,000-acre wind farm which could be coming to the area in two years. Up to 116 turbines are to be spread across Bloom and Venice townships in Seneca County and Lykens and Chatfield townships in Crawford County. The Honey Creek Wind Energy Center, proposed by the Ju... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 27, 2011,
from Los Angeles TimesCalifornia Treasurer Bill Lockyer on Tuesday will ask a state panel that hands out sales tax
exemptions to renewable energy manufacturers to suspend the program in the wake
of the Solyndra scandal. Lockyer, who heads the panel, said he will ask fellow members of
the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing
Authority at a meeting to not approve any new applications for tax exemptions.
The program is aimed at encouraging the purchase of equip... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Saturday, September 24, 2011,
from Bulk TransporterThe US biodiesel tax incentive is working as intended to create jobs across the country and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, according to testimony submitted by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Thursday to the House of Representative Ways and Means Committee. "While we understand the pressures facing Congress, this is the wrong time to pull support from a growing American industry that is a rare bright spot in this economy," said Anne Steckel, NBB vice-presid... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Friday, September 23, 2011,
from Clean TechiesSacred Power Corporation (SPC) was established in 2001 as Native American owned and operated small business that provides renewable energy solutions to government, commercial and residential customers. "Using the strengths of the Father to Protect the Gifts of the Mother" is our guiding principle, and it has guided us to success. SPC has always been at the forefront of renewable energy innovation, beginning with our installation of the first solar carport structure in the St... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Friday, September 23, 2011,
from Sustainable BusinessHow Obama's Green Energy Agenda is Killing Jobs is the title of Darrell Issa's (R-CA) Congressional oversight hearing, taking place today. Issa is Chief of Investigations for the House GOP and the lead investigator of what's turning into the Solyndra scandal, named after the young solar company that had the nerve to go bankrupt after receiving a federal loan guarantee under the American Recovery Act (Stimulus Bill).
Solyndra filed bankruptcy on Sept. 6 after receiving... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Friday, September 23, 2011,
from Market WatchWASHINGTON, Sep 22, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Board of Directors of the
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government's
development finance institution, today approved up to $310 million in financing
for a project that will double the generating capacity of a geothermal power
plant in Kenya, adding new electricity to the country's grid through the use of
environmentally-friendly American technology, and creating both American and
Kenyan jobs in t... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 21, 2011,
from Clean TechiesIncreasingly, there is more concern over the effects of climate change. This results in legislation of a more demanding nature which commercial property developers need to know about. Additionally, the recent surge in energy prices means that everyone wants to reduce costs and subsequently reduce their environmental impact. There is an increasing belief that if a property developer is more environmentally aware their income growth will be higher and they will be viewed as a l... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 21, 2011,
from Cleveland.comCLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio's natural gas and oil reserves are a multibillion-dollar bonanza that could create more than 204,500 jobs in just four years, an industry group said Tuesday The economic impact study, released on the eve of Gov. John Kasich's energy summit, attributed the jobs to leasing, royalties, exploration, drilling, production and pipeline construction to produce gas and petroleum from Utica shale, a rock buried more than a mile and a half underground. The summi... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 21, 2011,
from REVEThe grant is to research and develop advanced control systems and integrated innovative sensors that increase energy production and lower the capital cost of offshore wind turbines. To date, the wind power company has installed or is installing over 2200 wind turbines in more than 120 wind farm plants, corresponding to a total wind energy capacity of over 3000 MW. Partnership Led by Alstom Wind Power Receives $4 Million DOE Research Grant. Research with Prominent US Institutions Will H... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 20, 2011,
from Triple PunditWhat is corporate social responsibility and why should any business care about it? Corporations have been debating about social responsibility since the 1950s. What has changed in the intervening 60 years is consumers’ access to information – the good, the bad and the ugly. Good information about the noble acts of firms and employees is streaming daily into our social networking accounts through our smart phones. The information has an effect on how we feel about brands ... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 20, 2011,
