Clean Tech Business Policy Update (March 2)

CALENDAR

SolarTech’s 3^rd Annual Solar Summit

March 29-30 in Silicon Valley

www.solartech.org

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Solar industry writes to Boehner about GOP's proposed cuts to DOE's loan guarantee programs.: "In its current form H.R. 1 would likely kill all clean energy projects with pending DOE loan guarantee applications, causing the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and many other benefits," Rhone Resch, Solar Energy Industry Association / Read the entire letter here.

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News Summary

Top Stories

• Obama2012 Budget & the Dept of Energy, The Dept. of Energy
• Record Gas Prices Don’t Mean an Energy Agenda Will Move in DC, Politico
• Poll: Americans Oppose Cong’l End to EPA Pollution Authority, Incl. CO2, Poll

Government & Politics

• Ex-Shell CEO Says Big Oil Can Live Without Subsidies, National Journal
• Northeast’s RGGI Reports $630M in GHG Auctions for Deficits & Renwables, RGGI Report
• Telling the Story: Schwarznegger Says It’s Not About Climate Change, CNET
• Telling the Story: Focus on the Market & the Consumer, GreentechMedia
• Reduce Redtape for Solar to Win the Future (Danny Kennedy), San Francisco Chronicle
• Congress: Senate Energy Chair Jeff Bingaman to Retire, Politico
• California: Now is the Time to Invest in Ending State's Oil Addiction, San Jose Mercury News
• California: State Alone in Carbon Battle? Far From It, Redding (CA) Record & Searchlight
• Election2012: Enviro Issues Critical to Democrats' Bid to Retake House, Greenwire
• USA Inc.: What if the Federal Gov’t Were Run Like a Corporation?, Kleiner Perkins

Business, Science, & Investment

• Top Clean Tech Companies Worldwide, The Guardian
• New Green-Tech Investment Reports Underscore Risk of Ignoring Climate Change, ZDNet
• More Companies Push Sustainability, but Usually Not for Climate Reasons, NY Times
• Investments Worth Trillions at Risk From Climate Change, Reuters
• New Energy Efficiency Portal by California Energy Commn, www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org

Articles

Top Stories

Obama2012 Budget & the Dept of Energy / The Dept. of Energy, February 14

The President's $29.5 billion FY2012 budget request for the Department of Energy:

• Puts the nation on the path to reach a bold but achievable goal of generating 80 % of America's electricity from clean sources by 2035 as called for by the President.
• Supports groundbreaking basic science, research and innovation to solve our energy challenges and ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of science and technology.
• Leads in the development and deployment of clean and efficient energy technologies to reduce our dependence on oil, accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy and promote economic competitiveness; and

Highlights in the FY 2012 budget include:

• $3.2 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, because investing in clean energy will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs here at home.
• Promoting renewable energy and energy efficient projects with $300 million in credit subsidies to support approximately $3-4 billion in projects.
• $36 billion in loan guarantee authority to help jumpstart the domestic nuclear industry ... will support 6 to 8 nuclear power projects
• Doubling funding for key science agencies, including the Department's Office of Science.
• $550 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) & $146 million to Energy Innovation Hubs

Record Gas Prices Don’t Mean a DC Energy Agenda (Incl. RES) Will Move, Politico, Feb.24

"When prices get too high it tends to make the energy debate so polarized that you actually get nothing done," Bob Simon, the Democratic staff director for Jeff Bingaman's Senate ENR panel, said yesterday at a Pew panel. "If you'd told me 10 years ago when I started being Democratic staff director that I'd see a day in which oil was $146 a barrel, gas is at four bucks a gallon and we couldn't get a damn thing through Congress on the topic of energy, I'd have said you've got to be crazy. But in fact that's what happened in the summer of '08."  Meanwhile, Simon's GOP counterpart for the panel said the RES portion of the committee's 2009 energy bill is likely off the table in this Congress. "There are a lot of things [that bill] did that aren't repeatable at this stage," said ENR Republican staff director McKie Campbell.

