America’s new energy grid gets smart. What does the new stimulus package mean for your electric bill?
President Obama’s recent stimulus package includes large resources devoted to energy efficiency, renewable energy research, guaranteed loans, and tax credits. This means big changes on the horizon for the way America produces the energy it needs to run itself.
The challenge is that renewable sources like solar and wind deliver power sporadically which means a new grid will have to be laid out in order to regulate the flow.
According to IBM and the Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition, the so-called “smart grid” dramatically reduce outages and faults, improves responsiveness, handles current and future demand, increases efficiency and manages costs. Consumers benefit with new power options like customized pricing and real-time monitoring of their usage and costs.
The Intelligent Utility Network also helps consumers actively participate in solving critical energy problems by making “smart” homes and energy-conscious choices possible.
For a complete breakdown of how the smart grid works, check out IBM’s awesome podcast presentation:
Whatever happened to the idea of the paperless office?
As soon as CD-Roms replaced library card catalogs, the notion of swapping physical information for the magic of binary code has enticed business owners in every category to “go paperless.” Those refusing the intangible wizardry have held onto their markers in place of Macs but have been paying for it not only in storage costs, but environmentally.
The better we get with technology and the more pervasive things like video conferencing are as opposed to just calling in on a conference call, the more easier that’s gonna be for folks to palette.
The resources to find a happy balance between the old ways and the new are abundant. Little things like shutting down all your office equipment at night, setting printers to draft mode, and procuring planet-friendly papermay bring your office’s old ways to an acceptable present.
For the full interview with Alex Szabo, click here.
If your office mates are still too stubborn to follow some simple steps toward sustainable office space, check out some of the following links:
With stocks at bargain prices in this volatile market, which green energy companies are your best bet?
The future of energy is in critical condition and the largest investment firms are looking more and more to the new industries whose clean energy supplies could salvage the sputtering market.
One way to get involved is with green exchange traded funds, commonly known as ETFs. These are essentially mutual funds supporting renewable and cleaner sources of energy and technologies. EFT shares are traded all day long on the major stock market exchanges. These funds can hold dozens, even thousands of companies under one umbrella unified by an environmental theme.
It’s clear that despite the market-wide downturns of late, green ETFs have performed with stability and predictable gains. The slow and steady approach to green investing may be just the way to inch your way out your hole and be a part of the inevitable movement toward sustainable, locally produced energy.
For more tips on green investing, check out some of these links:
$6 billion for clean and safe water, creating more than 200,000 jobs
This insures critical funding for the nation’s pipes and treatment plants. We don’t often worry too much about where our clean water comes from and this line seeks to keep it that way.
$4.5 billion for greening federal buildings
The Federal building codes and standards apply to buildings constructed or used by any Federal agency that is not legally subject to state or local building codes. This means that any building, not just the White House, Pentagon, Capital Building, etc., ANY building paying their energy bills with Federal money will be subject to completely revised energy efficiency performance standards which have been set by the DOE.
State energy grants, issued through the Treasury Department, that will fund renewable energy projects that are eligible for the available tax credits.
As of October of last year, the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 prolonged tax credits in solar, fuel cells, and microturbines; increased the credit amount for fuel cells; established new credits for small wind-energy systems, geothermal heat pumps, and combined heat and power (CHP) systems; extended eligibility for the credits to utilities; and allowed taxpayers to take the credit against the alternative minimum tax (AMT) subject to certain limitations. If you’ve got these systems already in place are are planning to build new ones, you should apply here.
Funding for the state energy program, which includes important utility reforms and building code conditions.
$2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy Research and Development.
In many cases, the technology just isn’t there yet and it takes resources to get there, hence, this line item.
$5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program, creating approximately 90,000 jobs
The expansion of this service will help the program reach a critical mass and deliver what it was designed to do - help low income families make energy efficiency improvements on their homes and spend less on utilities. See if you qualify here.
A multi-year extension of the renewable production tax credit.
Even greater insurance to individuals and corporations interested in these upgrades that their renewable energy improvements will be rewarded for many years to come. This is the kind of thing that boosts investor confidence in green stocks.
A more effective tax credit for home efficiency upgrades.
If you’re not eligible for the Wheatherization Assistance Program, now you can receive the big discounts on the home energy improvements you do yourself.
$6 billion in loan guarantees for renewables, transmission and leading edge biofuels
This is a great boon for companies investing in these industries. Now there will be real money to back up the loans guaranteed by the government. This comes as particular significance to the USDA.
