GE Invests $600M to Build Largest US Solar Plant | GreenBiz

2011-04-08 Adam Aston

Looking back it’s easy to pinpoint the moment the U.S. wind industry came of age: April 12, 2002, when General Electric won Enron Wind Corp.’s wind assets in a bankruptcy auction.

The conglomerate’s $358 million bid has since mushroomed into a $6 billion dollar business and the fastest-growing electricity generation technology in the U.S.

Now GE is hoping to repeat that trick in solar energy. GE announced yesterday a $600 million investment to start manufacturing solar panels in a new factory slated to be the largest in the U.S.

The move is likely to shake up an industry locked in a near-permanent price war. GE is adapting — and says it has bettered — the same technology as the world’s current high-volume, low-cost manufacturer, FirstSolar, based in Tempe, Ariz.

Rather than produce solar systems based on silicon, a technology which dominates in the panels found on most household and commercial building roofs, GE’s is turning to thin-film materials.

In thin film panels, instead of building the solar cells on silicon wafers, sheets of glass are used to sandwich minuscule layers of active material, including a key ingredient, cadmium telluride (CdTe), which gives the panel their name.

GE says its approach produces the most efficient CdTe panels to date, citing an evaluation by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab. NREL found that GE’s thin film panels convert 12.8 percent of light into electricity, surpassing all previous measurements for CdTe panels.

While only about three-quarters as efficient of conventional silicon panels, the lower manufacturing costs of CdTe thin film panels make them cheaper, measured by per watt of capacity, than any currently viable commercial technology.

Declining to reveal any pricing details, Vic Abate, GE’s vice president of renewable energy, affirmed the company aims to be a price leader.

As part of the announcement, GE completed the acquisition of PrimeStar, Inc., a thin film pioneer that GE first took a minority stake in three years ago. In earlier news, GE has also bid $3.2 billion for Converteam, a maker of advanced electronics used to manage and produce renewable energy…

Continue reading here: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/04/08/ge-invests-600M-build-largest-US-sola…

NRDC OnEarth

PODCAST What Can We Do With All That CO2? | OnEarth

2011-03-22 Adam Aston

You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it, but there’s carbon dioxide in the air all around us. And each day, we’re producing more of it.

For the past 60 years, scientists have been measuring the increased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels (along with rapid deforestation around the planet) sends billions of tons of CO2 into the air each year, and the extra greenhouse gas is causing average global temperatures to climb. To slow down rising temperatures, or stabilize them, scientists say carbon emissions need to be dramatically reduced and eventually brought to zero.

Of course, using carbon-free sources of energy, such as wind and solar, is an obvious way to cut emissions. But the world’s growing energy demands can’t yet be met with renewables and other carbon-free energy, and it will probably be decades before that technology is affordable and widespread. In the meantime, what can we do with all that extra CO2?

In this episode of the Climopedia podcast, Climate Central and OnEarth look at ideas for reducing CO2 concentrations. Columbia University’s Klaus Lackner shares his thoughts on why carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is needed. OnEarth contributor Adam Aston describes new technology that can help scoop CO2 right out of the air (see his story on carbon trees). Finally, Princeton University’s Andrew Bocarsly explains how we might put some of that captured CO2 to good use.

via onearth.org

Check out my mellifluous stylings in the middle third of this short podcast: http://www.onearth.org/media/listen-what-to-do-with-co2

Global CCS Institute

Greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants surged by 5.6% in 2010, largest-ever increase in a single year | Global CCS Institute

2011-03-22 Adam Aston

Amidst increasingly acrimonious political fighting in Washington over the fate of U.S. environmental programs in general, and about climate policy in particular, carbon dioxide emissions from power plants have resumed their upward climb after a recession-related retreat. News of rising emissions is likely to intensify the tug-of-war over federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.

While official data for overall US emissions has not yet been released for 2010* by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), data from power plant emissions—which account for about 40% of total U.S. emissions—point to a return to upward growth in overall emissions as the economy heats up. With demand for electricity falling, overall emissions contracted by 6% during the recession of 2008 and 2009, bucking a trend of steady 0.4% annual growth since 1990. The retreat temporarily deflated the national debate on climate policy.

