Alternative Energy Stocks After Obama's Election Victory

After the election of Obama, many believed that we would see a surge in alternative energy stock prices, but this did not happen. As reviewed in a Renewable Energy World article “of the approximately 250 alternative energy companies that the Roen Financial Report tracks, only 21 companies, or less than 9%, were gainers. In other words, losers beat gainers by a 10:1 ratio! On average, alternative energy companies were down 5.8%, with 35 companies showing double-digit losses for the week. Of the 21 gainers, fully half were volatile penny stocks with market caps less than $100 million, so those gains may change very quickly.”

“Of the six alternative energy industries — wind, solar, smart grid, efficiency, fuel alternatives and environmental companies — wind fared the worst. Only two wind companies posted a gain for the week, Pike Electric Corporation (PIKE) and the highly speculative Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies (QTWW). Otherwise, the average wind company lost 6.0% for the week.”

The CERINA Investment Model from IWR

The CERINA plan (CO2 Emissions and Renewable Investment Action Plan) is an investment model by means of which CO2 emissions are compensated for through investments in renewable energy technologies. Since 2009, the German Based Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) has been determining global CO2 emissions and those of individual states using the fossil fuel energy consumption data of BP. On this basis, the amount of investment in renewable technology needed to stabilise global CO2 emissions at the current level is then computed for each country.

On the basis of an objective allocation key per metric ton of CO2, the level of investment can be specified according to the source. Countries with low emissions are required to make lower investments than are countries with high emissions.

Obama Administration's Wind Energy Leases

Although the Obama administration has offered offshore oil leases, it has also announced that it is offering competitive lease sales for wind energy development in areas off the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia. What makes this announcement so important is the fact that this is the first time that a portion of the outer continental shelf will be leased for renewable energy development.

As explained in EcoWatch, the area off the coast of Virginia alone can support more than 2,000 megawatts of wind generation, which can power an estimated 700,000 homes. The areas off the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island are expected to be able to support about an additional 2,000 megawatts of wind generation.

Infrastructure Summit 2012: New Policy Technology and Finance (Event)

The Infrastructure Summit will take place on November 6th 2012 in London, UK and will once again bring together 150 leading policy-makers, business, academics and experts from transport, energy and digital communications. The event will explore new approaches to infrastructure and takes a strategic view of infrastructure opportunities in Europe and the UK.

As Europe's economy stagnates, infrastructure development offers one of the critical devices to generate growth. Yet we need new ideas. Traditional approaches are simply not working. We need to rethink our policies, embrace new opportunities offered by technology and rethink how we finance these.

Green Energy Business Seminar & Trade Show: Sustainable Growth for Northern Virginia (Event)

A Green Energy Business Seminar with be taking place on November 1, 2012, from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the Mason Inn Conference Center in Virginia. The strategic seminar is subtitled "Sustainable Growth for Northern Virginia." The event is being conducted by Relerience, a green energy consulting company.

The Seminar will address the development of green business plans and offer strategic guidance in eight key areas.

The International Sustainable Energy Summit (Event)

The International Sustainable Energy Summit (ISES) will take place on November 7 & 8 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. SEDA Malaysia is organising its inaugural ISES event at the Putrajaya Marriott Hotel.

Recognizing the increasingly prominent role that RE and EE play in the world, ISES 2012 aims to share good practices and help identify means of providing necessary know-how, technology and financing for transformation towards energy independence and sustainable development. ISES 2012 also provides a platform and opportunity for RE and EE industry professionals in Malaysia and the world to meet, discuss and get latest updates and related issues on sustainable energy in Malaysia.

The Biofuels Pipedream

First generation biofuels have been widely criticized, but even second, third and fourth generation biofuels have uncertain technical, economic and environmental viability. A full assessment of the environmental costs of biofuels reveals that the vast majority do not make sense. For biofuels to be a truly feasible alternative to oil, life cycle analysis must take into account not only CO2, but all the associated environmental impacts. The total environmental impacts of biofuel go far beyond the GHGs released by combustion, they must include a host of factors including the impacts they have on biodiversity.

