The Greening of Defense: The Green Skeptic on WSJ's LunchBreak

I was on WSJ.com's LunchBreak with Wendy Bounds today talking about how the Department of Defense has become a true energy innovator and the potential benefits of an energy efficiency makeover of the Empire State building.



Here is a link to the video on wsj.com: The Green Skeptic on LunchBreak

Applied Materials' "Dr. Solar" Does "Ask Me Anything" Chat for Solstice

Dr. Charlie Gay, Applied Materials, on his computer.

To celebrate the Summer Solstice yesterday, Dr. Charlie Gay, a veteran of the solar energy space and currently Applied Materials' president of solar, participated in a "live" chat on Reddit.com.

"Dr. Solar," as he’s known in the industry, has been a proponent of solar energy since 1975 and fielded questions on a variety of topics, including China-US cooperation, solar and renewables as part of the energy mix, and even what you should do if you're considering a career in solar energy.

Gay has a 36-year career in the solar energy space, so his insights are worth searching for in the mix of questions and commentary by some of the participants:

Charlie Gay ‘Ask Me Anything’ LIVE on Reddit

 (Thanks for the head's up from Steve Place of StockTwits.  Disclosure: No position in AMAT. )

Lighting, Sensors and Lumens, Oh My | The Energy Collective

Let there be Light: Digital Lumens ILE-MB-3

From poor lighting in the Hilton's Trianon Room to the endless parade of LED products on display in the Exhibit Hall lighting was the word at Con Ed's Energy Efficiency Summit in New York on Wednesday.
 
I wrote about the changing nature of lighting and sensor technologies from this week's Con Ed Energy Efficiency Summit in New York.  Read my post on The Energy Collective blog.

Read more.

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Energy Efficiency Needs to Be the "New Normal" | The Energy Collective

Energy Efficiency has long been touted as the "low hanging fruit," both in terms of energy savings and potential impact on mitigating climate change.  So why aren't energy efficiency measures being more rapidly adopted?

I explore this question and more from the floor of Con Ed's Energy Efficiency Summit on The Energy Collective blog.

Read more

 

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Meet BERT, Your Energy Control Freak

Will Ernie be next?

Remember when your mom would shout at you to turn off the lights when you left a room?  Well, now there's an electronic mom that does it for you without the yelling.

They call it BERT, which stands for Best Energy Reduction Tools, and it's a new "smart plug" has the witty tagline that it's "your energy control freak." 

I've written before about smart plugs (see ThinkEco's Modlet and Israel's Greenlet) and other energy demand management solutions, but yesterday's announcement by Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) of Southeastern Pennsylvania that it was awarding a follow-on investment of $500,000 to Green Power Technologies of King of Prussia, PA, caught my attention.  (BFTP has already invested $250,000 in an earlier round.)

They call it BERT, which stands for Best Energy Reduction Tools, and has the witty tagline that it's "your energy control freak."

BERT eliminates wasted energy from devices that are turned off but still plugged in -- and let's face it, we're all guilty of leaving our devices plugged in when they don't need to be.  BERT software enables you to program up to 100 on/off commands per week, which gives you control of energy use day or night from your WiFi enabled computer or smart phone.

The company plans to manufacture in the US, which would make Jack Donaghy proud.  GPT has contracted with Millennia Group, a manufacturer in Cheswick, PA, to make BERTs.

I'm still looking for a solution that cuts off power to my phone charger when the charge is complete, such as when I charge it overnight, but this programmable smart plug gets closer to solving that problem. 

Green Skeptic Friday LinkFest - 04/08/11

One of the benefits of the work I do is going to or hosting investment forums and conferences where some amazing companies get to present.  It's also one of the drawbacks, as it impacts my blogging and writing about the events in a timely manner. 

I'm working on updates from the Mid-Atlantic Cleantech Investment Forum we held a week ago, New Ventures Global Investment Forum from this past Wednesday, and highlights from PV America.  Watch for that and a "state of cleantech investing" post next week.

Meanwhile, here are links for this week:

In the rush to EVs and Hybrids, don't count ICEs out: New Car Engine Sends Shock Waves Through Auto Industry: 3.5x more fuel efficient!