$2 billion for advanced batteries
More than just rechargeable batteries for your TV remote, this category of tech development may be the most important. Certainly the automotive industry has a lot to gain with hybrid-electric vehicles seeking to replace the current fleet. Here’s an interesting piece from the US Advanced Battery Consortium (USCAR). The storage of electricity produced on a massive scale for residential and commercial use is also an integral component to making the new renewable grid happen.
$9.3 billion for intercity rail, including high-speed rail
With these new high-speed rail systems, the U.S. may actually be up to speed with the rest of the world. Here’s a little more on that idea.
$27.5 billion for highways (this large pot of money is not exclusively for highways, and states and cities must use this flexibility to invest in fuel-efficient public transportation)
While this may seem a bit imbalanced up against the public transportation budgets, the ethos behind it suggests the auto fleet will be markedly cleaner by the time the highways are improved. Like it or not, the U.S. is a car culture which means the industries and infrastructure must change to accommodate it.
$8.4 billion for transit
$1.5 billion in competitive grants for transportation investments (which could be used for public transportation)
These last two lines combined with the high-speed rail budget is a pretty formidable sum to help the country’s beleaguered public trans condition. However, it may also prove to be a mere drop in the bucket if the other energy system improvements are not met.
When choosing gold jewelry for your Valentine this year, consider the dirty secrets of this so-called precious metal.
The world’s gold is in short supply and the amount collected in the last 500 yearsd could fill two Olympic sized swimming pools. Within the last 50 years, the old wild west methods of panning and prospecting have been replaced by mountain leveling, open-pit mining that creates man made earth gashes that can be seen from space.
Having the least vital relevance to human existence, gold generates more waste per ounce than any other metal. One ounce, the amount found in a typical wedding ring, requires the removal of more than 250 tons of rock and ore. Cyanide is used to leach gold from the ore and the lead and mercury heavy waste slurry is commonly dumped into local water resources decimating fish, wildlife, and poisoning the food chain for generations.
If you really want to dazzle your Valentine this year, try buy from retailers like Tiffany & Co that are pushing mining standards higher.
For more facts and alternatives to dirty gold, check out some of these powerful images and links:
If Green building can save the housing market, what’s holding us back?
Our Government holds the power to dramatically effect the fate of the housing market. Legislation that offers financial incentives to lenders helps developers and homeowners who put a premium on energy efficiency. The House Financial Services Committee decides whether a bill that favors Green building will be approved.
For a tax credit to be passed, it’s gotta be taken out of somewhere else so they have to look for offsets to pay for these tax credits in Green buildings and that has been the major obstacle.
While Republicans objected to the estimated $2.7 billion dollar cost associated with the bill, the Obama administration will surly create a strongly activist Congress to push progressive ideas like this ahead.
For more on the green path out of the housing crisis, check out some of the following links.
As founder and president of Fox Potomac Resources, Sean Todd has over a decade of work within the Legislative Branch, Executive Branch and private sector lobbying arena in Washington, D.C. Prior to founding FPR, he spent three years in the government affairs and marketing offices of International Technology Corporation. He is responsible for the development, implementation and management of firm’s activities, including client development, execution of work and deliverables, and sole P&L responsibilities.
Q: What is holding legislative bodies from passing Green building policies?
A: What’s holding back the House of Representatives specifically in passing financial incentives and tax rebates to promote the use of green technologies in buildings is a policy known as pay-as-you-go. Pay-as-you-go is a principle that if you’re passing tax credits, subsidies as some people call them, that the House of Reps, especially the “blue dogs, the coservative to moderate Democrats, want to make sure that we have a balanced budget. In other words, for tax credits to be passed it’s gotta be taken out from somewhere else in the general revenues. So they have to look for offsets, Rich, in somewhere else in the tax code or in the appropriations process to pay for these tax credits in green buildings and that has been, I would say, the major obstacle in finding those offsets to pay for green building tax credits.
Now in the Senate, there is no obstacle there because the blue dogs are a House body and they don’t have as much as a firm pay-as-you-go principle on the Senate side.
Q: What is the current status of the green building initiative before the House Financial Services Committee?
A: Well, Rich, the current status of Green building tax codes and tax legislation really goes before the House Ways and Means Committee which is responsible for all tax pieces of legislation. So Financial Services is the Committee that really has jurisdiction over mortgage credits, banks… the Financial Services Committee is more of an authorizer, if you will, the Ways and Means Committee has to do more with passing actual tax legislation.
Q: With Republicans objecting to previous bills and other like it, do you feel the new administration will be more aggressive to pushing incentives to building green and other environmental actions going forward?