Breakdown of Obama's Clean Energy & Efficiency Budget for 2013

The President's $3.8 trillion budget for fiscal year 2013, includes $6.7 billion for clean energy programs. According to a White House press release, this represents a 13 percent increase over the last enacted budget. (See the bottom of the page for a detailed breakdown of the President's 2013 budget proposal for clean energy and efficiency).

EIA: US Wind Growth 2006-2011

The Energy Information Administration(EIA) reports that US wind energy has shown tremendous growth for the last several years. Wind power is the fastest growing source of new electric power generation in the US.

US Energy: Coal Declining While Renewables Increasing

Coal is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world and as revealed by its use in America at the end of 2011, it appears to be declining. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) coal's share of monthly power generation in the US decreased to below 40 percent in both November and December 2011. We have not seen monthly oil totals below 40 percent in more than three decades (March 1978).

Renewable Energy Surpasses Nuclear in the US

According to Monthly Energy Review, published by the Energy Information Administration, renewable energy production has surpassed nuclear energy production in the US.

Japan One Year After the Fukishima Disaster

Japanese nuclear energy is one of the fatalities of the tragic earthquake and tsunami that occured on March 11, 2011. Japan held solemn memorials on the one year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that led to the explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant. More than fifteen thousand people perished and over five thousand were injured on that fateful day one year ago.

The Future of Energy and the Environment According to Ian Bowles

Ian A. Bowles is an American environmentalist, politician, and political aide who served as Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs from 2007 to 2011. From 1999 to 2001, Bowles was the associate director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He also has experience in the private sector.

Video: The Inherent Design Flaws In The "Resource Based Economy" Model

This video is Peter Joseph's reply to Zeitgeist's support for a resource based economy. In this video Jospeh reviews the numerous, very real, and legitimate problems. Those problems are not minor details that can be glossed over or fixed at a later date, they are in fact inherent design flaws which render it unworkable.

Video: The Zeitgeist Movement Explains a Resource Based Economic Model

In this video from the Zeitgeist Vancouver Lecture Series, a Resource Based Economic model is explained by Matt Berkowitz. The Zeitgeist Movement was founded in 2008, it is a Sustainability Advocacy Organization which conducts community based activism and awareness actions. The Zeitgeist Movement recognizes that issues such as poverty, corruption, collapse, homelessness, war, starvation and the like appear to be "Symptoms" born out of an outdated social structure. Their defining goal is the installation of a new socioeconomic model based upon technically responsible Resource Management, Allocation and Distribution through what would be considered The Scientific Method of reasoning problems and finding optimized solutions.

Video: A Resource-Based Economy

This 18 minute video is a recording of the TEDx [Portugal] Talk by Peter Joseph. Its focus is a resource based economy which describes a post-scarcity world economy. A resource based economy supports the removal of monetary exchange and is advocated by groups like The Venus Project.

Government Energy Policy the Environment and the Economy

What a government does, or does not do, on energy policy will have major implications for the future. Rather than allowing the markets to dictate the price of energy, the confluence of environmental and economic concerns are putting pressure on governments to engage the issue of energy.

China recently unveiled a $700-billion program to promote clean energy investment. The U.S. government is seeking greater automotive efficiency and Germany is considering the development of nuclear power. In countries like Brazil Government policy has enabled the country to go from being a net importer to a net exporter of energy.

China, already the largest energy consumer in the world, is planning a major expansion of its greenhouse gas causing coal-fired generating plants. The challenge is the same in India and everywhere in the world because coal is cheap and easily readily available.

The growing energy demands of countries like China and India are widely believed to be a major threat to the environment. However, countries like Canada are also a target of criticism because of their massive oil sand reserves.

Fossil fuel powered energy is a major emitter of GHGs and it drives down the price of energy thereby impeding the growth of renewable sources of power. Fossil fuels are relatively cheap which is why governments must not allow price to dictate energy choice.
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