In other innovation news, a toxic byproduct from coal plants has been used by researchers to make metal foams that are just as strong as aluminum, but lighter, according to an article on GreenBiz.com. A team at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University used fly ash as an additive in metal foams designed to replace solid aluminum and magnesium in certain vehicle parts: Toxic Coal Byproduct Made Into Lighter, Stronger Metal Foams 

Geothermal energy production could triple over the next few years, expanding its reach from nine to 15 states, according to a report released this week by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). Renewable Energy World explains: US Geothermal Industry Expands with New Capital, Government Support

That could mean good news for companies like Ormat Technolobies ($ORA), which is also expanding operations overseas: Ormat Expands Geothermal Generating Capacity In Kenya

Nicholas Donofrio, a fellow emeritus with IBM and senior fellow with the Kauffman Foundation, talks about "Turning Energy Challenges Into Opportunities" [video]

Waste Management is trying to turn garbage into gold, according to an article in CNET by Martin Lamonica, by investing "in technology start-ups in an effort to get electricity, chemicals, or liquid fuels from municipal solid waste. Already, the company generates two to three times more energy than the entire solar industry." Waste Management CEO Places Energy Bets

 

Om Malik's surprise at his increasing energy bill and he turned to OPower to figure out why and what to do about it.  For OPower, Cloud, Big Data & Digital Energy Equal Magic 

Have a great weekend everyone.



(Disclosure: I hold a long position in ORA. This post is for informational purposes only and is neither intended to be investment advice nor an offer, or the solicitation of any offer, to buy or sell any securities.)

Green Skeptic Friday LinkFest - 02/25/11

As I write this there's a strong odor of natural gas outside my house. Philadelphia Gas Works has been notified and is sending someone out.  But if you don't hear from me after this post, you will know why.

Speaking of gas...

David Anthony, Managing Partner of 21Ventures, asked Is there a future for hydrogen? in a post in OnGreen.com this week. Seems there are a lot of hurdles for hydrogen and still a l-o-n-g way to go, especially with natural gas being readily available and cheaper for many uses.  I just don't see how hydrogen competes.

Meanwhile, former Google climate and energy technology manager Jeffrey Greenblatt, now of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory imagines the low-carbon energy system of the future: Think Biomass, Not Natural Gas.

Katie Fehrenbacher sees the future of cleantech investing: Cleantech 2.0.

And former South Carolina GOP Representative Bob Inglis says it's Time to Change What We Tax. 

A new study concludes that Solar Power Growth is Up 70 percent worldwide,while Ucilia Wang of Earth2Tech lists 7 Fear Factors That Move Solar Stocks.

Car & Driver does its first drive revie of the Fisker Karma and finds the plug-in hybrid "a beautiful, luxurious machine that goes easy on the guilt."

A Harvard Study Estimates Coal Power Has $300 to $500 Billion in Hidden Costs, while Mireya Navarro of the New York Times' Green blog wonders if carbon trading alive and well? Carbon Auction Yields $16.9 Million for New York.

Dan Yurman, writing in The Energy Collective, talks about the former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission who argues for recycling spent nuclear fuel: Spent Nuclear Fuel is Actually Full of Energy.

And, finally, The Economist wonders whether so-called "black carbon" can fight pollution and help the climate at same time? Climate Change in Black and White.
 
Have a great weekend.  Hope to see you next week.

Review: The Hidden Cleantech Revolution by John Moore and Toby Shute

An ugly truth of the new green economy is that the energy transition away from carbon-based fuels will be slow and powered by the very fuels from which we're transitioning.  We'll be using coal, oil, and natural gas for many years to come. 

Here at The Green Skeptic we've long made the point that we need to fire on all cylinders during this long transition, but do so in a way that is less destructive, less harmful to the environment and that seeks efficiency and fosters innovation.

John Moore and Toby Shute, authors of The Hidden Cleantech Revolution share this view and extrapolate on it in their slim book subititled "Five Priorities for Securing America's Energy Future -- Without Breaking the Bank."

Moore is Chair and CEO of Acorn Energy, a holding company focused on improving the efficiency and environmental impact of the energy infrastructure, and Shute writes about energy for The Motley Fool. 

They suggest that alternative generation is "destined to have negligible impact on our energy challenges for at least two decades." (Emphasis theirs.)

Yet already available technologies can get more out of our current energy system.

Improving productivity, in addition to finding efficiencies and reducing consumption, can be accomplished, the authors argue, by using information technology to make our energy better, which means cleaner and safer, as well as less expensive and more reliable.

