China is already outpacing its own wind energy goals.

Officially, China’s latest renewable energy plan sets a goal of 10 GW by 2010. That’s double the previous target. However, according to industry analysts at China Strategies LLC, China’s current pace of wind development will bring 10 GW by the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule. According to China Strategies, 20 GW is possible in China by 2010. What’s more, they foresee a total of 100 GW by 2020, an increase in wind energy of 1667%. And, they add, this may be a conservative estimate.

These figures should make critics of China’s energy policies think twice. On the one hand, China still relies heavily on polluting coal to power its factories and make the inexpensive goods that many people have come to expect. On the other hand, China is making significant strides to adopt renewable energy technologies.

The China Economic Review quotes Richard Spencer of the World Bank, who worked on one $13 million wind project as saying, “China is working very hard to reduce its dependence on coal, and it looks to nuclear, hydro and wind, particularly, to replace coal. Wind is very important.”

How will China make the switch to clean energy? One answer was the 2005 Renewable Energy Law, which required utilities to buy renewable energy. Such legislation is an important part of the answer. Similar legislation in California has encouraged major investment in wind and solar. But an underlying question remains: can China continue its recent rate of growth in the renewable energy field?

If so, the Middle Kingdom is poised to increase its percentage of wind energy from less than one percent to about 20% by 2020 says Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council, in the China Economic Review. For those keeping track of the economic competition between the US and China, that would set China dramatically ahead of the US goal of 5-6% by 2020.

Further reading:

China’s Wind Power Industry: Blowing Past Expectations

Wind energy: Out of thin air

Chinese Cleaning up with Wind Power

China Goes Big on Wind

China Poised to Become Clean-Energy Leader?

U.N. report: Clean energy booming globally

Photo Credit

George Lu via Flickr

Not many bloggers are able to witness the technologies we research and write about. It’s one thing to be able to buy afford a cool “green” gadget (usually not very green), but another to see the many forms of solar, wind, geothermal, etc., which are always changing and developing around the world. So when my employer decided to go solar, you might imagine my excitement.

At the moment I work for Magco Inc., a Tecta America company. Tecta is a national commercial roofing corporation that can install green roofs, solar lighting, and solar panels alongside a variety of traditional roofing systems. This solar project is pretty straight forward: our building has a big, flat roof on top of a hill without any shade. You’d have trouble finding a sunnier spot for solar panels.

I was double delighted when I heard that they ordered thin-film solar! Naturally inquiring minds wanted to know: why and what kind?

Magco bought their solar from Uni-Solar, which produces triple-junction laminate panels. That means they laminate the photovoltaic chemicals onto a thin sheet of metal in three layers; each layer reacts to a different range of light. They also laminate a sealant on the panel to protect it from the elements. The benefit of this system is that it reacts better to low or indirect light. Think cloudy days and the hours around dusk and dawn, a. Uni-Solar’s panels operate around 12% efficiency, but they claim to out-perform other forms of PV solar in indirect light, which means they could produce more electricity in certain real-world conditions (cloudy days). The laminate production method also decreases cost because expensive silicon and mounting racks are not required.

In fact, these thin-film solar panels are glued straight onto the roof. (See picture.)

Magco chose these panels for another important reason: no roof penetrations. If you mount racks on your roof, you have to fasten them down. That means punching holes in the roof, which can void your warranty and even damage your roof if it’s not done right. Some solar systems, even silicon panels, have found ways to avoid these problems, and anyone looking into solar should ask about the integrity of their existing roof. Another bonus for Magco and thin-film solar was weight: these solar panels roll out like carpet and don’t weigh as much as silicon. That means Magco wouldn’t need to add any structural support. It does snow here, so weight is an important factor!

What about the electrical aspect? Special runners help connect and protect wires between panels and represent the only mounted equipment in the system.  The wires eventually find their way to a big inverter inside the building, which feeds the electricity to us. A 2-way power meter can then feed any excess electricity back into the grid. Simple, right? Well, for a project this big and complicated you’d definitely want to hire some professionals. If you mix up which-wires-go-where, you could make some very expensive mistakes or just rob yourself of some of your solar power.

What if you and your neighbors want to go solar but can’t afford it? Bulk your order and get it done at the same time. Combining your orders will reduce costs in man-hours and equipment (think crane rentals). Naturally you can also get a better deal on the panels themselves if you buy in larger quantity.