Now it looks like emissions are climbing again, in sync with the economic recovery. U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from power plants surged by 5.6%, after declining sharply in 2009. The rise last year is largest in a single year since the EPA began tracking the data 15 years ago, according to a study by the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established in March 2002 by former EPA enforcement attorneys to advocate for more effective enforcement of environmental laws.

Reflecting the recovery the economy, growth in emissions mirrors increased demand for power. “Last year’s rise was driven in part by a 3.0% net increase in overall generation for the 12 months ending in November of 2010,” the report noted.

In 2010 carbon dioxide emissions from power plants grew to 2.42 billion metric tons, or gigatonnes, up from 2.30 gigatonnes in 2009, based on data from the EPA’s Clean Air Markets website. Total carbon emissions from power plants were still below the record of 2.57 gigatonnes set in 2007.

Across the U.S., 50 coal-fired power plants accounted for 750 million tons, or megatonnes, of carbon dioxide releases in 2010, nearly one-third of the nation’s total. Four power plants emitted over 20 megatonnes apiece in 2010, two in Georgia, one in Alabama, and one in Texas.

The heaviest emitting states were Texas with 257 million tons, nearly twice the volume of the number two state, Florida, where power plants released 130 million tons of carbon emissions. Rounding out the top-10 states were: Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri.

The resurgence in emissions come amidst sustained opposition to new coal burning facilities, and a shift by utilities to replace older coal plants with natural gas.

Nearly 4.5 gigawatts of new coal-fired electric generation came on line in 2010, the study notes, about half of that in Texas.

But power companies have also announced plans to retire almost 12 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity in coming years, including the January announcement last month that Xcel would close nearly 900 megawatts of coal-fired capacity at four different power stations in Colorado.

* U.S. greenhouse gas data for 2009 was released in draft form on Feb. 15, 2011. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads11/US-GHG-Inventory-2011-Complete_Report.pdf

via globalccsinstitute.com

The Fiscal Times

Charge! Electric Cars Fueled by Higher Gas Prices | The Fiscal Times

2011-03-17 Adam Aston

Turmoil in the Middle East, uncertainty about oil prices, and gasoline still flirting with the nerve-rattling level of $4 per gallon in some parts of the country are making consumers nervous. Even after prices slipped in response to concerns about reduced demand from the crisis in Japan, oil is now trading at about $100 a barrel. Prices are likely to stay high in the near term, or even rise further, given recovering economies in much of the world, unrest in the Arab world, and the coming summer travel season.

We’ve been there before, only worse. In 2008, when oil peaked near $150 a barrel, car buyers stampeded away from big, gas-guzzling vehicles and overall auto sales collapsed. Just as Hummers were practically being given away, automakers responded with fleets of smaller hybrid vehicles, and the path to sustainable energy consumption was set.

The good news today is that the U.S. is better prepared to cope with an oil crisis with the advent of the electric car. All but written off in the 1990s, following GM’s decision to junk its EV1, dozens of highly efficient electric vehicles (EVs) are headed for U.S. roads this year and next.

“It’s not just improved car technology,” says Jack Hidary, Global EV Leader at Hertz, which is rolling out electric vehicles at rental sites in the U.S. and overseas. Beyond carmakers, other big players “see a roadmap of business models to make EVs a commercial success,” says Hidary, a technology entrepreneur who was a co-architect of the federal Cash for Clunkers program…

More here: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/03/17/Electric-Cars-Gas-Prices.aspx

Global CCS Institute

Will nuclear fears shift development to renewables and CCS? | Global CCS Institute

2011-03-16 Adam Aston

A week into Japan’s triple tragedy—earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident—the implications are still unfolding. Analysts are beginning to map out how the nuclear accident could affect global energy trends for nuclear, conventional energy, and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Continue reading Will nuclear fears shift development to renewables and CCS? | Global CCS Institute →

GreenBiz

With its First-Ever CSO, UPS Kicks Sustainability Up to the C-Suite | GreenBiz

2011-03-16 Adam Aston

Scott Wicker started at United Parcel Service, Inc. on his first day of college in 1977. The job was part of a deal with his dad: If Wicker could help support his own expenses, his dad would cover housing costs and tuition at Wayne State. Responding to a flyer posted in a school administration building, Wicker applied to UPS and was unloading big rigs in no time.