The authors suggest we need to get more out of the grid, oil and gas, coal, and nuclear while investing in safety, security and resilience in the energy infrastructure. 

They further postulate that our energy portfolio should be diverse, but that there is much "that is happening today without government subsidies to choose the lowest cost, lower risk and highest return investments to secure our future."

The book will anger some -- especially those who just don't believe another nuclear plant should ever be built in the US again or that coal plants can't be re-engineered to burn cleaner and more efficiently. 

But Moore and Shute make a good case in a briefing style format, backed by a deep understanding of some of the latest technologies (albeit it some technologies from companies clearly disclosed as part of the Acorn portfolio).

"Simply maintaining our electrical grid at its current capacity will soon require a $1 trillion capital investment," the authors offer. "The coal-fired plants that supply 50 percent of our electricity, for instance, on average have a 40-year life expectancy. At this writing, 70 percent of them are over 30 years old."

"Even if we set aside the enormous sums of money involved, these are not trivial concerns," write Moore and Shute. "Choices we make in the next ten years may determine the prosperity and security of our nation for the next hundred."

The book is available for free as a PDF at The Hidden Cleantech Revolution

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The Green Skeptic’s "Rational Approach to Cleantech" on Competitive Futures PodCast

I sat down yesterday with Eric Garland to explain my opinions on cleantech, green, and more. Here's what Eric had to say on Competitive Futures:

"With a philosophy straight from the European Enlightenment and with credentials from the heart of the environmental movement, Scott Edward Anderson is a rare voice amongst the crowd of green economy hypesters and cynics. In a style that strongly recalls our own approach to holistic, data-based, rational analysis of the future, Scott advises companies, governments and investors on how to think about cleantech with all the complexity and cold logic that it deserves.

"In this edition of the Competitive Futures Podcast, Scott shoots a hole in most of the "green" technologies that are supposed to save us, tells us why China is rapidly outpacing the West on cleantech investments, and why fixing 100 year old buildings is just as important as adopting brand new, shiny silver, nanotech-injected technology when it comes to the long-term future of our energy-efficient, green and clean 21st century economy."

Green Energy Reporter's Top 10 Players in Green Energy for October

John Woolard, Brightsource

Always interesting to see who makes the monthly "Top 10 Players in Green Energy" list from our friends at Green Energy Reporter.  Here is their Top 10 for October.


Google hanging at #2 for the second month in a row.

Brightsource Energy's John Woolard in the number one spot.

And BP is a sleeper in the #4 spot -- but GER explains that steadily increasing investments in alternative energy helps BP go from corporate villain to list worthy.


It just shows to go ya...

Green Skeptic Friday LinkFest - 10/22/10

Sign of Good Things to Come in Philly

My apologies for neglecting the LinkFest last week.  Will try to make up for it here.

First up, Jeff St. John of GigaOm with a story on GridPoint, "the smart grid company with a lot of funding, and a lot to prove," replacing its CEO: GridPoint.

Andrew Winston in Harvard Business Review wrote about Google Doing What the Government Can't: Google Cleantech.

And more on Google's shift from trying to find cleantech breakthroughs to financing mega projects.

In Philly, Viridity Energy got some props in the Inquirer for its efforts to reshape how firms buy and use electricity.

I was at the Cleantech Group's Cleantech Forum New York, where it announced the 2010 Global Cleantech 100.

Tom Friedman of The New York Times wrote about the case for energy technology investment,while Teryn Norris asked "Can Conservatives Support Clean Energy Innovation Policy?" in The Energy Collective.

CleanTechies blog featured an interview with Jigar Shah, CEO of the Carbon War Room on Why Entrepreneurs Are Flocking to Energy.

On the Sustainability front, Tilde Herrera in GreenBiz.com listed 10 Things to Know About Engaging Suppliers for Green Programs.

And finally, one of the things that's been keeping me busy this week, is the US launch of one my clients here in Philadelphia: Mark Group home-energy firm to locate in Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Veolia Trying to Accelerate Cleantech Solutions

Philippe Martin of Veolia Environnement

I sat down last week with Philippe Martin and Robert Bozza of Veolia (NYSE:VE) at the Cleantech Forum New York last week to learn more about the company's Innovation Accelerator.

Veolia Environnement is a multinational French company with origins in the national water company established by Napoleon III.

You may remember them as part of Vivendi, from which they spun off in 2000, later being renamed Veolia.