A: Absolutely, Rich. The Obama Administration will be more aggressive in pushing green building tax credits. If you read Obama’s plan, he has a fairly aggressive plan to make all new buildings carbon neutral by 2030, he has a goal to establish new building efficiency by 50% and by 25% over the next decade, he wants to establish a competitive grant program for early adopters to make awards for those states and localities who take the first steps implementing those new building codes. As far as Federal buildings go, it’s even more aggressive under Obama’s plan; he wants to achieve a 40% increase in efficiency in all new Federal buildings within five years and also ensure that all new Federal buildings have zero emissions, in other words, a zero carbon footprint by 2025. Very aggressive goal.
Q: It seems most developers are on board with this and it doesn’t seem too far fetched.
A: Well, they are expensive and if you build green technologies into your mortgage they’re not as expensive but they are at the moment, sort of expensive to put in there. I think the first opportunity will be with Obama’s windfall profit tax initiative. He wants to all companies to take a share of their windfall profits and use it to provide direct relief to individuals and married couples, $500 for individuals, $1000 for a married couple, and I think that will be an opportunity, perhaps, to insert some of these green building tax credits. We’ll have to wait and see. It really depends on the leadership in the House and Senate, Max Baucus in the Senate and Charlie Rangel in the House.
Q: What is the relationship in your perspective between the economic crisis and the environmental crisis?
A: Well that’s a big question, Rich. I’m not sure I have the scope of a mind to tackle this. I think Obama recognizes that they’re both enormous challenges and Presidents can only do so much, they can only really focus on 4, 5, 6 things at a time and he’s gotta establish his priorities. He said in his second debate, then Senator Obama said that he would have energy as his top priority so we’ll see if he lives up to that commitment.
There are many ideas and connotations associated with McDonald’s. With an ever-foreboding presence in America as well as the rest of the world, the fast food giant was always the one to present trends to avoid, not to follow. But after a recent campaign for sustainability in the company, it may be wise for other companies to look to McDonald’s with inspiration rather than desperation.
With the fallen economy looking increasingly difficult to salvage by the day, environmental issues have taken a backseat due to its costs. But McDonald’s have proven that sustainability not only keeps in touch with the Green issue, but also creates new jobs and opportunities much needed in our current state. Who knew a beacon of hope could start with Corporate America?
Will the crushing economy derail the big Green development plans for our cities and towns?
As cities continue to grow, large developers are incorporating sustainable technologies into their buildings. Reusing existing materials and installing roof mounted solar panels are two simple ways skyscrapers are going green.
Related Companies, is one of the biggest developers in the country and is responsible for some of New York City’s most aggressive skyscraper builds.
Jeff Brodsky, President of the Management Division of Related Companies.
Our expectation is that we’re going to be building green buildings, sustainable buildings, across our portfolio. Our commitment is over 30 billion dollars not only built but also in the planning stages and development. It’s an expectation of us that the client is expecting a sustainable and an environmentally sensitive product and if you don’t build it green now, three years from now it’s gonna be an obsolete building anyway.
And Related Companies is just one of many developers following through with their commitment to Green building despite the current economic landscape.
For more on building Green, click on the following links.
Is it possible for America to save money and save the planet?
A recent Gallup poll found that 66% of Americans said the economic crisis was hurting their personal finances. Further, people are more willing to save the environment over economic growth, but not by much.
It’s misrepresented in the main stream media that the problems with the environment and the US economy are inversely related. There’s is no proof that sacrifices of one actually hurt the other.
Anne Thompson, Chief Environmental Correspondent for NBC-Universal,
How do we become less dependent on foreign oil, that is first and foremost in everyone’s mind. I think that is what’s driving people’s interests to find more environmentally friendly ways to do all sorts of things today.
While there’s panic on Wall Street, the message is that the protection of the environment is directly related to a stabilization of our economy.
For more on the environment’s role in the economy, click here.
As we race to live the dream of clean energy we are confronted with obstacles on every front, whether it be inefficient technology, flawed design, or in the case of wind energy, bird life.
The industry itself is actually helping out. They are shutting down wind turbines in the winter when the largest amount of birds are passing through. They also have improved some of the new designs so that they reduced the impact on birds.
As windmill design has improved with larger, slower moving blades easily dodged by flying birds, the hazard to these animals has begun to diminish. Wind energy remains one of our greatest hopes of achieving clean energy independence and the risk to wildlife has certainly been taken into consideration as we progress.
For more on wind energy and the birds at risk, try out some of the following links:
Muncie, Indiana: Brevini USA, a wind turbine manufacturer announced plans for a new $60 million facility that will create about 450 permanent local jobs with annual pay averaging more than $46,000.
Jumbo shrimp, a parkway, pretty ugly, and now clean coal.
Do they think we’re oxymorons?