Poll: Americans Oppose Cong’l End to EPA Pollution Authority, Incl. CO2 / Poll, February’11

A new bipartisan national survey of likely 2012 voters finds American voters at odds with those in Congress pushing to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to update air pollution standards, including Carbon Dioxide. An overwhelming bipartisan majority wants the EPA to set stricter limits on air pollution, with about three-quarters of voters backing tougher standards on Mercury, smog and Carbon Dioxide as well as higher fuel efficiency standards for heavy duty trucks. More important, voters explicitly reject Congressional efforts to stop the EPA from updating these standards both as a whole and in a debate specific to Carbon Dioxide standards. Click here to read the new bipartisan poll.

Government & Politics

Ex-Shell CEO Says Big Oil Can Live Without Subsidies / National Journal, February 11

Before [the House subcommittee hearing on how Egypt’s situation would affect oil prices, former Shell CEO] told Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., in a private conversation that big oil companies don’t need government help. Markey mentioned the comments when introducing legislation eliminating $5 billion worth of subsidies to the major oil and gas companies. “He told me that privately [Thursday] but that he would say that in public if asked to do so,” Markey said after the news conference.

Northeast’s RGGI Reports $630M in GHG Auctions for Deficits & Renwables, RGGI Report, March 1

Ten Northeastern states using cap and trade to control greenhouse gases from power plants have channeled about $630 million.  More than half of that money has gone toward energy efficiency programs, while energy bill payment assistance got $88 million, renewables snagged $69 million and a variety of other GHG reduction programs netted about $6 million. RGGI revenue has become a point of contention with conservative groups led by the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity. They’ve been petitioning the states to drop out of RGGI altogether, saying the states are addicted to bad policy because of the money. They’ve been especially harsh on the three states that use RGGI revenue to help deal with budget deficits. According to the latest RGGI Inc. report, New York ($90 million), New Jersey ($65 million) and New Hampshire ($3.1 million) used big parts of their pot to help get out of the red.

Telling the Story: Schwarznegger Headlines APRA-E Conference / CNET, March 1

Keynoting the APRA-E conference, Schwarzenegger lamented the national discussion and political discourse on clean energy, saying too much of it is stuck in the debate over the science of global warming.  Instead, people should focus on immediate benefits from investing in green technologies, including improved health, economic growth, consumer savings from efficiency, and reduced dependence on foreign oil. Instead of crafting "forward-looking policies" around energy, politicians are debating the science of global warming. "There is a disconnect between what is happening and what is being debated," he said.

Telling the Story: Focus on the Market & the Consumer, GreentechMedia, February 24

David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy is bullish on taking the focus off of government and putting it on to the rest of us. “We have to get out of this mindset that what’s sustainable is limiting -- that it’s not good or that it costs more,” he said. It's hard to fight with the idea of a smarter planet if it saves money and reduces waste. There’s also the ‘cool’ factor of great consumer products and empowering people to make a choice. “We need to keep one eye on Washington,” he said, “but both eyes need to be on the American consumer.”

California: Stanford Prof & Silicon Valley VC: Now is Time to Invest in Ending California's Oil Addiction (Opinion) / San Jose Merc-News, February 16

We depend on oil for 93 percent of our transportation needs in California. This is hardly the "diversified portfolio" approach that we, as an investor and an economist, would recommend as a risk management strategy. The first step is to commit to enforceable petroleum reduction and alternative fuels usage targets, and to re-examine all relevant laws, regulations, taxes and other policies with this goal in mind. We should ensure that the state's technology and infrastructure investments contribute to our energy security goals rather than reinforcing the status quo. We should stay the course on vehicle and fuel standards that will reduce oil dependence. We should implement pricing policies that encourage consumers to reduce petroleum consumption.

California: State Alone in Carbon Battle? Far From It

Redding (CA) Record & Searchlight, February 15

California is among at least 24 (maybe 25) states taking similar but not identical actions against climate change because the federal government will not. Altogether, the American states involved account for well over half the nation's populace, most of its industrial production and just under half its geographic territory.