Images Courtesy of Patrick Bollinger.

Chosun University may have the hottest male and female college dorms in the world — if you’re talking solar energy.

Atop both the men’s and women’s dorm a 25 kilowatt solar system pumps out energy. The combined electricity generation of the two buildings is an impressive 50 kw.

The dorms are connected to the energy grid of Gwangju city, where the university is located. When the buildings make more energy than students use, excess energy flows into the city’s grid. When students use more than the solar systems can produce (say, due to post-final exam parties), the dorms simply top up with energy from the city’s supply.

As if solar dormitories weren’t enough, Chosun University has an entire lab dedicated to solar energy technologies. The Solar Power Research Lab helps solar panel manufactures calculate their panels’ energy outputs under real world conditions (ie. cloudy days, varying temperatures, etc.).

The university has also put solar panels on a number of the other building surrounding campus:

• A hospital, which generates 10 kw
• A high school, which generates 20 kw
• The Engineering Department, which generates 3 kw
• The Solar Power Research Lab itself, which generates 12-15 kw during the testing of the panels
• A handful of other campus housing buildings, which have been fitted with solar panels

More Posts on Solar Power:

• Solar Days - Making Solar Energy Cool?
• South Korean Scientists Find Real Efficiency of Solar Systems
• Parking Lots with Solar Trees ™ Provide Shade for Shopping Malls
• Sun Run Offers Affordable Solar Energy!

Photo Credits: Gavin Hudson, EcoWorldly

Editor’s note: While we’ve discussed home geothermal systems a number of times around the Green Options Media network (see the list at the bottom), we’re glad to bring you today’s post from GreenBuildingTalk on the subject. They not only provide an overview of the technology, but point you to some cutting-edge models of geothermal heat pumps. This post was originally published on Thursday, May 15, 2008.

With energy costs on the rise, homeowners are looking for ways to offset higher bills. Geothermal heat pumps are one of the best options, as they currently offer the highest efficiencies of any heating and cooling system available today. A study by MIT emphasizes the potential for geothermal, and manufacturers are offering more options for consumers. While at the Midwest Builders show, I stopped by ClimateMaster and WaterFurnace booths to learn more about their newest offerings. Before diving into the respective systems, let’s review the three main components of a geothermal system; the heat-pump unit, the liquid heat-exchange medium (open or closed loop), and the air-delivery system (ductwork).

The heat pump simply moves heat energy from one place to another, just like your refrigerator or air conditioner. But a major difference is that air conditioners and refrigerators transfer heat in only one direction, while a heat pump can transfer heat in two directions, thereby heating or cooling the space. In the cooling mode, the geothermal heat pump takes heat from indoors and transfers it to the colder earth through either groundwater or an underground earth loop system. In the heating mode, the process is reversed.

The buried pipe, or earth loop, is the most important technical advancement in heat pump technology to date. The idea to bury pipe in the ground to gather heat energy began in the 1940s. But it’s only been in the last twenty-five years that new heat pump designs and more durable pipe materials have been combined to make geothermal heat pumps the ultimate in efficiency. The two main types of loops available are open and closed. An open loop system is less expensive to install, but over time could require more maintenance. A closed loop system is more expensive up front, but requires almost no maintenance. As manufacturers phase out R-22 (HCFC) refrigerant, there have been more environmentally friendly liquid mediums brought into the marketplace to use in your system. The most common antifreeze solutions in the U.S. and Canada are propylene glycol, methyl alcohol, and ethyl alcohol.

Finally, ductwork must be installed in homes that don’t have an existing air distribution system. If you have existing ductwork, geothermal systems will likely work, but you may have to do some minor modifications. Another method of delivery worth looking into is in-floor radiant heating, in which hot water circulating through pipes under the floor heats the room. For more detailed information on geothermal systems, visit the Basic Geothermal Info thread on GBT.

ClimateMaster

ClimateMaster showcased their Tranquility 27 series at the builder’s show. Both the Tranquility 27 two-stage system and the Tranquility 27 two-stage split geothermal system are the highest efficiency water-source heat pumps on the market, offering 27EER to 31EER. The energy-efficiency criteria for geothermal heat pumps to qualify for the Energy Star program requires an EER rating of 14.1 (closed) or 16.2 (open). The Tranquility 27 has an EER rating of 27. This system also use Earthpure, a new refrigerant that is non-chlorine based with zero ozone depletion potential.

