Clean Energy Economy

[Guest Serena Ingre]

Workers at every skill level will be in high demand and enjoy greater job security in key industries essential to building a clean-energy economy in America and fighting global warming, according to a new report released today by a coalition of conservation and labor groups.

 

The report also helps define “green jobs” noting that hundreds of thousands of workers in the U.S. already possess the vast majority of skills and occupations necessary to reduce global warming and make the shift to a clean energy economy.

[Guest LAW_*]

SunPower (nasdaq: SPWR - news - people ), a leading manufacturer of high-performance solar energy technology, predicts that solar will account for about 10% to 20% of all new power plants in the U.S. by 2015.

[Guest John McCain 2008]

John McCain Believes That The U.S. Must Become A Leader In A New International Green Economy. Green jobs and green technology will be vital to our economic future. There is no reason that the U.S. should not be a leader in developing and deploying these new technologies.

 

John McCain Will Commit $2 Billion Annually To Advancing Clean Coal Technologies. Some believe that marketing viable clean coal technologies could be over 15 years away. John McCain believes that this is too long to wait, and we need to commit significant federal resources to the science, research and development that advance this critical technology. Once commercialized, the U.S. can then export these technologies to countries like China that are committed to using their coal - creating new American jobs and allowing the U.S. to play a greater role in the international green economy.

 

John McCain Will Put His Administration On Track To Construct 45 New Nuclear Power Plants By 2030 With The Ultimate Goal Of Eventually Constructing 100 New Plants. Nuclear power is a proven, zero-emission source of energy, and it is time we recommit to advancing our use of nuclear power. The U.S. has not started construction on a new nuclear power plant in over 30 years. China, India and Russia have goals of building a combined total of over 100 new plants and we should be able to do the same. It is also important for the U.S. to be able to build the components for these plants and reactors within our country so that we are not dependent on foreign suppliers with long wait times to move forward with our nuclear plans.

[Guest Duke Energy]

South Carolinians now have the option to support local renewable energy providers and improve the environment through the new Palmetto Clean Energy (PaCE) program. This program, one of the first multi-utility programs in the nation, allows utility customers to purchase blocks of electricity generated from renewable or "clean" sources, such as wind, solar and biomass.

 

PaCE is a collaborative program among Duke Energy Carolinas, Progress Energy Carolinas, South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., the South Carolina Energy Office and the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff. The initiative is designed to encourage the development of green power in the state by helping local generators offset the high cost of generating electricity from renewable energy resources.

 

"There is a growing interest across the nation in renewable forms of energy and PaCE will provide an opportunity for our state's citizens and utility customers to support these efforts through a donation or by purchasing a block of renewable energy from PaCE through these participating utilities," said Dukes Scott, executive director of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff.

 

Customers of the state's investor-owned utilities can support Palmetto Clean Energy through voluntary tax-deductible contributions on their monthly bills that are passed through to PaCE. Each $4 contribution purchases a 100 kilowatt-hour block of "clean" energy from renewable or alternative energy sources that will be placed on the state's power grid. A one-time, tax- deductible contribution can also be made by anyone wanting to support PaCE.

 

In addition to supporting the program by enrolling customers, Duke Energy Carolinas, Progress Energy Carolinas and South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. are also investing in PaCE by providing initial funding. To find additional information on Palmetto Clean Energy or to sign up, visit palmettocleanenergy.org.

 

Palmetto Clean Energy (PaCE) is a non-profit renewable energy program designed to encourage the development of renewable energy resources that improve the environment through reduced greenhouse-gas emissions. PaCE is a collaborative effort among Duke Energy Carolinas, Progress Energy Carolinas and South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., working with the South Carolina Energy Office and the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff, to provide more than 1.2 million South Carolina customers with an opportunity to support green energy initiatives through tax-deductible contributions. These contributions are collected by the utilities and distributed to PaCE in their entirety.

 

Lloyd Yates, President and Chief Executive Officer - Progress Energy Carolinas:

"Progress Energy is committed to providing our customers with the opportunity to support the use and development of renewable energy. This is an important part of our balanced strategy to address climate change and meet the growing energy demand of our customers. Progress Energy is proud to be a partner in this new statewide effort to promote the use of alternative energy to help secure our nation's energy future."

 

Kevin Marsh, President and Chief Operating Officer - South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.:

"Each donation to PaCE is a tangible sign of hope for a cleaner environment. The support for energy produced from renewable resources will make a difference as we work toward the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

 

"SCE&G is pleased to offer our customers an opportunity to support renewable generation in South Carolina. As a partner in this statewide effort, we believe the development of alternative energy sources is an important step toward providing clean energy for future generations."