Thirty-four years and a couple of engineering degrees later, Wicker’s still at UPS. In that time, he’s gone from the loading dock to supervising the $50-billion company’s sustainability strategy and practices.

On Wednesday, Wicker got kicked upstairs, becoming the shipping giant’s first chief sustainability officer. Wicker was promoted from his former role as vice president of sustainability and plant engineering.

The new title culminates a decades-long process at UPS to elevate sustainability to the company’s highest levels of management. “It was strategic decision, made between our CEO and COO,” says Wicker. “[Sustainability] is high on their list of priorities, so things get done. ”

As CSO, Wicker serves on a steering committee that routinely gathers the company’s top brass — its CFO, CIO, COO, plus heads of marketing and communications, human resources, and communications, among others — to oversee green strategy and help coordinate efforts of midlevel sustainability working groups across the enterprise.

The approach is part of an effort over the past few years “to really put teeth into our sustainability programs,” Wicker said in telephone interview earlier this week. “As sustainability has moved along and we wanted to accelerate that, we needed more structure, and the organization has recognized that fact.”

Top priorities for Wicker include devolving sustainability practices more deeply throughout UPS’ sprawling global operations. To spread the word, UPS will continue to rely on internal training and communications.

Wicker also sees the profit potential in green service offerings as a way to recruit serious commitment from UPS’ sales teams. “We’ve learned we have a competitive advantage in this area, and staff are always interested in ways to sell our business better from a sustainability perspective,” says Wicker. “One of the first places we went was to the sales and marketing team to see the benefits of these programs.”

One example of a green feature that is winning over customers, says Wicker, is UPS’ push to develop detailed carbon footprint reporting for practically any shipment a UPS customer makes. “Every year, the requirement from our customers gets tougher, so our data has to get better and better,” says Wicker.

For instance, the General Services Administration, the federal government’s buying arm, is requiring carbon information for its suppliers. For companies working to meet that requirement by measuring and improving their supply chain, “They discover UPS is big piece of their business model.” … Continue reading here greenbiz.com

Global CCS Institute

US clean energy stimulus spending starts slow: CCS funding last out of the gate | Global CCS Institute

2011-03-11 Adam Aston

In 2009, when newly elected President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, nearly $65 billion was allotted to fund green programs.

For the U.S.’s nascent clean energy industry, the funds were like finding fresh water on a long, parched journey. The funds promised to rejuvenate American cleantech industries, and help them catch-up with European players who had benefitted from more public funding, over a longer period. Continue reading US clean energy stimulus spending starts slow: CCS funding last out of the gate | Global CCS Institute →

GreenBiz

How the ARPA-E ‘Incubator’ Helps Hatch Next-Gen Energy Projects | GreenBiz

2011-02-23 Adam Aston

Short for Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, ARPA-E is modeled after the more familiar DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Famously, DARPA invented and incubated the proto-Internet nearly 50 (!) years ago and stands out as a success story, repeated by the left and right alike, of government investment in basic technologies.

ARPA-E shares more than just the familiar — if awkward — acronym from its predecessor. (I guess EARPA just sounded a little silly.) Like DARPA’s approach, ARPA-E is curating very early stage technologies, picking and cultivating those that could, it hopes, deliver Internet-scale disruptive benefits to the energy economy.

Even in the best of times, such an audacious goal is a serious challenge. But as Arun Majumdar, ARPA-E’s director, told the attendees at the State of Green Business Forum last week in Washington, D.C., the energy innovation incubator also faces tough budgetary realities, despite promising early successes.

“Our goal by statute is to look for technologies that don’t exist in the energy markets today … These are disruptive, not incremental, technologies,” Majumdar said.