Read the rest of this post at GreenBuildingTalk

Read More about Geothermal Heating and Cooling:

• Geothermal — It Ain’t Sexy, but It’s Smart
• Geothermal Energy and Ground Source Heat Pumps
• The Sun, the Earth, and Pond Scum — Colorado Renewables

Image credit: John Brownlow at Flickr under a Creative Commons license

Recently, I visited such a solar testing lab — the Solar Power Research Lab at Chosun University in Gwangju, South Korea. I was greeted by Mr. Choi Jong-sik, an engineer and a graduate of the department.

Out front of this lab, a small field of solar panels soak up sunlight. The panel’s designs range from flat to arched and even rotating; some are varicolored polycrystalline, others are neatly lined monocrystalline. Rotating panels have tracking devices that follow the sun (pictured here). The panels can rotate 180° and swivel vertically 53°, following the sun’s path across the sky. The array and variety of panels is stunning.

Inside the lab, computers whir busily. Numbers displayed on the screens climb and fall, recording the electrical input from each array of solar panels.

Theoretical efficiency measures how much of the light hitting the solar cell can be converted into electricity under standard test conditions (STC). These conditions are very strict:

• a constant temperature of 25°C
• the equivalent of 1.42 cm of water vapor in the column of sky above the panels
• 0.34 cm of ozone in the column of atmosphere above the panels
• the sun hitting the panels at 37°
• the panels 41.81° above the horizon
• etc.

However, Mother Nature is rarely this constant. Therefore, the actual efficiency of the panels often reflects much lower number than theoretical efficiency.

“We measure the actual conditions,” says Mr. Choi. He explains that companies send the university their solar panels for testing. “We measure daily power for one year.”

Then, back at the engineering department building, I see another remarkable feature of the solar power lab: a full replica of a Korean living space inside the engineering department. There’s even an engineering student sleeping in the bed.

“This is the condition of the house,” explains Mr. Choi. “There’s a refrigerator, and air conditioning system, a lighting system, hot and cold water. This is a simulation of the house.”

In order to find out how much solar energy could be practically developed in Korea, Chosun University’s engineers were tasked with calculating the amount of energy consumed by a typical Korean house. After monitoring the replica house, the university came up with an answer.

“House power usually uses three kilowatts [a day],” says Mr. Choi.

Various estimates put the average energy use in the United States at between 20 and 30 kilowatt hours a day.

When asked about the importance of the environment in the university’s research, Mr. Choi responds, “The lab’s first interest is environmental and then economic.”

Related articles:

• How Solar Lighting is Revolutionizing African Communities
• New Solar Trends at Solar 2008 Conference in San Diego
• GreenBuildingTalk: Solar Hot Water and Heating — Is it Right for You?
• Clean Tech Investing and Solar Taking Off
• 64-House Solar Village Saves Residents $37,700 Annually
• South Korean Solar System Community on Jeju Island a Brilliant Idea

Photo credit: Gavin Hudson, Tracking solar panel at Chosun University

Solar System Powers Donggwang Green Village on Semi-Tropical Jeju Island

Donggwang is on the western half of Jeju-do, the largest of South Korea’s semi-tropical southern islands. Near the village, Halla Mountain, a volcano and the tallest mountain in South Korea, rises from the island’s center amidst a patchwork of small farms.

Donggwang has achieved what even the most powerful countries in the world are still struggling to accomplish: total energy independence with clean technology.

On the roof of each of the 40 houses in Donggwang lies a large beds of solar panels. Even the small, local elementary school runs on free electric energy from the sun. The photovoltaic panels produce enough energy to power the entire area. Amidst cattle and fields, Donggwang is a state-of-the-art renewable energy village.

I spoke with Choo Chan Lee, who lives in Donggwang. Mr. Lee, a Seoul native, retired to Donggwang green village after operating a successful grocery store in New York for many years. He and his wife invited my in for tea to talk about the solar system and their life in Donggwang.

“Dongwang is a solar town,” Mr. Lee says. “[The solar systems] are a lot of help for us. Mine is 2.1 kW.”