from Environmental FinancePersuading the US Congress to allow renewable energy projects to use master limited partnerships (MLPs) to secure financing is likely a pipe dream in the current political environment, experts said. Renewable energy groups have been trying to convince federal legislators to allow these projects to utilise the MLP, a limited partnership that is publicly traded on a securities exchange, combining the tax benefits of a limited partnership with the liquidity of publicly t...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 20, 2011,
from NY TimesThe Carbon Disclosure Project’s latest annual report is out. Among the highlights: 65 percent of the S&P 500 companies responding to a survey said they had integrated climate change issues into their overall business strategies, up from 35 percent in 2010. Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 20, 2011,
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 20, 2011,
from Austin Business JournalA Korean company is investing $50 million in solar cell maker HelioVolt Corp. HelioVolt Corp.Latest from The Business JournalsTexas Business Journals Roundup 9-20HelioVolt in a holding pattern Magpower may build solar panels in PflugervilleFollow this company The deal with SK Group, a Korean energy, chemicals and telecommunications giant, would create an undetermined number of additional jobs in Austin. SK TIC and SK Innovation, members of the SK Group, plans to mak... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 19, 2011,
from Triple Pundit“Let’s Roll” were the last recorded words from Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, and they were spoken because the Americans on board fought to their death on behalf of their country. Isn’t it past time for the American consumer to take up this rally cry to support our country’s job growth, our communities’ prosperity and our health? American consumers have the economic buying power to create the jobs our country thirsts for without any ... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Friday, September 16, 2011,
from National JournalThe Obama administration is in a race against the clock to close by month’s end more than a dozen renewable-energy loan guarantees totaling $9 billion. Of that, just over $3 billion would come from the federal government’s coffers. It now has to do that amid an escalating political battle over a federally backed solar company spiraling into bankruptcy and facing an FBI probe. President Obama once praised the company, California-based Solyndra, as “the true engine of ... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 14, 2011,
from BrighterEnergy.orgThe US Department of Energy has finalized a $1.2 billion loan guarantee to support a 250-megawatt solar power plant planned for California’s Mojave Desert. The appropriately-named Mojave Solar Project is being developed by Abengoa Solar, Inc., and if built would increase America’s installed concentrating solar power capacity by 50%. Planned for a site near Harper’s Dry Lake in San Bernardino County, the Department of Energy said the project should create 900 constru... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 14, 2011,
from Bloomberg Business WeekLawmakers failed to renew a statewide electricity surcharge before the end of their session, dealing a blow to Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to promote alternative energy and keep California at the forefront of the industry. Brown sought to extend a public goods charge that adds $1 to $2 to the average monthly household electric bill and has been in effect since 1997. He wanted to use about $400 million in annual proceeds to fund renewable energy and efficiency programs. "... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 14, 2011,
from Green TechiesA steep drop in the cost of solar panels in recent months has spurred a significant increase in the number of planned non-residential projects in the U.S., an energy research company reports. According to Solarbuzz, the number of new, industrial-scale solar projects being planned has increased to 24 gigawatts of solar capacity, up from 17 gigawatts just two months ago. This growth has occurred as the price of solar panels has plunged 25 percent since the beginning of the yea... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 13, 2011,
from The Courier.co.ukFinance Secretary John Swinney made the announcement as he unveiled the Government Economic Strategy, which puts green technology at the heart of economic recovery. Mr Swinney claimed the government's plans would support the transition to a low-carbon economy capable of supporting 130,000 jobs by 2020. He also revealed the Scottish Government is to create four enterprise zones, including sites with a focus on low-carbon manufacturing opportunities, to attract more inward i... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 13, 2011,
from Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento Municipal Utility District plans to sell its largest wind energy project in a $275 million deal that will help finance its construction. SMUD is in talks with Citigroup Global Markets Inc. to acquire the still-unfinished Solano Phase 3 Wind Project near Rio Vista, which will more than double SMUD's wind power output when it comes online in March. The wind venture has created over 100 new construction jobs in the local region since it broke ground in April. Sel... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 12, 2011,
from Caelus Green Room
There were several articles and blog postings that were released this weekend that discuss the issue of the importance of linking the environmental and financial impacts of business decisions. Below are excerpts of some of the best articles.