Like his boss Steven Chu, Majumdar has a science pedigree from the West Coast’s energy-technology-policy hothouse at University California at Berkeley and nearby Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

And like his boss, Majumdar arrived in D.C. to find strong support for energy research. The agency’s first year budget, at $400 million, was divvied up and deployed into about 400 projects across six research areas (more on those below) in short order.

But now, with that foundation laid, ARPA-E’s funding for both fiscal year 2011 ($300 million requested) and 2012 ($550 million requested) is stalled in the fight over the budget. With its extant funds committed and despite bipartisan support, “we’re in a holding pattern,” said Majumdar.

Last month, the agency announced that six of projects it had funded generated private investment. The half dozen projects that originally received a total of $23.6 million in seed funding from ARPA-E attracted another nearly $100 million in outside private capital investment, Majumdar said.

About one-third of first year funding went to university projects, 40 percent to small businesses, another 5 percent or so to national labs, and the remainder to corporate R&D projects. For the smaller projects, “this is a huge boost … These scientists cannot go to the bank or to venture capitalist because the projects are often pre-prototype,” Majumdar explained…

Continue reading here: greenbiz.com

Global CCS Institute

Carbon capture fares well in Obama’s 2012 federal budget proposal | Global CCS Institute

2011-02-22 Adam Aston

Round 1 in the US budgeting process has begun, with key green priorities such as carbon capture surviving with barely a scratch.

In the face of relentless pressure to cut public spending, President Obama proposed a U.S. federal budget for fiscal year 2012 that “essentially treads water on energy and the environment” as The New York Times’ John M. Broder put it. Continue reading Carbon capture fares well in Obama’s 2012 federal budget proposal | Global CCS Institute →

GreenBiz

The Blend of Judo & Kabuki That’s Driving Sustainability at GSA | GreenBiz

2011-02-18 Adam Aston

As a crucial part of his ambitious goal to turn the federal government into a leader in green practices, President Obama has turned to an unexpected resource to help drive the effort: the government’s purchasing and property arm, the General Services Administration.

The GSA’s administrator, Martha Johnson, was picked to lead this mission as head of the giant agency last February. Speaking at the State of Green Business Forum in Washington, D.C. yesterday, Johnson asserted that the twin challenges of fiscal pressure and sustainability goals are perfectly matched to create change at an organization better known for its role as buying agent for some $90 billion worth of government materials and manager of half a million federal buildings.

“One of the things about sustainability in government which is so beautiful is… it talks about ‘no waste’,” Johnson said. Focusing on sustainability reframes the discussion away from negative connotations of cost cutting towards positive attitudes about constructive change.

“The government has a choice,” she added. “We are either under this screw of cutting costs, or we can judo it and say: Let’s be about sustainability, less waste in the system, and more intelligent use of resources. It really changes about how we think about tax payer dollar. That is a huge shift.”

Mere months after entering office, Johnson and her leadership team unveiled a goal of reducing the agency’s environmental footprint to zero. It’s a vision that wowed many, and mystified some, in the green community, given its audacious scope and the uncertainty of just how to achieve it.

Yet for Johnson, it’s the sort of “stretch goal” that the agency is ready for. “Of course we don’t know how to get to zero environmental footprint,” said Johnson. “If you knew how to do it, you should be doing it already.”

Big goals inspire staff and animate new thinking about old ways of operating, she added: “It’s very much like President Kennedy talking about the moonshot. I don’t mean to be grandiose or anything, but that’s helpful.”

With a background in the private sector heavy with “organizational transformation” experience, Johnson regards greening the GSA as serious challenge that can help lead practices elsewhere in the economy.

In the past, huge goals have acted as pole stars, inspiring change and spreading from industry to industry, such as “total quality” or “total safety.” “That north star notion,” she said, “That’s what zero environmental footprint is about.”

Steps toward this goal are multiplying across the agency’s operations. As part of the Recovery Act, for example, the agency was awarded $5 billion to retrofit federal buildings with greener technology…. Continue reading here: greenbiz.com

Writer, editor, content advisor, creative leader – energy, climate | Chief storyteller at RMI | Co-founder of T Brand at The New York Times