In 2004, the government helped to install solar systems in Donggwang, paying 70% of the installation fees.

“They told us this is your town,” recalls Mr. Lee. “Do you wand them or not? We said that we would like them.”

When asked whether he is concerned about environmental issues, Mr. Lee replies casually, “Yeah, the environment is a very important issue. In Jeju we don’t have many factories, so the air is very nice. Very nice environment. The motto is a clean city - clean island. They’re trying to do this solar and then the windmills. My favorite part of living in Jeju is the fresh air. The clean air.”

More Posts on Solar Power:

• How Solar Panels Could Power 90% of US Transportation
• Solar Thermal Electricity: Can it Replace Coal, Gas, and Oil?
• Solar Energy Could Power U.S. Many Times Over

Photo credit (top, above): Gavin Hudson, EcoWorldly

Citing green hotels, coconut oil fuel for airlines and even recyclable golf tees, executives in one of the world’s largest industries say they are urgently trying to shrink tourism’s oversized environmental footprint.

But with global travel projected to keep soaring, and those very leaders still eager to expand their own ventures, some doubt such efforts can significantly lessen global warming and other ecological woes.

“There are no simple solutions,” Anna Pollack, head of a British tourism consultancy, told a two-day conference which ended Wednesday. “Tourism is both a victim of and a contributor to climate change.”

Online you can read the a lot guides about how to reduce global warming. As you can see travel is only a little part of the main causes of global warming.

Below, I list of useful guides. You can use to reduce global warming.

Global warming refers to the Earth’s air and oceans gradually heating up to a point that disrupts balance, a problem that is continually getting worse. It sounds like a problem too massive for any one individual to take on, but it really isn’t. Combining any few of these suggestions can make more of a dramatic effect than most people understand. The goal is to emit less carbon dioxide into the atmospher

The part of Global warming caused by travel, is especially the ecotourism, practiced in remote destination. It’s so because it requires the use of air travel to land is those countries.

Some times ago an airline company used to travel with biofuel.

IN February, on a chilly, clear Sunday morning, Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, along with the co-sponsors Boeing and GE Aviation, lured more than 200 journalists to a hangar at Heathrow Airport near London to witness what they said was airline history. Over flutes of Champagne and plates of mini-bagels filled with salmon, everyone’s eyes were fixed on a 747 as it took off on the world’s first biofuel demonstration flight.

Never mind that only one of the plane’s engines used biofuel, and that was about 25 percent mixed with standard kerosene jet fuel. It was still significant, given that air travel is the fastest-growing source of global greenhouse gases, and the race to find an alternative to kerosene is now crucial. The biofuel used — a combination of coconut and babassu (a Brazilian tree) oil, which Mr. Branson pretended to drink that day like an island cocktail from a coconut shell — worked in this very small test. But even its developers, Imperium Renewables, are aware it could never become a substitute for what John Plaza, president and chief executive of Imperium, another sponsor, says is the 87 billion gallons of fuel needed each year to fly the world’s airline fleet.

“This is just a first-generation product,” Mr. Plaza said. “But the test was meaningful in that it showed that a biofuel was viable with the infrastructure in a commercial jet.” Imperium created the fuel from oils harvested from existing plantations, but Mr. Plaza said he believed that algae was the fuel of the future. “You would only need the landmass of West Virginia,” he said, “to make enough fuel to replace aviation’s demand for kerosene.”

So I’m not scared about the future, because change is happened. I think that most airlines will become more green so traveling in foreign countries will be less environmental damaging.

In many ways, Shinhyocheon is just a typical suburb. It’s in Nam-gu, on the southern outskirts of Gwangju, one of South Korea’s biggest cities. In fact, if you don’t look closely, the Shinhyocheon solar village is easy to miss. Of the 1.4 million people living in Gwangju, most have never heard of it. Local taxi drivers wrinkle their brows and shrug; even the tourist information center in downtown Gwangju has trouble finding it on the map.

But for those who know it, Shinhyocheon deserves a place in energy history. In 2004, it became South Korea’s first solar village – a neighborhood of 64 solar powered houses where residents enjoy cheap, clean energy. The solar panels in this neighborhood generate over 115 MW of energy in a year. For each resident, that translates into an annual savings of around $589 USD, or a total of $37,700 for all 64 houses combined.