Veolia operates utility and public transportation businesses -- everything from drinking water to waste management services; from heating and air conditioning to rail and road passenger transportation systems.

The company had $49.8 billion in revenue last year and operates in 74 countries with 313,000 employees worldwide.
 
Philippe Martin, senior vice president for research and innovation, explains that the company faces environmental challenges in the field every day and needs the most relevant and innovative technologies. They are constantly searching for new innovations from within and, now, with its innovation accelerator, outside the company.

"We have the ability as an operating company to deploy technology and help companies scale their technology and get to market," Martin says. "We are focused on incubation and acceleration."

Robert Bozza heads up the Veolia Innovation Accelerator (VIA). The accelerator funnels creative solutions into a network of sorts to which Veolia will lend its expertise and deployment capabilities.

And the company promises to move innovation quickly through the incubation period – to accelerate the technologies to market.

"We have made a 1-4-12 promise," Martin and Bozza explain. "Review a company's application in one week. Perform technical analysis of the technology in four weeks. And sign an agreement with the company within 12 weeks. It is designed to move fast and be more efficient than a corporate fund."

While not a fund, VIA can invest in a participating company's technology. "We think this is more efficient than a fund," says Martin. "We are not in the business of creating solutions, only deploying the best."

Thus far, they have 150 applicants under review, each falling within one scope of the company's focus areas: water, waste, and energy. Some have come through traditional routes, such as through venture capital or other investors, but they are also finding great response to the accelerator's web application.

"We're seeing about 50/50 from investors and the web," Martin explains. "Before there were too many channels into the company. Now there is one funnel."

And the companies are coming from both sides of the pond.

One such company is California-based NanoH2O, which provides membranes that leverage nanotechnology to improve desalination. NanoH2O is partnering with Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies to jointly explore new regions for seawater desalination plants in the Middle East, Mediterranean, and Australia.

"Working with Veolia," said Jeff Green, founder and CEO of NanoH2O, "will accelerate the adoption of NanoH2O's nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes worldwide to change the fundamental economics of desalination."

Once selected, companies can enter into joint research projects with Veolia or its subsidiaries (such as with NanoH2O) or use the company to deploy their technology in the field.

And what about intellectual property?

"While there may be some shared IP in joint research projects, it is otherwise IP retained by company/entrepreneur," Martin asserted. "We are not a technology company, so we are not going to be a competitor."

"New technology leverages our strengths," added Bozza.

Currently, Veolia is looking for companies with an emphasis on biotech applied to their core businesses (water, waste, energy, transport), sensors – which are going to be very important, energy conservation and efficiency; and real-time water quality monitoring solutions.

The companies selected will be announced at the Cleantech Group's San Francisco Forum next March.

World Statistics Day Energy Quiz

Paul Kedrosky pointed me to this energy statistics quiz from the Energy Information Administration.

I scored 18/20, missing on questions 3 & 4 (duoh!).

See how well you do: US Energy Information Administration Energy Quiz

Did you know there was such a thing as World Statistics Day?

My Interview with Sheeraz Haji of Cleantech Group

Sheeraz Haji of Cleantech Group

I sat down the other day with Sheeraz Haji, President of Cleantech Group, which was hosting its Cleantech Forum New York this week.

Haji has been in his position for almost two years after a stint at McKinsey and a few successful software startups. He came to Cleantech Group because he saw an opportunity to "take a great brand and transform it into the leading market research firm on cleantech innovation."

But his interest in the environment goes back to his childhood. His father worked for World Bank in various developing countries, which gave the young Sheeraz some direct, personal experience with environmental issues. Water was a particular concern.

"I went to go swimming in a lagoon in Cote d’Ivoire (Africa)," Sheeraz says. "But my father said to me, 'You don't want to swim in there; that water's dirty, it'll make you sick.' I looked at the other kids, local kids splashing around in the water and responded, 'But there are children swimming in there…' That opened my eyes."

Water is one of the subsectors that Cleantech Group tracks, and the firm has a partnership with the US EPA to map innovation across the water sector. They also have a research partnership with the US Department of Energy on smart grid solutions. In addition, the firm provides data, research, and advisory services to companies and investors to need such information to make business and investment decisions.

What challenges are you seeing for the cleantech sector?

"Financing. Financing is still an issue. We're hearing that throughout the conference."

What about all that government funding? Was the US government's stimulus not successful?

