Investment Tax Credits (ITC) as Pork

Very happy that the ITC extension made it into a bill and signed into law by the Prez. But bummed that it took a national implosion to get the other side to call mercy on this and accept it being grafted onto the bailout bill - which could almost be called pork.

Luckily, this government largess will create thousands of jobs and encourage continued investment in solar and wind projects - leading us further toward a healthier, more stable energy regime. More detail on the ITC is offered by SEIA.

As Heather Clancy of ZDNet points out, solar leaders have been "plowing ahead without waiting for the government," but this added support will certainly help (as incentives have done for oil, gas, coal and nuclear for years). She cites projects like the one announced this week by San Domenico School and Recurrent Energy (a client).

Working with folks in solar, I have a vested interest, but this is the type of incentive that I want my government spending my tax dollars on. Let's right-size this government, shifting funding from "dirty" energy to cleantech.

Global Shipping and Renewables

Globalization has resulted in huge growth in international shipping. Off-shoring manufacturing and shipping products to far-away markets makes economic sense when oil costs are cheap. The models appear to be breaking down a bit, as reported by the New York Times earlier this month (Aug. 2008). And from a climate change perspective, the shipping industry is apparently worse than air travel.

A couple of renewable energy options are floating out there...

Could ships be mobile solar power plants? The Japanese plan to harvest some solar energy to power engines and well as living quarters, as reported by Reuters. And with some additional investment, other renewables could work. I assume all waste is dumped overboard (contributing to other environmental issues, including the Great Pacific Garbage Patch). This could be an option for a waste gasification project (if technically possible/safe). Methane/biofuels could be harvested from waste, as well.

And from the "everything old is new again" department, we have a startup using wind to pull boats. KiteShip has a steady track record over the past couple of years chatting up it's innovative sail system - even grabbing a Guinness World Record for the largest kite ever.

I thought they started out with commercial marine applications, but it looks like they have equal emphasis on recreational marine and even plan to harness solar and Martian winds. I see talk of trials but no named customers.

Let's hope these high oil prices tip the scale in favor of renewable energy in global shipping.

EPEAT is Neat

EPEAT evaluates electronic products in relation to 51 total environmental criteria, about half are mandatory and half are voluntary. I don't remember seeing the logo ever, but it looks like a pretty solid program with checks-and-balances designed to keep it real and credible.

Like anything, people are bound to abuse the system, as it's valuable in winning big government and other procurement bids and to being seen as "green" by the market. But it's a great program to point procurement people to help them take the first step in sustainable businesses - vote with your dollars.

ZDNet notes that Dell tooted its horn about its newest EPEAT product - a cool-looking hybrid (the other king) desktop computer.

Other solid programs for sustainable purchasing include ENERGY STAR (which EPEAT includes), FEMP (Fed. Energy Mgmnt Program), and the NRDC Greening Advisor.

Green Pols and Ham

Some thoughts on political campaigns and sustainability, posted on my employer's blog (Bitemarks):

http://blog.bitepr.com/2008/08/green-pols-and.html

Next-Gen Solar

The next big thing in solar launched this week -- Enphase Energy's Micro-inverter System.

The multimedia press release has all the info, with great pictures.

The training video shows it in action.

And this video of the web app shows the level of insight you get when you have per-module info. Check out the time lapse!

Sustainability at Bite

Posted on my employer's blog on the stuff I'm doing around global sustainability there.

http://blog.bitepr.com/2008/04/walking-the-tal.html

Don't Forget to Follow Your Own Advice

I was laughing a bit yesterday at the Green Party. A colleague of mine posted about political conventions going green, using the Republicans as the example. Ironic.

I'm sure the Green Party has "green" events. But in forgetting to tell the world, they got scopped by the Republicans, and depositioned a bit. It's a bit like living in Scandinavia and being asked what you do that is "green." The government mandates a ton of stuff, so you might not even think of it as a green lifestyle practice, though you may be doing more than anyone.

It reminded me of my own choices (and communication to my netowrk about what I was doing to live green).

Last week I finally signed up from PG&E's ClimateSmart program, to offset my energy use through funding of forestry projects in California. Despite the real concerns about forestry as an offsets category, I'm comfortable with a symbolic gesture, at the least. And I do think that California is ahead of the game on standards and enforcement, so I feel confident that carbon sequestration is going to happen through my investment. And, being one guy in a sub-1,000 square foot apartment who likes things a bit cool, ClimateSmart is going to run me well under $5 a month.

And I've been sulking about my reliance on a car for my daily transportation. I got rid of my 4 liter Jeep 4X4 recently. Suprisingly, it got about 17 MPG in the city, and about 22 on highway. Not bad for an old SUV ('97). My buddy is letting me use his '07 Audi A3. I assumed that would be a big jump in efficiency. Wrong. It gets 20 MPG in the city, and about 26 MPG highway. With the benefit of ten years of technology and 2 liters less of engine displacement, very disappointing. Plus, it demands premium grade, which is more refining.

I tried MUNI again today (San Francisco's public transpo system). It took me an hour to go 8 miles. Driving takes 30-40 minutes. That adds up over a week. Time is precious to me, so I'm going to continue to drive daily.

So, today I bought an offset for 5,000 pounds of carbon from TerraPass. That's for about 6,000 miles/year for this car. TerraPass seem to be the easiest, most well-known brand, and they give a bumper sticker to help block some shame vibes. Of course, all of offsetting is done as a last resort. Energy efficiency and other lifestyle changes come first.

A bunch of carbon footprint calculators are out there; here are some:
Cool California
3Degrees
LiveNeutral
BP
SafeClimate