Inspired by Shinhyocheon’s success, the local government is planning to expand the number of solar houses in Nam-gu by adding 340 new sun-powered residential buildings.

With South Korea attempting to tackle climate change, the environmental benefits of placing solar panels on homes are obvious. However, the government’s decision to test large-scale domestic solar technology in Shinhyocheon came mostly from South Korea’s drive to reduce reliance on foreign fossil fuel imports. In a way, Shinhyocheon is an experiment in energy independence.

In the Economy Department of nearby Nam-gu City Hall, city employee Bak Se-ra explains, “Global Warming is one reason [for Shinhyocheon], but I think the first reason is the energy savings.”

The actual construction costs of the village were some $1,510,000 USD, but each resident only had to pay 30% of the solar panel’s cost. The rest was underwritten by the central government.

That was under South Korea’s previous system of solar energy financing. Since 2007, the government will now pay for 60% of the installation costs for widely used solar technology and 80% of the costs for new, more expensive technology.

After hearing about it, I decided to visit Shinhyocheon. As a network of buses and taxis takes me closer to Shinhyocheon, the cement grid of the city begins to fray. On the far side of this small suberb, the outer edges of Gwangju eventually disolve into the low-lying ridges of the ancient mountains that ripple throughout South Korea.

Each house in the green village produces 2.1 kW, or around 2/3 of the energy required by the typical South Korean household. If such a high fraction of the nation’s energy needs could be met by solar energy, then solar villages like Shinhyocheon could become much more common. They might be an important answer in solving the clean energy riddle in South Korea and throughout the world.

“I’m convinced that in the future, housees will have this system,” said Bak, “because there is no pollution and the house itself can produce energy.”

Photo credit: Gwangju City, Nam-go

By 2010, China will unveil a modern city powered by 100% renewable resources, capable of growing all of its own food using organic farming methods and recycling all of its waste.

The future city, Dongtan, is growing out of an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta. The unique Ecocity being built on the island is also a creative way to protect the island’s ecologically sensitive wetland environment from China’s fast-paced development.

What will life in China’s first ecocity look like?

A glance at the website of Arup, the company engineering the project, shows all of the fixings imaginable for a modern “EcoTopia.” The company, which also designed Beijing’s “Bird’s Nest” green Olympic Stadium, is putting in place all of the following features:

• Urban design
• Sustainable energy management
• Cultural  planning
• Waste management
• Economic and business planning
• Social development
• Sustainable building design
• Landscape design
• Ecology

Arup’s website puts its wishes for Dongtan succinctly enough:

“The development at Dongtan will represent the turning point in China’s frenetic urban growth, incorporating all of the economic, social and environmental principles that combine to reduce the impact on the natural environment and provide a model for future development across China and East Asia.”

Further reading:

Dongtan Ecocity | Arup

Will The Dongtan Development in China Be The World’s First Eco-City? | TreeHugger

Photo source: Ecocity World Summit 2008

If the five easy steps in this video are not enough for you, then take a look at this list from Seoul’s 2008 Earth Day organizers of ten more ways to go green, Korean style.

1. Shop only for things you need
2. Create less trash
3. Eat when you are hungry, not when you’re bored
4. Try a vegetarian diet
5. Eat less “ready-made” food
6. Showering only when you need to
7. Do laundry only when you need to
8. Don’t drive a car
9. Use less electricity
10. Tell others about environmentally conscious lifestyles

Links from the video:

Roots & Shoots, USA

Roots & Shoots, Korea

ImaginePeace.or.kr

Beautiful Store

Links to Korean environmental and social interest organizations:

LOHAS Korea

Green Korea United

Friends of Asia

As climate change become a more central issue for people and governments around the globe, a lot of people are looking for solutions - fast solutions. If there were a quick and inexpensive way to dramatically reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, we should go for it right? Well a number of “quick fix” solutions, which have centered around hacking the environment to fight climate change, have been floating around for years. One strategy is to capture the CO2 with plankton and bury it in the ocean (which is much easier and cheaper than pumping it into the ground). Another is to change the composition of our atmosphere to reflect sunlight. Others tend to be more sci-fi and outlandish - but all of them might just turn out to be disastrous.