 

Keith Trent, Group Executive and Chief Strategy, Policy and Regulatory Officer - Duke Energy

"Building a bridge to a low-carbon economy represents one of the most important challenges of our time. Duke Energy remains committed to reducing its carbon footprint through a strong focus on energy efficiency, new technology and programs such as PaCE which give our customers an opportunity to offset environmental impacts from their daily lives, as well."

 

John Clark, Director - South Carolina Energy Office

"Every watt of renewable energy we generate here is money we don't send out of state, and emissions we don't send into the air. The South Carolina Energy Office expects PaCE to provide a significant boost to our efforts to promote the development of renewable energy in the state."

 

http://www.progress-energy.com

http://www.palmettocleanenergy.org

[Guest Simon B.]

Improving energy efficiency can be far more profitable than building new energy supply infrastructure. However, investment in energy efficiency around the world is not taking advantage of the full potential for improvement that is available.

[Guest Zarmineh]

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Abu Dhabi's Masdar Initiative, testified during a U.S. Congressional hearing before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming in Washington, D.C. Through this prominent opportunity, he shared Abu Dhabi's best practices and key learnings in its quest to accelerate the widespread deployment of clean and affordable renewable energy.

 

Invited to present by Committee Chairman, Congressman Ed Markey, Dr. Al Jaber spoke at the hearing entitled, "Towns in Transition: Planning Communities for a Changing Climate," during which he provided insights on Abu Dhabi's Masdar City, which will be the world's first carbon-neutral,

car-free city, which is also 100 percent powered by renewable energy. The Committee, which was established in 2007 by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, works to add urgency and resources to address the challenges of America's dependence on oil and the threat of global warming.

 

"At this historic moment I'm articulating Abu Dhabi's strategic vision of a new partnership on clean energy and sustainable human development," Dr. Al Jaber told the Committee. "We seek to partner with the U.S., and the global community at large, in championing these important issues through

extensive bilateral ties and investment," he added.

 

The hearing addressed innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues, including more efficient use of land, water, energy, and transportation. Particular attention was paid to models and case studies from around the globe which could be transferred to the United States and other countries.

 

The testimony highlighted global demographics changes which further underscore the urgency for solutions at scale. "For the first time in history, more than half of the world's population now lives in cities, with their traditional energy inefficiencies, waste and pollution," Dr. Al Jaber told the Committee. "We must fundamentally re-think how cities can conserve energy and other resources. We must heavily employ new technologies and even create new urban models, as we are doing in Masdar City," he added.

 

Dr. Al Jaber's testimony was well received by the Members of Congress. During his comments, Chairman Markey (D-Massachusetts) said "Masdar City and Abu Dhabi represent the future of sustainable communities." "Masdar is one of the most amazing projects in the world," Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D- Missouri) added. Similar sentiments were also echoed by Congressmen

Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon), Jay Inslee (D-Washington) and other members of the committee.

 

"I believe that my appearance here today will lead to more partnerships with American companies and institutions," said Al Jaber. "The Committee's work closely mirrors our own belief that we can help bring communities together for a common cause, by jointly addressing fundamental issues such

as climate change and sustainable development. This is something the leadership of Abu Dhabi recognized when they took the strategic initiative to make Masdar a reality."

 

Dr. Al Jaber invited the Committee to visit Abu Dhabi to witness Masdar's efforts first hand, and extended an open invitation for collaboration. Following the testimony, he met with U.S. elected officials, industry leaders and members of the media to discuss the Masdar Initiative in depth and to explore collaborative efforts on the future energy challenge.

 

Additionally, Dr. Al Jaber addressed the US-UAE Business Council, including Chamber members representing Middle East companies, in a session titled "Masdar-Transforming the Global Alternative Energy Marketplace." This was followed by a Q&A session with the audience, and attended by

approximately 50 Chamber members.

 

"Abu Dhabi recognizes that a range of solutions are required to meet future energy needs and Masdar reflects our leadership's strategic vision to continue its role as a global energy leader," Dr. Al Jaber told the audience.

 

About Masdar

 

The Masdar Initiative is Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies as well as sustainable design. Masdar is driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), a wholly owned company of the government of Abu Dhabi through the

Mubadala Development Company. In January 2008, Abu Dhabi announced it will invest $15 billion in Masdar, the largest single government investment of its kind. For more information about the Masdar Initiative, please visit http://www.masdaruae.com.

 

 

Press Contact:

 

Zarmineh Rab

Corporate Communications Manager

Masdar

Tel: +971-2-6988049

Fax: +971-2-6988123

Mob: +971 504502315

Email: zrab@masdar.ae

 

Jonathan Adashek

Edelman PR - USA

Tel: +1 (212) 704-8169

Mob: +1 (202) 423-0355

Mob (UAE): +971 501321967

Email: Jonathan.Adashek@edelman.com

 

Laura Misselbrook

Edelman PR - UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3047 2208

Fax: +44 (0) 20 3047 2507

Mob: +44 (0) 7789 887889

Email: Laura.Misselbrook@edelman.com

[Guest We Can Solve it]

New Effort Links Climate Solutions & Urban Opportunity

“We” Campaign partners with Van Jones’ Green For All; Green jobs lifting people out of poverty

 

 

The “We” campaign and Green For All today announced a partnership designed to ignite awareness of the ways in which climate protection policies can bring economic opportunities to some of America’s largest cities.

