Energy Policy in the United States

[Havakasha]

Just dont agree. Most neutral people say that many of the Democratic proposals on taxes etc. are quite moderate and would have been supported by Republcans only a couple of elections cycles ago. Many Republicans no longer in office have said so.

Again, read James Woolsey (former head of CIA) among others on this subject of energy.

We need massive infrastructure help. The Republcans have repeatedly been opposing infrastructure proposals of President Obama.

The Chinese unfortunately are showing the way. They are worrying less about their debt and more about building their infrastructure.

I TRULY believe that you dont see the short sightedness of your beliefs on energy policy.
Over time i am sure we will head in the right direction. Its just going to take way longer
than it should have. Unfortunately.

[SiriuslyLong]

Just dont agree. Most neutral people say that many of the Democratic proposals on taxes etc. are quite moderate and would have been supported by Republcans only a couple of elections cycles ago. Many Republicans no longer in office have said so.

Again, read James Woolsey (former head of CIA) among others on this subject of energy.

We need massive infrastructure help. The Republcans have repeatedly been opposing infrastructure proposals of President Obama.

The Chinese unfortunately are showing the way. They are worrying less about their debt and more about building their infrastructure.

I TRULY believe that you dont see the short sightedness of your beliefs on energy policy.
Over time i am sure we will head in the right direction. Its just going to take way longer
than it should have. Unfortunately.

I suggest funding universities with the challenge of doubling panel efficiency and you call me short sighted. That's a laugher.

Ah, yes, the communists are showing us the way. Envious of them are you? Speaks volumes to me.

There's plenty of infrastructure demand in ND.

[Havakasha]

How much funding do you want? Where does the money come from? How many universities? How do you choose them?
How long will this take?


Are you saying we cant learn anything from China? Or any other country in the world?

[Havakasha]

No answers to my questions. And no SPECIFIC counters to the article
that leads this thread. Par for the course.

Daily Kos by Brian Merchant
Business continues to boom in the global clean energy sector: Reuters reports that deals in the solar, wind, and energy efficiency industries netted a record $53.5 billion last year. That's a rather significant 40% from 2010, according to the analysis from PriceWaterHouse Coopers.
And what's more, total investment in renewable energy broke the record, too: $260 billion was directed to the burgeoning business of clean power. Even more encouraging was the fact that hydro power, which is typically the primary driver in renewable energy portfolio growth, took a deep back seat to wind, solar, and energy efficiency. [...]

And here in the United States, one of our two major political parties was united in its opposition to clean energy policy, and calling for an end to tax breaks and federal support for renewables. The GOP tried to paint cleantech as a failed liberal fairytale, and attempted to manufacture a scandal-tinged referendum out of Solyndra's bankruptcy. Even though they failed to do so—the public is still overwhelmingly gung-ho about cleantech—it didn't exactly make an encouraging backdrop for companies to cut deals in the clean energy sector.

The federal production tax credit gives wind, solar and some kinds of geothermal projects a 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour subsidy for the first 10 years of operation. That has boosted construction of renewable operations significantly. But the PTC expires at the end of this year, a continuation of the on-again, off-again approach Congress has taken to the subsidy. The problem with this sporadic approach for investors is uncertainty. A wind project typically takes 12 to 18 months from the time the permits are signed until the turbines are spinning. With possible PTC expiration just 11 months away, some investors presumably already are shying away from putting their money into new renewables projects. They must be thinking, what if the Republicans gain overall government control?
American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode told reporters and bloggers in a call on Friday that further delays in renewing the PTC could hurt the industry. “Our greatest fear is that this is delayed until later on in the year,” she said. “If that happens, we are very likely to lose tens of thousands of jobs.”

A smart move by Congress—I know, I know—would be to extend the PTC for five years or even a decade instead of in two- or three-year increments, as in the past.

[Havakasha]

In addition to the unknown fate of the PTC, there are other problems ahead that could make 2012 tougher sailing for companies that are deep into clean energy. As Stephen Lacey points outs, there is right now an overcapacity in solar models There is tremendous flood into the market of cheap modules, which is in great part driven by the Chinese, who are said to be selling theirs for less than they cost to make. This has brought down the price of equipment, but it's made investing in solar companies "very tricky."

For instance, Lacey writers, in 2011, the French oil giant Total bought a 66 percent stake in the high-efficiency solar producer SunPower for $1.3 billion.

While SunPower has a strong project development pipeline and the highest efficiency technology on the market, it has been hit hard by the flood of cheap modules like virtually every manufacturer. Total, the 14th largest oil and gas company in the world, says it will “turn around” SunPower. But a chronic oversupply of modules and a constantly changing policy environment make the situation very tenuous—even with SunPower’s strong technology and brand advantage.

(Würth Solar GmbH & Co. KG)
It seems like 10 minutes ago that naysayers were claiming solar and wind would never generate more than a tiny fraction of the electricity needed to replace fossil fuels. But Germany is now generating 20.8 percent of its electricity from renewables, only 3 percent of that from hydro facilities. A dozen years ago, the total figure was 6 percent. For 2020, just eight years away, the German government has set a goal of 35 percent, with all its nuclear power plants phased out two years later. By contrast, the United States only generates 4 percent of its electricity from renewables if you take hydro out of the equation.
The reason for this difference? Government policy. While Germany has altered its energy policy over time, it has been relatively consistent. And the key has been the feed-in tariff. People or companies that generate electricity from renewable sources, say rooftop photovoltaic panels, are paid somewhat above the market rate for that power. Utility companies are required to give electricity generated by renewables preference. The result? Rapid growth of renewable installations with the costs spread across all consumers of electricity so that bills are only a few euros higher each month than they would have been.