Even with more realistic alternatives, like carbon capture and sequestration from coal plants, have drawn criticism. But that hasn’t stopped some of the world’s wealthiest and most outspoken environmentalists from offering millions of dollars for a feasible and fast solution that captures CO2 out of the air after it’s released.

No wonder some are trying to use technology to solve our CO2 problem. While renewable energy and energy efficiency help prevent more CO2 pollution, several companies are looking to make money off off the inert gas. Not to be confused with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), these focus on the technology and economics of only capturing CO2. What we do with the carbon next is an open question. Fortunately “CO2 is the 19th largest commodity chemical in the United States”, according to the DOE, with numerous industrial, agricultural, and everyday uses - you can even make fuel out of it. So whoever first manages to harvest it cheaply could make a lot of money, even without millions in prize money.

Universities and academic collaborations compete with scientists and businesses to reach this goal. The Green Options network has featured promising technologies from Sandia National Labs before. While many are still in design or prototype stages, others are already being commercially demonstrated. Dr. Rona Fried points out in her Solar Today article that the technology is not new. Submarines and spacecraft use scrubbers and filters to protect their crews from their own exhalations. There’s even a famous scene in the movie Apollo 13 about repairing one such device in 1970.

A better way to absorb CO2 on a larger scale is to use chemicals called sorbents. They soak up carbon dioxide on contact like a plant or sponge; then the CO2 can be separated from the sorbent and used. The trick is to build a machine that can do both without requiring excessive operation costs. If it needs too much energy, maintenance, etc., it simply won’t be profitable.

A company called Global Research Technologies (GRT) believes they have designed a viable system in that works at ambient temperatures (no cooling required) and uses about the same amount of energy as a power-plant flue scrubber - the type already available to clean power plant emissions. They call it the ACCESS (Atmospheric Carbon CapturE SystemS) device, which has already been demonstrated, and it’s exciting because it could be located almost anywhere. They could line our highways, form rows like wind farms, or be installed near industrial facilities that use or produce CO2. Better yet, the technology is scalable, so the larger you build them the more CO2 they collect. One such ACCESS device the size of a tree could capture 1,000 times more CO2 than a tree. Global Research Technologies even claims that 250,000 such models, each about the side of a wind turbine, would neutralize the CO2 we’re currently emitting. GRT hopes to produce 100 of these devices within 5 years. Unfortunately they’ll be expensive, about $250/ metric ton of CO2 captured, but like any industry, economies of scale could dramatically reduce that cost to $30-$50 per ton. GRT hopes their technology will be competitive on the carbon offsets market.

Klaus Lackner, a professor of geophysics at Columbia University, helped found GRT and design the ACCESS device. From the article: “Lackner outlined the potential of carbon capture as one piece of the portfolio of carbon reduction strategies”, which means of course that this is not THE ANSWER to climate change. We cannot and should not rely on this or any one solution to “solve” our CO2 problem. We still need to increase our energy efficiency, invest in renewable technologies, and work towards more sustainable lifestyles. But with all the depressing facts, figures and discussions surrounding our rising CO2 emissions and climate change, this is one technology among many that provide a ray of hope. Maybe, just maybe, with the plethora of resources at our disposal, we can begin to build a technological infrastructure that will not come back to haunt us with half-acknowledged or poorly understood consequences of unbridled development.

Images courtesy of
Solar Today
Physorg.com

The United States has a natural edge when it comes to wind energy. Unlike Europe, we have a lot of land with which to harness wind, including across sparsely populated areas. If NIMBY isn’t a problem, the potential for sustainable energy generation is even greater.

According to Roby Roberts, V.P. of Government Relations for Vestas, you need about 8,000 components to make a wind turbine, some of which are really big. Apparently the trick with so many bits and pieces is bringing them together; it doesn’t make sense to transport them over vast distances. Consider the iconic wind turbine propeller blades. Some of the largest blades are 80 meters long - over 260 feet! - which no doubt require special handling, licensing, and lots of money to transport. Instead of building or assembling many of these parts overseas, it makes much more economic sense to manufacture and assemble them locally. That means jobs, lots of them, for communities and regions where wind turbines can be built.