 

At a Green For All Academy, planned for this fall, dozens of leaders from urban centers will participate in a rigorous program to explain the urgency of the climate crisis and the economic opportunity that comes with solving it. This first leadership class, which will be identified through a highly competitive application process, will help develop a program that is expected to be rolled out nationally in 2009.

 

The goal is to establish a highly organized and visible base of support for climate solutions in America’s cities. The program will propel the hopes of millions of lower income people of color about the jobs that come with solving the climate crisis.

 

“This is seed capital for a game changing initiative,” said Cathy Zoi, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection, which launched the “We” Campaign earlier this year. “This first group of elite leaders will be key in building and sustaining growth in the clean energy sector. They’ll help make

the case that the tremendous job opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable power can be made available to Americans from all walks of life.”

“The environmental movement desperately needs to expand its reach – both in fact and in its image.

 

This partnership will reach communities of color that have not yet engaged on this issue and communities that have only just begun to pay attention,” said Van Jones, founder and president of Green For All. “Today, we’re seeing that the social justice and environmental justice movements

can follow a similar path. As we create thousands of high-paying jobs in urban centers and revolutionize the way Americans consume energy, we can help those most in need of an economic boost play a crucial role in a greener economy.”

 

As part of its agreement with the Alliance, Green For All will recruit and train 30 to 50 emerging leaders from a small number of major urban centers. This group will participate in the first “Green for All Academy,” receiving training in climate science, economic development and community

organizing.

 

“This solutions-oriented approach will lead to new jobs in energy efficiency and renewable power,” said Jones. It will lead to new opportunities, wealth and health in low-income communities. It can bring millions of Americans into the movement for sane climate policy.”

 

Green For All is a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. By advocating for local, state and federal commitments to job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging green economy –

especially for people from disadvantaged communities – Green For All fights both poverty and pollution at the same time.

[Guest Terpfan]

Erin Ailworth of the Boston Globe had an in-depth piece on the "Renewable job market":

 

If you're readying a resume, it might help to use recycled paper. The clean-tech and green industries in Massachusetts are hiring.

 

Companies looking to add employees include Aeronautica Windpower in Plymouth, lithium-ion battery maker Boston-Power Inc. in Westborough, and Conservation Services Group, also in Westborough. Eco-friendly experience is a plus, but not required.

 

The workforce expansions are being partly spurred by the federal economic stimulus package, which includes billions for home energy-efficiency upgrades and an extension of a tax credit for renewable energy technologies such as wind power. Within the next two years, stimulus spending is expected to create or save 79,000 jobs in Massachusetts, and an estimated 3.5 million nationwide, according to the federal government.

 

Soon after Congress passed the nearly $800 billion bill last month, Stephen Cowell, chief executive of Conservation Services Group, said he told his staff, "Get the resumes together." In the last six months, the energy-efficiency company has hired about 50 employees in its main office. Because of the stimulus bill as well as several new contracts, Cowell plans to add 200 more jobs this year. The company currently employs about 400 and does business in 22 states. At least 30 to 40 of the new jobs will be in Massachusetts, he said.

 

"We're sort of the tip of the iceberg," Cowell said. "A couple of hundred people will be hired here, but that means that 2,000 people will be hired at the local level to do the work that we spec out and help facilitate."

[Guest Lisa Rinkus]

Conservation Services Group (CSG) today announced an average annual job growth of 27 percent, expansion to 22 states and the procurement of $100 million in new contracts to launch its 25th anniversary year. The Mass.-based company is bucking the current economic trend, due to a burgeoning demand for energy efficiency programs nationwide, according to CEO Stephen L. Cowell.

 

CSG started out in 1984 with one office in Boston. Today, the energy services firm has 14 locations

and 400 employees nationwide. CSG’s revenues have increased 77 percent, from $35 million to $62

million since 2005. Over the same four-year period, jobs grew 111 percent, from 180 to 381 employees nationwide. Revenues are expected to top $80 million in 2009. Comprising the design and delivery of energy efficiency programs, new contracts range from a residential home energy improvement program in the Carolinas, to energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) programs in Southern California.

 

Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Ian Bowles, said, "For a quarter of a

century, CSG has helped individuals and businesses save money on energy and reduce greenhouse

gas emissions. This Massachusetts-based company did it before climate change became a global

environmental imperative and before energy efficiency became a top national and state priority.