"I think the stimulus package has been successful considering how complicated it is. Matt Rogers had a tough job; the government was in a tough spot. They did it fairly, I think, as fairly as possible. Of course there are critics. And I understand where they are coming from. Government has a big role to play, not just in money, but in providing a policy framework to inspire innovation."

What issues are out there looming?

"Water. Water is a huge global issue, which is why we're focusing on it here. It has been ignored when compared to the scale of the challenge."

Can you share some trends you're seeing?

"In our latest research, transportation received the most investor money. EVs, of course, but also things like the "ZipCar for China" -- eHi Car Service of Shanghai; EcoMotors; and car-sharing in general. ZipCar is a really strong model and brand.

"Resource sharing in general. How can you get more energy efficient than sharing office space or even personal cars. I mean, why shouldn't someone get some use out of my Prius while I'm not using it, as long as it's available the 3 days a year I'm actually home.

"More efficient internal combustion engines are a still in demand; we shouldn't ignore ICEs. Fleet vehicles are a huge opportunity, too. There are still a lot of opportunities to conserve less.

"Control systems; all sorts of controls HVAC, lighting, anything in building operation and performance."

We can't talk about electric vehicles (EVs) without talking about batteries. What are you seeing in terms of batteries, specifically for the EV market?

"No one has figured out the answer to batteries for EVs. We're just not there. I'm skeptical of battery swapping technology; I mean: will the public go for it? And will it help resolve the 'range anxiety' dilemma? People are afraid they'll run out of charge while out driving. I really think charging will have to mimic the gas station-style infrastructure."

That's a very capital intensive proposition.

"It is, but that's not the same in emerging markets, where they don't already have the infrastructure set up and people aren't already tied to their cars. You look at China and India. It's different in emerging markets. Where electric motorcycles might be a good place to start; we looked at electric motorcycles and thought it makes sense in China."

What about China? Any thoughts on the big green push there?

"I've just returned from there. There was a very positive vibe in Tianjin. They are embracing the Eco-City concept there. And you can see why: the demand, the need. It's real. And companies there tell me there are few capital constraints. Really, it is a can do -- and will do -- attitude."

Any thoughts on the cleantech IPO market?

"It's going to be an interesting place to watch. Amyris is performing. Brightsource could be one to watch. Everyone is waiting for Silver Spring Network to go public, of course, but smart grid deployment has been so slow. The IPO market will be pretty interesting. I'm optimistic about it."

What do you say to people (and I've heard a few VCs take this stance) who say that cleantech is too capital intensive to make it worth investing in? That we need more capital efficient opportunities to invest in.

"Cleantech has a host of segments and sub-segments; some are capital intensive; some are more capital efficient. I actually think there are too many people chasing capital efficient plays and that there is real opportunity in bigger, more capital intensive companies, which can still be successful. You can still build a big successful company even if it takes a lot of cash to build it."

What's next for Cleantech Group?

"Three things:

1) Investing in our research in 5 key areas: smart grid, energy efficiency, transportation, waste, and water.
2) Launching our water research series at our 1st ever water event: Nov 3-4 in LA: Water Research Series
3) Continued expansion in Asia (upcoming research projects and events in India, Korea, and China)."

For more on Cleantech Group, their research, and events: cleantech.com


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• Karin Kloosterman: 7 Israeli Companies Make "Global Cleantech 100" Guardian List (huffingtonpost.com)
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Green Skeptic Friday LinkFest - 09/03/10

September. Summer coming to a close, kids going back to school. Soon the leaves will be turning. But before we go there, let's take a look at some of the stories that grabbed our attention this week:

Bill Gates' interview in Technology Review sparked some lively conversation over at Andy Revkin's New York Times Dot Earth blog, including this rebuttal from Richard Rosen of Boston's Tellus Institute: A Challenge to Mr. Gates

Which prompted this email response from Mr. Gates himself: The Back Gates

The Times also had a special report on energy efficiency "Doing More While Using Less Energy"
 
Hell froze over as renowned environmental skeptic Bjorn Lomborg called for $100bn a year to fight global warming: Bjorn Dilemma

Rob Day of Black Coral Capital provided some fine analysis of The Call for R&D
 
Philadelphia was in the news again with this piece on efforts to make Philadelphia's Navy Yard a mini-city of energy innovation: Grid Wit?
 