Environmental Finance
Better reporting by companies will help avert systemic risks such as climate change and the banking crisis, according to Mervyn King.
“The annual financial statement as we have known it is no longer fit for... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 12, 2011,
from Energy Matters
U.S solar company 1366 Technologies will receive $150 million in government support after its highly successful technique for manufacturing silicon solar wafers, which can reduce production costs of the wafers by 50 percent, was recognised by the Department of Energy (DOE) as a project capable of "dramatically cutting the cost of solar power" in America. The company developed an innovative process called Direct Wafer manufacturing. The process uses lasers to cut wafers dire... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 12, 2011,
from Dawn.com
RAPID development in solar energy technologies has made it an alternative to fossil-fuel power generation in many countries.
But Pakistan does not have to depend on borrowed ideas for generating bulk solar power at a high cost, when other economical options are available.
In a bid to overcome electricity loadshedding, the Punjab government has moved to tap possible energy resources for power generation on fast-track basis. An agreement was signed by it in July last year with... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 12, 2011,
from GigaOMThe now-bankrupt solar maker Solyndra could be the biggest disaster in venture capital history (though to see a variety of contenders for that title check out the comments here). But there are a few other green startups that have raised similarly massive amounts from private investors and also have large loans and loan guarantees from the Department of Energy. Are there other Solyndra’s waiting in the wings that could one day lose over a billion in funds, including tax payer fund... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Friday, September 9, 2011,
from Triple PunditThe insurance company Allstate uses a lot of paper – in 2009 it used approximately 3.7 billion sheets, equal to approximately 450,000 trees. So it’s not surprising that the company identified paper reduction as one of its top environmental priorities, setting a goal of reducing overall office paper use by 25 percent by 2010. In their latest CSR report, which was released earlier this week, Allstate is revealing that it actually did much better, reducing its office paper ... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Friday, September 9, 2011,
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Thursday, September 8, 2011,
from Oregon LiveSolyndra's recent bankruptcy, on the heels of similar action by two other U.S.-based solar panel manufacturers, is seen as a major blow to U.S. efforts to become a leader in clean energy development. China now has three-fifths of the world's solar panel production capacity. What is more, Solyndra received $535 million in loan guarantees from the U.S. government. In the era of monumental government debt, critics cite this as a prime example of government waste; however, such a ... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Thursday, September 8, 2011,
from BrighterEnergy.org
Private equity investors US Renewables Group (USRG) is to provide $344 million in financing for a project led by SolarCity to install solar panels on military housing across the United States.
USRG’s debt financing affiliate, USRG Renewable Finance, will serve as lender for Project SolarStrong, a multi-year project valued at more than $1 billion.
The program will see solar power firm SolarCity installing, owning, and operating rooftop solar systems on up to 160,000... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 7, 2011,
from Center for American Progress
Green jobs are integral to any effort to jumpstart our economy and reduce as rapidly as possible our 9.1 percent unemployment that rate. The rapid growth of green jobs will boost demand in our economy by reducing unemployment, make America more competitive in the global economy, and protect our public health—all of which will result in greater economic productivity and long-term economic prosperity. Here are the top 10 reasons why this is the case today an... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 7, 2011,
from Triple Pundit
In the US we’re still more than a year away from the next federal election, but campaign news is already making headlines. It’s worth asking: what are some things a Sustainable Party might advocate?