Danny Kennedy: Reduce Redtape for Solar to Win the Future (Opinion)

S.F. Chronicle, February 15

Imagine you sell toasters. Each community where you sell your toasters has differently shaped electrical outlets. Now, imagine your toaster has to be able to plug into 21,867 differently shaped outlets. This haphazard approach would make it inefficient to manufacture and sell toasters. But this is exactly the problem solar installers face with local permitting, according to Silicon Valley’s SolarTech.

Election2012: Enviro Issues Critical to Democrats' Bid to Retake House / Greenwire, Feb.17

The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says his party has sprung out of its "defensive crouch" and is ready to retake the House in 2012 with environmental issues playing a major role. "Particularly with the 9 million independent voters who we have to bring back, protecting their drinking water and clean air is a priority," said Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) in an interview.

Study: USA Inc., Can America Function Like a Fiscally Responsible Company?

TechCrunch and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Feb. 28

"We expect perfection from companies in Silicon Valley. The general consensus is that Yahoo is one of the worst run tech companies in the world, never mind it’s still profitable, cash-rich, and one of the largest media assets in the world. We get outraged and hit the BUBBLE! panic button when valuations of startups like Facebook, Zynga and Twitter get in the double digit billions, never mind their growth rates, user engagement and (in the case of Zynga an Facebook) actual revenues.  So how can we be so apathetic when we see true abysmal fiscal neglect, especially when it’s that of a pseudo-company in which we all essentially own shares?

"That pseudo-company is the United States government and in a thorough report < http://www.kpcb.com/usainc >, Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker has taken all emotions, politics, spin and manipulation out of the issues, to present a steely-eyed view of just how hosed our financial situation is. Spoiler alert: It’s not pretty. America is gripped by a new red menace and this time, it’s not the commies– it’s a sea of red ink. If politicians reported to voters the way management reports to shareholders, no one would finish out their terms."

Business, Science, & Investment

Top Clean Tech Companies Worldwide / The Guardian, February’11

This year, we asked: which 100 of today's private cleantech companies are the most likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years? Hundreds of worldwide cleantech experts – including companies themselves – nominated the list analysing market data, taking votes of confidence in a company's ability to achieve high growth and high-market impact from market transactions such as investment rounds, and major customer and partnership announcements.

Study: Green-Tech Investments Top $2 Trillion Globally / ZDNet, February 24

“A new report from Ethical Markets Media suggests that private green-focused investments now top more than $2 trillion globally,” reports Heather Clancy.  “There definitely is a much more heightened scrutiny by investors of all sorts into the sustainability impact of certain companies … [I]nvestors are much more interested in issues of the environmental or corporate social responsibility than in the past. Not necessarily because they are activists but moreso because they see a demonstrable link between corporate sustainability and business value.”

Study: More Corps Push Sustainability, but Usually Not for Climate / NYTimes, February 11

When climate bills were being proposed on Capitol Hill, companies were starting to anticipate and invest actively in clean-tech companies and strategies to reduce their emissions. Now that cap and trade is essentially dead in this country, investments have essentially pulled back. Some companies will stick to short-term, measurable investments like energy efficiency, but another group of companies is going beyond that.

Study: Investments Worth Trillions at Risk From Climate Change / Reuters, February 15

Climate change could put trillions of investment dollars at risk over the next 20 years, a global study released on Wednesday said, calling for pension funds and other investors to overhaul how they allocate funds.

Resource: New Energy Efficiency Portal for Property Owners / California Energy Commission

The California Energy Commission joined regional efforts to increase energy efficiency and encourage clean jobs with the statewide launch of Energy Upgrade California, the new energy efficiency program. Part of this comprehensive program is the integrated Web Portal, http://www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org, which provides easy to use tools and resources to property owners to help them improve their energy and water efficiency, save money and increase building comfort.

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