Governor Patrick and I are proud of CSG’s example of how the Commonwealth’s leadership in energy efficiency can bring jobs and economic development to the state."

 

CSG’s new contracts comprise several multi-year contracts, in addition to programs for the year 2009.

These include:

 

• Residential Energy Solutions — Ameren Illinois Utilities

• Residential Energy Conservation Efficiency Services — Cascade Natural Gas

Corporation (Washington)

• Efficiency marketing services — Columbia Gas of Ohio

• Residential Home Energy Improvement Program — Progress Energy Carolinas

• HVAC Quality Install Program — Southern California Edison

• Residential Energy Efficiency Services — Tennessee Valley Authority

• ENERGY STAR New Homes – Unisource Gas, Unisource Electric.

 

CSG’s call centers, located in Fall River, Mass., Portland, Ore. and Victorville, Calif., support these

and dozens of other programs nationwide. In the past year, requests for services have grown by

105 percent. The company’s main call center, in Fall River, is scheduled for expansion later this

year. The Victorville office is moving to a larger space in the spring to accommodate additional

staffers. CSG will be opening a new call center in Nashville, Tenn., to support programs in the ever

expanding Southeast region.

 

Cowell said, “Energy efficiency is sweeping the country. CSG is now working in states that have

not espoused conservation in the past. It has come a long way since the seventies, when we shivered

in the dark. Today’s technologies make homes and buildings more comfortable, while reducing energy consumption. Our growth is testimony to the increasing awareness, importance and cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency. It is a very exciting time to be working in this industry.”

 

Conservation Services Group was founded in 1984 and is based in Westborough, Mass. The company

provides energy saving strategies, program design, management services and renewable energy

technologies to consumers and businesses nationwide.

 

For more information visit, http://www.csgrp.com.

[Guest LAW]

The President talked about Itron and A123 Systems, both companies that were able to capitalize their growth by taking advantage of the Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit in the Recovery Act, which helped several companies hire more workers, add equipment, boost output, and promote American business in the clean energy industry.

 

In fact, this program was so successful that it was oversubscribed by a ratio of three to one. That’s why I’ve called for an additional $5 billion in investment into these projects to accelerate the creation of clean-energy jobs in America’s factories. Because every time a new factory or plant opens or expands in America, it becomes important to more people than the workers it employs; it becomes an economic lifeline to a community, capable of supporting dozens, or hundreds, or even thousands of jobs indirectly.

[Guest HUMAN]

Lets understand where the clean energy resources are located.

 

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/02/22/The-worlds-next-resource-conflict/UPI-32341266872705/

[Guest Peter Brehm]

The American Power Act -Senator John Kerry and Joe Lieberman's clean energy and climate legislation-was released last week. I'm writing because the Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act - which would provide direct assistance to help manufacturers retool for clean energy production and become more energy efficient - is NOT in the bill. It's up to us to change that.

 

Tell him you applaud his work on the American Power Act - but without direct support for U.S. manufacturers, the clean energy jobs it creates won't be American jobs!

 

I work in the clean-energy manufacturing field and truly believe it is in America's best economic interest to embrace clean technologies. The U.S. has already fallen behind many other countries in the clean energy race, particularly when it comes to job creation through the manufacture of clean energy technologies. That's why it so important to ensure that new climate and clean energy policies create American jobs-especially American manufacturing jobs-and that's why I'm asking you to take action today.

 

Please fax Senator John Kerry TODAY and tell him the final Senate clean energy and climate bill must give American manufacturers the long-term, direct support they need to make our country a leading producer - and not just consumer - of clean technologies. Click here to fax Sen. Kerry.

 

You've probably heard about the IMPACT Act, Sen. Sherrod Brown's bill to invest $30 billion in state-level revolving loan funds to help small and medium-sized manufacturers retool their facilities for clean energy production, and understand the need for the U.S. to make a long-term commitment to domestic clean energy manufacturing. My company, Infinia, is the poster child for how policies like the IMPACT Act can create jobs. We are a renewable energy company, and virtually our entire supply chain is composed of automobile industry suppliers. The IMPACT Act would help these companies retool and take full advantage of the rapidly growing clean energy market.

 

Although the American Power Act does include some important investments in clean energy manufacturing-such as the expansion of the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit program-they fall far short of the massive investments that China and many European nations are making in clean energy manufacturing.

 

We need comprehensive federal clean energy and climate policies to ramp up demand for clean energy products like solar concentrators, wind turbines and electric car batteries. But we also need to give U.S. manufacturers the long-term support they need so we can make these products in America.

 

Join me in working to improve the American Power Act. Fax Senator Kerry today and tell him: Now is the moment to act decisively on clean energy and climate legislation, but let's do it right! Let's fulfill the job-creation potential of new clean energy policies by including the IMPACT Act in the Senate clean energy bill.