Talk of clean coal is polluting the air around the climate debate and stifling the discussion of alternative energy solutions. The fact of the matter is that coal extraction and incineration is a downright dirty process.
Additionally, this buzzword charade is being used by the two Presidential nominees as both a mudslinging tactic and vote generating accelerator. So what are they really talking about?
It’s basic shorthand for a technology that does not exist. The idea of carbon dioxide being separated from the exhaust of US coal plants is as likely to succeed as drilling for oil in ANWR will reduce gas prices significantly in 2009.
So while new coal technologies are experimental, the Politically infused notion of clean coal is nothing more than hot air.
For more on clean coal, check out some of the links below.
As our economy free falls toward a recession and possible depression, what can the government really do?
Letdown after failure after empty promise has more than discouraged American voters and investors. But there is one bright spot in the government’s plan to rescue us and it begins with the environment.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) have unveiled a $56.2 billion “economic recovery package” which includes funding for things like public transit, home weatherization, and environmental cleanup.
But that’s not all, by an overwhelming 93 to 2 vote, the full Senate approved the Baucus-Grassley tax extender bill, which includes a one-year extension of the production tax credit given out to producers of clean energy specific to solar and wind.
In this day and age of the politics of fear and the inability of large government bureaucracies to get anything done, this recent development seems to be an exception to the rule.
For more on our government going Green, the bailout, and other shreds of hope, check out some of the links below.
Like the bright but annoying kid in class that raises his hand whenever the teacher asks a question, Canada is running laps around the rest of North American sustainable design projects with this 15-acre master-planned sustainable community located along the harbourfront of downtown Victoria.
This keystone project from Windmill West is putting a price behind it’s platinum LEED promises, offering up $1 million to the city of Victoria if Canada’s Green Building Council doesn’t legitimize their claims. With vocabulary like “natural capitialism” and “New Urbanism” entering the lexicon of developers and architects, sustainable communities may be a thing of the nearer future than expected… and not a moment too soon! If you just can’t wait, there’s one in Sweden (pictured) where the residents look quite happy.
One rising trend in the business world in recent years has been to develop amiable relationships with charitable organizations. In the past, these collaborations were seen as publicity stunts to help corporations come off less overarching and less evil. Now they are also seen as viable business ventures.
In the past 2 decades, the World Bank has invested up to $400 billion in 7,000 different environmental projects. But according to the latest internal reviews, many of these projects have not been followed through. Big business should keep in mind that there exists an original purpose for these environmental projects that is not just free publicity and a boost for the economy.
We have imported everything from ramen to household items to IT specialists. So it came as no surprise that we also import the latest wind technology from countries like India and China. But when India’s Suzlon wind turbines orders were cancelled by big name American energy companies, the Orient Express seemed to have finally lost its steam.
India and China had the leg up on Western competition because they did not have to take heed of environmental agreements that controlled carbon emissions. But in the frenzy to be the new leading economical powers, quality of production got lost in the shuffle. When it comes to introducing an innovative energy source, technology should never take a backseat. After all, shoddy workmanship on wind turbines has much greater consequences than a toaster that breaks in a week.
We’re all pretty clear on the idea that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and hydoroflourocarbons in excessive amounts are no good and increase the atmosphere’s ability to trap infrared energy and thus affect the climate. In an effort to put a cap on these emissions on a global industrial scale, the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement with about 170 countries back in 1997, invented certified emissions reduction credits, CER’s or carbon credits for short. These credits are validated and awarded by the UN to companies of wealthy nations who invest in clean energy projects in developing countries. The carbon credit gives its owner the right to emit one metric tonne of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas.
What may seem an even trade, clean energy over there for dirty production here, is under fire by critics for the “flexible mechanisms” owners are allowed use their credits. Once you’ve got your carbon credit in hand, you can auction it to the highest bidder or sell it off to other companies at market rate. Some credits doled out by the UN have been found to be bogus, awarded to companies who invested in project that would’ve happened anyway without their help.
As consumers, carbon credits are given out to households that put clean energy back into the grid through private wind, hydroelectric, and solar systems. You can buy, sell, and participate in the debate surrounding this new cap and trade system of climate cleaning yourself!
Taxes are paid and rebates are on the way. Now what are you gonna do with the money?
As part of the 168 BILLION dollar economic stimulus package President Bush and Congress recently passed, individuals stand to receive up to 600 dollars and even more for couples. Intended to ease the burden of increased food costs and soaring prices at the pump, you may decide a Green investment is worthy of your share.
To counteract inflated food costs, enroll in a community supported agricultural program. Your contribution goes directly to local farmers who deliver fresh, organic products to your door. This method provides the farmer with better prices for their crops and much needed financial security.
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