It's not that Germany hasn't encountered difficulties. It certainly has, and those could cause it to miss the 2020 deadline. But its long-term goal doesn't stop then. It continues through 2050, when policy has set a goal of 100 percent of power being generated from renewables. If it meets that goal, Germany will also have cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent.

[Havakasha]

Hey SiriuslyTalkingPoints, read down into the body of the article and see
how successful Germany has been in its growth of clean alternative energy.
We could learn something about energy policy from Germany. Dont you think?


Auction 2012: Energy Lobby Finds Power In Money And Fear

Posted: 01/31/2012 10:46 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1242134.html

When George W. Bush overruled scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008 and set a new smog standard that was considerably weaker than they had recommended, it was just another example of how closely entwined the interests of the energy sector and the Republican Party had become.

But when President Barack Obama this fall suddenly killed the stronger smog standards championed by his own EPA administrator -- thereby leaving the Bush-era standards unchanged -- it was a clear indication that the energy lobby's influence is powerful enough to intimidate the Democrats as well.

Obama's decision was widely seen as driven by politics, not science or even economics.

Lowering the ozone standard from 75 parts per billion to 60 parts would have prevented 4,000 to 12,000 premature deaths annually, along with 58,000 cases of aggravated asthma and 2.5 million days of missed work or school, according to the EPA. The agency also estimated that tightening the standard could cost as much as $90 billion per year, but that the benefits would total as much as $100 billion per year.

Industry groups contended that millions of jobs would be lost. Environmentalists and progressives argued the new standard would likely have created jobs -- and green jobs at that.

Powerhouse lobbying groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, led a fierce fight, repeatedly meeting with White House officials to argue against the rule. Industry representatives worked the refs -- then-White House chief of staff Richard Daley and regulatory czar Cass Sunstein -- appealing to their own anti-regulatory leanings.



Keep reading by clicking on link.

[Havakasha]

Clean Energy Records SHATTERED in 2011
http://www.treehugger.com/green-inve...last-year.html

Business continues to boom in the global clean energy sector: Reuters reports that deals in the solar, wind, and energy efficiency industries netted a record $53.5 billion last year. That's a rather significant 40% from 2010, according to the analysis from PriceWaterHouse Coopers.

And what's more, total investment in renewable energy broke the record, too: $260 billion was directed to the burgeoning business of clean power. Even more encouraging was the fact that hydro power, which is typically the primary driver in renewable energy portfolio growth, took a deep back seat to wind, solar, and energy efficiency.

Here's Reuters:

Historically, hydro power has dominated renewables deal flow, but deals worth $1 billion or more in wind, solar, biomass and energy efficiency have outnumbered hydro by seven to one, the PriceWaterHouse Coopers report said. The renewables market is maturing, fuelling more consolidation ...
"Sustained high deal numbers and record total value reflect a maturing of the sector," said Paul Nillesen, PwC renewables partner. "The trend is all the more noteworthy given the uncertainty in the market and in government policies on renewables. We believe that deal flow will continue to be significant in the medium term."

Deals in the solar and efficiency sectors accounted for 79% of the $15 billion spike from last year, due to cheaper PV and the fact that investing in efficiency is a good idea no matter the circumstance or political climate.
But Nillesen is right: This is remarkable, given that the Eurozone, the biggest economy that generally has strong renewable-friendly policies (other than China), was racked with financial crises last year, and the investment climate was uncertain at best.

And here in the United States, one of our two major political parties was united in its opposition to clean energy policy, and calling for an end to tax breaks and federal support for renewables. The GOP tried to paint cleantech as a failed liberal fairytale, and attempted to manufacture a scandal-tinged referendum out of Solyndra's bankruptcy. Even though they failed to do so—the public is still overwhelmingly gung-ho about cleantech—it didn't exactly make an encouraging backdrop for companies to cut deals in the clean energy sector.

Which is why it is indeed "noteworthy" that clean energy investment continues to boom, and that ever-larger deals are being made—the technologies are improving, social demand for more clean power is rising, and, sure, sizable profits are imminent. And that's why investment continues to boom, despite economic turmoil and lagging policy guidance in big markets like the United States—the smart money knows the heyday of clean power is drawing nearer.

Tags: Clean Energy | Renewable Energy

[Havakasha]

Still waiting for answers to my questions.


"How much funding do you want? Where does the money come from? How many universities? How do you choose them?
How long will this take?"


"Are you saying we cant learn anything from China? Or any other country in the world?"

[SiriuslyLong]

Still waiting for answers to my questions.


"How much funding do you want? Where does the money come from? How many universities? How do you choose them?
How long will this take?"


"Are you saying we cant learn anything from China? Or any other country in the world?"

Your adoration of China is sickening. American can learn nothing from China unless that is, you want to pay your workers a few dollars a day and when they bitch about it, you call the army.

[Havakasha]

Now that last post was really funny.
The fact is that you have you have taken every opportunity to trash the U.S. althernative energy industry. Shame on you.

You just cant hide your hatred (clearly based on ideology) for the American alternative energy industry. You havent published a single postive article on alternative energy and i think its clear that you prefer to see the Chinese dominate the worlwide alternative energy business.
You are a Marxist sympathizer whether you know it or not. You sicken me.