The Implications of the Expiration of US Renewable Energy Subsidies

US Renewable energy subsidies expired in 2011 and this will slow the growth of renewables. There is already evidence that the expiration of the renewable energy cash grant programme under Section 1603 of the US Internal Revenue Code will reduce the volume of new renewable energy projects.

US Wind Energy Market Review and Forecasts for 2012

After decreasing by almost 50 percent in 2010 the US wind installations began to show signs of recovery in 2011. Wind farms have proliferated across the United States over the past decade, they now generate 3 percent of the nation's electricity. Wind power has installed 35 percent of all new American electric generation in the last five years. Wind energy is also one of the fastest growing new sources of US manufacturing jobs. American wind power accounts for 75,000 jobs today, and can grow to almost 100,000 jobs four years from now and according to a Bush Administration study, wind can support 500,000 American jobs less than 20 years from now. The U.S. now has over 400 manufacturing facilities in 43 states involved in wind turbine manufacturing. This represents a 12-fold growth in domestic manufacturing over the last six years.

Geothermal Energy Market Review and Forecasts for 2012

Although wind and solar energy steal most of the headlines, geothermal energy is enjoying significant growth. The past five years have seen accelerated geothermal development in countries like New Zealand, Indonesia and the US. But geothermal is also growing in new markets including countries like Australia and Germany. Geothermal is projected to grow at an annual rate of 7 percent.

US Solar Energy Review and 2012 Forecasts

The solar sector will face some intense headwinds in 2012. Despite obstacles, the solar market may add at least 25 GW of new capacity in 2012. In North America the market for photo voltaic solar panels has a projected compounded annual growth rate of 42 percent between 2011 and 2015.

Renewable Energy in 2012: The Global Economic and Environmental Climate

Since 2009, lower fuel and energy prices created some tough uphill conditions for renewable energy. Despite these powerful headwinds renewable energy installations have increased over the last few years.

Only Sustainable 2011: The Capital of Sustainable Energy for the Americas

Between November 7 and 9, Miami Dade College is hosting the Only Sustainable 2011 event. This is one of the most prestigious events on American sustainable energy. Over 40 expert speakers and senior representatives of the energy industry will discuss the latest sustainable energy trends. More than 400 professionals and companies are expected to attend from Spain, US and Latin America.

Video: Move to Green Economy a Global Competition

Bruce J. Katz is a vice president at the Brookings Institution and founding Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program which aims to provide decision makers in the public, corporate and civic sectors with policy ideas for improving the health and prosperity of cities and metropolitans areas. Katz regularly advises federal, state, regional and municipal leaders on policy reforms that advance the competitiveness of metropolitan areas.

Katz says the move to a greener economy is a global competition. The US must wisely and expeditiously develop both policies and practices that encourage more innovation and growth in this critical area. Growth through Innovation.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Economic Development is the Only Way Forward

Some of the most passionate supporters of the environment argue that we cannot make the necessary changes within the current consumer oriented capitalist system. They point to the fact that growth in the 20th century was all about resource depletion.

Economic growth is not an end, but rather a means to an end. Because economic growth is premised on the concept of increasing quantity, it may be more productive to frame the issue in terms of economic development. Economic development looks at growth as a means of achieving a higher level of individual and societal well-being. While economic growth is about quantity, economic development is about quality. A well developed economy is one that meets people's needs and provides well-being for everyone.

Economic development is based on the collective good which is ultimately about creating more value per person.

UNEP's Executive Director Achim Steiner said in the statement: "With 2.5 billion people living on less than two dollars a day and with more than two billion people being added to the global population by 2050, it is clear that we must continue to develop and grow our economies. But this development cannot come at the expense of the very life support systems on land, in the oceans or in our atmosphere."

Growth and resource depletion are not inexorably linked and given the urgency, the green economy is the only solution we have of capable of addressing the environmental and social threats we face.

We simply do not have time to rebuild society anew, nor is it reasonable to wipe the slate clean. In the form of economic development, growth can serve the earth and its inhabitants. However future growth will not be based on wanton resource depletion, it will be about increased efficiency and productivity.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Sustainable Growth Excludes Fossil Fuels

Sustainable economic growth is utterly impossible as long as oil, coal and natural gas provide nearly 88 percent of the world's energy needs. According to EIA (the US Energy Information Administration), total world consumption of marketed energy will increase by 49 percent between 2007 to 2035. The International Energy Agency predicted that Chinese energy demand would soar 75 percent by 2035, accounting for more than a third of the growth in global consumption.

The most egregious source of energy is coal, in India, more than 50% of commercial energy demand is met with coal and according to 2008 statistics, coal accounts for 71 percent of China's energy mix. The US is not much better with 23 percent of its total energy demand being met with coal.

We simply cannot afford economic growth that is so reliant on dirty energy like coal. Although growth is a serious environmental threat, it could also be a valuable opportunity to radically expand the clean energy economy. New innovative applications of sustainable technologies can significantly reduce emissions and old inefficient technologies can be replaced with cleaner greener technologies.

Renewable energy is the great hope for the planet because it is sustainable energy, but renewable energy is not cost competitive cheap and abundant coal. Therefore, cost considerations alone will not drive the move away from coal.

The increasing price of oil and the uncertainty of the fossil fuel markets is something that business are increasingly considering and it is only a matter of time before we remove oil subsidies. However, until we see climate change energy legislation and regulation, business have an opportunity to show leadership by voluntarily replacing coal with renewable energy.

Economic growth that includes fossil fuels precludes the possibility of a living planet.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video: China Leading the Green Economy while America's Democracy is Being Undermined

America could be screwed in the 21st century according to US Energy secretary Steven Chu. China is responsible for more than 20 percent of high tech exports while the US is responsible for 15 percent. China is the leader in clean and efficient travel with almost 6 thousand miles of high speed rail under construction while the US has none. China is also bettering America when it comes to innovation. Even American renewable energy firms are setting up in China. Republicans in Congress do not believe in the science behind global warming and this is undermining America's international competitiveness. As China builds its green economy, in the US, democracy is being undermined by laws which give corporations the same rights as people.


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Republican Gubernatorial Gains and the Clean Energy Economy

The big loser in the 2010 Gubernatorial elections is America’s clean energy economy. Overall, the Republicans picked up 11 governorships from the Democrats: Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The GOP also gained back the Florida governorship. By comparison, the Dems only picked up California, Hawaii and Vermont.

The race is still officially undecided in Connecticut, although reports indicate that the Republican candidate is ahead, and in Minnesota the winner has yet to be announced, but the Republican candidate is said to be leading.

The governors of Illinois, New Mexico, Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Wyoming are global warming deniers and conspiracy theorists who are getting ready to lead a crusade against a rational approach to climate change.

In Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, four Democratic governors who have supported clean energy were replaced by Republicans who are beholden to the old energy economy.

Republican governors are now virtually unanimous in their dismissal of global warming. They do not recognize the threat posed by climate change, nor do they support clean energy.

By denying the fact of global warming, Republican governors preclude the need to respond. However, what seems like a clever political strategy may in fact prove to be disastrous. By eschewing clean energy opportunities these governors risk turning their states into economic wastelands.


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