All of the industry leaders agreed that each of their companies was eager to build and expand their manufacturing and Research & Development capabilities across the United States, which would produce thousands of stable jobs. Julius Steiner, CEO of Gamesa USA, commented that if the supply chain could be built in the USA, it would be internationally competitive. That’s part of why, despite policy difficulties, international companies like Gamesa (founded in Spain) have jumped into the US market without any guarantee of a production tax credit (PTC) extensions.

“The PTC provides an incentive of two cents per kilowatt-hour generated to facilities that produce electricity from renewable energy resources…The credit can be claimed for 10 years, beginning on the date the qualified facility is placed in service. The facility must begin operation before the credit expires.” - AWEA newsroom

It’s not that the wind industry needs tax credits to exist, but they do need the PTC to expand and build a supply chain. Without these tax credits, building the manufacturing infrastructure for large-scale wind turbine projects would be nearly impossible. The key to investment in manufacturing is a long-term outlook.

Randall Swisher, Executive Director of the AWEA, said the industry needed five years minimum of policy stability to expand the existing infrastructure foundation. Roby Roberts of Vesta claimed that once the supply chain is in place, prices should drop, making the industry even more competitive. If Congress extends the PTC for even a year, these companies will continue to expand their manufacturing capabilities. Fortunately all of these companies have already built the first links of a solid supply chain, all of them are optimistic that the tax credits will come, and all are commited to the US market.

The importance of the PTC can be gleaned if you take a step back. Internationally, the markets with the most lucrative potential for the wind industry are the USA, Europe, China and India. Europe has a lucrative policy system in place, and China recently announced their own policy to spur the development of wind power. That leaves the United States as a kind of uncertain frontier where, like the Wild West, fortunes could be made or lost. The fortune at stake is not just local jobs, but leadership in a lucrative technology which these industry leaders agree is “limitless”.

Wind power is already booming, but because energy demand is always rising and wind is renewable, this industry could grow for decades without slowing down. All they need is enough time to build, which relies upon the PTC. Julius Steiner characterized this moment as, “the middle of the beginning for the renewable energy industry.” He compared potential renewable energy policy to the laws that made the Interstate Highway system possible, hoping for a similar national push towards a nationally beneficial energy infrastructure. They were all unanimous in a sense of urgency: the time to expand the PTC was now. If the tax credits are allowed to expire, opportunities could be lost and manufacturing jobs will be the first to suffer.

I left with a firm impression that these industry leaders are optimistic about the future. Having survived previous boom-and-bust cycles, they felt that they had passed a critical phase in their industry development, and that a foundation had been built on their end. But, I agree with Julius Steiner when he said that we needed to get the “fundamentals right in our country” by setting a policy foundation for renewable energy to launch from.

Several states have already begun to move in that direction, but the wind and sun know no political boundaries. Even a minimum national policy would help us diversify the power grid, move towards energy independence, and build manufacturing jobs at home instead of exporting them overseas. On top of it all, we would have cleaner air and contribute less to climate change. Wind power is already a leader among renewable energy technologies, and its future is bright - that is not in question. The question instead is whether or not we, as a nation, will support it now and reap the economic and ecological benefits later, or delay it another year while our competition forges ahead.

See a video of highlights from the press conference here.

(AP Photo/The Rosen Group, Kevin Wolf via AWEA’s Flickr)

(Many thanks to Kate Marshall for a copy of the graph.)

Asia

Two “Extinct” Species Discovered

First there was Swinshoe’s softshell turtle, and then the Javan Elephant. Is this more commonplace than we might believe?

Frankly, no. Despite the occasional hubbub over an animal science has lost track of– say, the Coelacanth– we’ve witnessed something extraordinary. Swinshoe’s turtle was previously believed to be extinct in the wild, with only three remaining in captivity, and therefore every one of these 300-pound turtles is a critical find.

Continue reading: Environmental Graffiti. Hot in media: Stumble Upon.

Building Ban for Beijing Olympics

All building sites in Beijing will be shut three weeks before the start of the Olympic Games, as the city tries to clear its skies of pollution.

Digging, pouring of concrete and outdoor spray-painting will also be banned under plans announced by the Environmental Protection Bureau.

The move follows mounting concern that athletes may suffer from Beijing’s noxious atmosphere.

Continue reading: BBC. Hot in media: Care2 News Network.