The Brookings Institution also weighed in with "Energy (and Economic) Transformation Come to the Philadelphia Navy Yard"
 
And Lux Research assesses the likely winners and losers in the next round of solar meltdowns: Who Will Thrive, Survive, or Dive?
 
Have a great holiday weekend!

Philadelphia Subways to Brake for Energy Generation

Image by kitch via Flickr
What do you get when you pair the latest 21st century energy technologies with with one of the country’s oldest transportation systems?

Viridity Energy, a Philadelphia-area smart grid company, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), which has its origins in the early 1900s, when electrified trolleys were the transportation du jour, have teamed up to find out.

Their pilot project will use Viridity Energy's software optimization system to help SEPTA capture and recycle energy generated by trains, trolleys and even electrified buses using the existing regenerative braking capabilities of those transportation systems.

Regenerative braking isn't new. The energy generated by SEPTA's trains is currently captured and fed to the system's third-rail to power other trains.

The innovation here is to store and use the energy through a one megawatt battery array, which should reduce electrical power purchases by 10-20 percent at each location where the batteries are deployed, according to Viridity Energy.

Viridity estimates that one battery will generate $500,000 per year in value. SEPTA hopes to install the technology at all of its electric substations serving trolleys and trains. It may also allow SEPTA to purchase power at night, when rates are low, and potentially provide power to the grid to stabilize regional demand during peak usage events.

The partnership with SEPTA is "a perfect example of how smart grid innovations and advances in technology can effectively be paired with revenue opportunities from competitive energy markets to yield substantial economic, operational and environmental benefits," said Audrey Zibelman, President and CEO of Conshohocken-based Viridity Energy.

For SEPTA, the project is "a foundation for measurable gains in both energy efficiency and voltage stability" in what is one of its busiest corridors, and "a replicable and scalable model for broader system-wide implementation," according to a spokesman.

The partnership received $900,000 in funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through its 2010 Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) grant program.

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Philadelphia: Birthplace of Energy Independence?

Image via Wikipedia

Philadelphia Navy Yard, Robert N. Dennis collection

Can Philadelphia become the birthplace of another kind of American independence: energy independence?

Two developments this week add to the Greater Philadelphia region's bid to become a regional powerhouse, if you will, of energy efficiency, clean technology research and commercialization, and entrepreneurship.

The location of these new developments is the old Philadelphia Navy Yard, the "city within the city" that is rapidly becoming an economic center with the headquarters of URBN, TastyKake, and the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard.

On Tuesday, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP-SEPA), announced the launch of its Energy Commercialization Institute (ECI), which it describes as "the region's first partnership for accelerating alternative and clean energy technology development and commercialization, through translational research and sponsored research funding."

The ECI is a partnership between Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, and BFTP-SEPA, which created the ECI with $1.2 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A host of other area universities will also participate.

"The Energy Commercialization Institute is a catalyst for regional energy-based economic growth," said RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President & CEO of Ben Franklin.

The Institute will implement "common intellectual property protocols among the participating institutions and by provide capital at the earliest stage of technology commercialization," according to Rosenthal.

The other development tackles another energy and economic opportunity: efficiency.  A research consortium led by Penn State University announced yesterday that it won a competitive grant from the Department of Energy worth $129 million to develop an "energy innovation hub" at the Navy Yard.

The hub will fund research into energy efficiency for buildings and train workers in both retrofitting and new construction.

"Our goal is to create the building equivalents of super low emissions vehicles (SULEVs) in buildings – call them SULEBs!" said Dr. Henry Foley, Penn State's vice president for research and dean of the graduate school, who is leading the effort.

"With this kind of support we can realize the vision of Philadelphia becoming America’s greenest city and we can put Pennsylvanians in the lead of this technological revolution," Foley said in an email.

The Navy Yard, with a land footprint of 1,200 acres, has some unique qualities suitable for such a research facility, including its own unregulated power grid, allowing for testing technologies in a way that won't impact the larger, city-wide power grid.

The campus also has over seven miles of waterfront, more than 100 companies with a workforce of 8,000, 5.5 million square feet of buildings, and more than $500 million of private investment, according to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
 
Critics question the assertion that the energy hub will create 100,000 jobs and note that other top-down efforts have failed to deliver results.

But Foley dismisses such criticism, saying in an email that "this effort will be driven by science and engineering for innovation. This HUB is highly focused in one incredibly important area. The outcome will be technology-based economic development."