Here are a few ideas:
Sustainable health. The conversation about nation-wide health care is an excellent start, but people need to ask fundamental questions about what it means to be healthy. Scientists and doctors already know that (1) nutritious foods, (2) a robust soci... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Wednesday, September 7, 2011,
from GreenBiz.com
Editor's Note: This is an exclusive excerpt from Eric Lowitt's forthcoming book, The Future of Value, being published in September 2011. The book is based on extensive interviews with dozens of business leaders to tell the story of how certain companies -- Sustainable Market Leaders -- are embracing sustainability as a way to create value for their stakeholders today and tomorrow.]
Sustainability's impact on the competitive landscape is best tested and viewed through the len... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 6, 2011,
from GreenBiz
For years, the chief executive officer was seen as the key individual responsible for viewing a company through the lens of sustainability. That made sense: If you can’t get the person at the top to pay attention, why should anyone else?
That’s changing. Today, it’s the chief financial officer who reigns supreme in sustainability in some companies. And that also makes sense: He or she who manages risk, compensation, disclosure, and financial performance will more or less s... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 6, 2011,
from Post Crescent
NEENAH — Neenah will install a $200,500 solar electric system on its public works garage this month, joining a growing list of public agencies that have invested in renewable energy.
Ald. John Ahles, co-chairman of the Sustainable Neenah Committee, said the 42-kilowatt solar system would demonstrate the value of renewable energy projects to city leaders and the greater Fox Valley community.
The system will generate 25 percent of the facility's electrical use.
"This will... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 6, 2011,
from CNN Money
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (CNNMoney) -- Spurred by a desire to save money and lives by reducing the number of vulnerable fuel convoys they depend on, the Marines last month invited 13 companies to their desert base to pitch them the latest in battlefield solar and fuel efficiency technology.
On display were contraptions in various stages of development -- everything from an advanced concentrated solar array that tracks the sun's movements to a box-like solar hot water heater a... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Tuesday, September 6, 2011,
from Market Watch
The new warranty covers First Solar's advanced Series 3 solar modules as of Oct. 1 and demonstrates the company's commitment to product quality and reliability. First Solar's proven thin-film technology has been deployed in some of the largest photovoltaic projects to date, like the 80 megawatt Sarnia project in Ontario, Canada.
"As one of the world's largest solar module manufacturers, we understand the need for a low-risk product that is backed by a comprehensive warran... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 5, 2011,
from Green EconomyAlmost every stock market sector fell significantly in late July and August this year, and such market declines send me searching for value stocks paying good dividends which I can hold for the long term. In mid-July, I found some decent values by sifting through the trash, but I was less enthused by the value proposition of conglomerates involved in the clean energy space. Today I'll take a look at a group of companies you might expect to be good income producers: renew... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 5, 2011,
from Clean Techies
Hurricane Irene, which knocked out power for approximately six million customers in 13 states and the District of Columbia last week, raises a question: What smart grid technology could have enabled homes, businesses, and mission critical institutions to have played a more vital role in providing reliability, security, and emergency services?
The simple answer is a microgrid, as all of the sensors and sophisticated IT systems that been receiving so much hype would have, for... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 5, 2011,
from The HinduThe Central Government is now offering grants to educational institutions that adopt renewable energy to meet their power requirements. The grants would meet nearly half of the project cost. Several institutions in southern districts of Tamil Nadu have already begun installation of power plants to join the project.
The project is being implemented in the State through Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA).
S.E.S. Syed Ahamed, Deputy General Manager, TEDA Madurai Region,... Continue reading ...
Posted by eco.nomics.edu on Monday, September 5, 2011,
from Triple Pundit
Solar power is here to stay, and the announcement last week of a new $600 million solar silicon factory for Mississippi may take some of the sting out of the recent bankruptcy shocker from solar manufacturer Solyndra. The new factory will be built by Calisolar in Lowndes County and will generate about 1,000 jobs at the peak of its construction activity in addition to new green jobs at the completed facility. As a kickstarter for general economic development, the new plant co... Continue reading ...
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