China ‘Now Top Carbon Polluter’

China has already overtaken the US as the world’s “biggest polluter”, a report to be published next month says.

The research suggests the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have been underestimated, and probably passed those of the US in 2006-2007.

The University of California team will report their work in the Journal of Environment Economics and Management.

Continue reading: BBC. Hot in media: Digg.

South America

Amazon Tribe Enlists Google in Battle with Illegal Loggers

You may know it as Google, but in bamboo-and-thatch roundhouses deep in the Amazon rainforest the iconic brand goes by another name. The Surui people, one of the most remote on Earth, call it ragogmakan – “messenger” – and they’re banking on the search engine to save them and their ancestral lands from extinction.

The tribe – whose first contact with the modern world was less than 40 years ago – are replacing their bows and arrows with hi-tech gadgets in their battle for survival. They have already begun using satnav on their traditional trails through the trees. And Google Earth has just agreed to provide high-resolution satellite images of their forest home.

Continue Reading: The Independent. Hot in media: Digg.

GOING, GOING, GONE? New Satellite Images Reveal a Shrinking Amazon Rainforest

Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon may be on the rise, according to high-resolution images released by an agency of the Brazilian government. The images suggest an end to a widely hailed three-year decline in the rate of deforestation and have spurred a public controversy among high-level Brazilian officials, writes Tim Hirsch, author of “The Incredible Shrinking Amazon Rainforest” in the May/June 2008 issue of World Watch magazine.

Deforestation accounts for approximately one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions and is responsible for significant species loss worldwide. Recent anti-deforestation measures under the administration of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have led to a marked drop in the rate of forest loss over the past three years.

Continue reading: ENN. Take action: Petition to save the Amazon.

Africa

Dockers Refuse to Unload China Arms Shipment for Zimbabwe

South African dockers are refusing to unload a Chinese cargo ship carrying 77 tonnes of small arms destined for Zimbabwe.

The arms, including three million rounds of ammunition suitable for AK47s and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, were ordered by the Zimbabwean military at the time of the March 29 election – which Britain and other Western powers have accused Robert Mugabe of trying to rig.

Continue reading: Times Online. Hot in media: Digg.

Middle East

Bahrain World Trade Center Activates Wind Turbines

You may remember that about a year ago we brought you news of the Bahrain World Trade Center, which was designed to have three giant turbines provide power to the building. Well, this past Tuesday, the project was finally completed, with the final testing and installation of the enormous wind turbines which power the building. This week, Bahrain WTC has, for the first time, activated all three 29m-diameter turbines at the same time!

Continue Reading: Inhabitat. Hot in media: Digg.

North America

Canada Leads Way with Ban on Baby Bottles Containing Bisphenol A

The government announced Friday that Canada will be the first country to ban plastic baby bottles with bisphenol A after concluding the chemical is toxic.

Health Minister Tony Clement unveiled the “precautionary and prudent” move while trying to calm fears with a limited ban of the widely used chemical, also found in hard plastic sports bottles and tin cans of food and infant formula. Most Canadians “need not be concerned” about the health effects of bisphenol A, but Clement said “this is not the case for newborns and infants.”

Continue reading: The Gazette.

Europe

Biofuel Rule Will Do More Harm Than Good, Oxfam Says

U.K. fuels for cars and trucks must contain biofuels starting today, a move that may do more harm than good to the environment and drive food prices higher, charities including Oxfam and Greenpeace said.

Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, suppliers must ensure that 2.5 percent of fuel sold at U.K. pumps consists of biofuels, which are made from crops and grasses. The requirement will rise to 5 percent by 2010. The Department for Transport says the plan will cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 2.5 million metric tons a year.

Continue reading: Bloomberg. Hot in media: Digg.

Global

Millions Of Pounds Of Trash Found On Ocean Beaches

Ocean Conservancy released its annual report on trash in the ocean with new data from the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup the most comprehensive snapshot of the harmful impacts of marine debris. The mission of Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup is to engage people to remove trash from the world’s beaches and waterways, to identify the sources of debris and to change the behaviors that cause pollution.

This year, more than 378,000 volunteers participated in cleanups around every major body of water around the globe. Volunteers record the trash found on land and underwater allowing Ocean Conservancy a global snapshot of the problem.

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