As for comparing this to other top-down efforts, Foley said, "it sounds to me like a comparison of apples to bowling balls – they’re both spherical."

The combination of this hub, the energy commercialization institute, and existing business incubator-style efforts at the Navy Yard, which houses such promising companies as OxiCool that is developing a cutting-edge air conditioning technology, makes the case for a growing support infrastructure for the region.

What's needed next is more opportunities for ground-up entrepreneurial efforts, attracting some later stage companies that will provide jobs, and an investment ecosystem to support the best emerging technologies in the region.

Philadelphia still has a long way to go, but it is slowly building momentum to ramp up to full power. If these efforts succeed, Philadelphia may become the birthplace of another American revolution, that of energy independence.


(Disclosure: The author is co-founder of the Cleantech Alliance Mid-Atlantic, which provided a letter of support for the Energy Innovation Hub application and is a partner in that effort, along with other efforts supported by BFTP-SEPA.)

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Green Skeptic Friday LinkFest - 08/20/10

Jonny's Not Rotten (Photo by Amado Garcia)

Dog Days edition of the Green Skeptic LinkFest.
So, I'll start with Sunday's cover story in PARADE magazine on the "Vick dogs" - the dogs that football player Michael Vick abused and Vick-timized in his Virginia compound. Some were forced to fight and some were traumatized for life. But most of them survived to be rehabilitated and have been given a second chance: Can You Teach a Bad Dog New Tricks?

Efficiency is finally getting it's due as investors are picking energy efficiency 'low-hanging fruit.'

Single malt or blended, sir? Yale360 reports on a New Whisky Waste Biofuel Developed by Scottish Scientists: Scotch Drink & Drive.

Sharon Begley in Newsweek writes about how we're "Green and Clueless."?

Energy China Forum (ECF) reports on how the U.S. and China Are Vying for Clean Energy Leadership.

Fisker's Karma plug-in hybrid is still a mystery, but it promises much: Fisker Do?

Eric Wesoff of GreentechMedia published a Greentech IPO Report: Past, Present and Top Ten IPO Candidates.

Fabian Pattberg listed his Top Five Sustainability/CSR Communication Examples.
 
And finally, A123 spin-off company 24M gets charged up by $10M from North Bridge + CRV for grid-scale batteries: 24M.

 
(Disclosure: I hold a long position in $AONE This post is for informational purposes only and is neither intended to be investment advice nor an offer, or the solicitation of any offer, to buy or sell any securities. I also hold a long position in an adopted pitbull named Calvin and I do advocate that you do the same.)

New Energy Symposium 2010

This year's New Energy Symposium took place last week at the New York Academy of Sciences' lush office and conference space at the World Trade Center in New York.

Co-hosted by the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center (E2TAC), along with New Energy New York, a consortium of New York State-based energy technology organizations, the two day event featured panelists from industry and government, as well as investors and academic institutions, along with over two dozen presenting companies.

More than one jeremiad was tossed out by the speakers. Most agreed that the time is now to seed the opportunity and not cede it to other countries (China and India were among those cited).

As Dr. Pradeep Haldar, director of E2TAC and head of the Nanoengineering Constellation at University of Albany's CNSE, reminded the attendees, "We are falling behind the rest of the world by $240-260 million in terms of investment in cleantech."

Several presenting companies hope to get a piece of that investment pie and hope that it grows. Highlights among the companies include: Algal Scientific Corporation, Ener-G-Rotors, and Energy Materials Corporation, which were the three "most promising companies" chosen by the extensive panel of investors, including David Wells from Kleiner Perkins, Alex Kinnier of Khosla Ventures, and Annachiara Danielli of Golden Seeds.

Other companies of interest included Paper Battery Company, InnoSepra, and three NYC ACRE tenants, Wind Products, Sollega, and Rentricity.

My three take-aways from the two-day conference:

1.) Time-of-use pricing is essential to make the Smart Grid work and to manage pricing and habits;
2.) Storage to balance the load and demand is essential -- and large increases in intermittent generation (from distributed sources and Battery Electric Vehicles) will increase this need; and
3.) Energy efficiency is still the low hanging fruit and has still not been picked.

The bottom line? While progress has been made towards the new energy future, we've still got a long way to go.

There was a healthy discussion about the role of Europe and India in the future of energy, but the elephant in the room was clearly China.

As Congressman Steve Israel put it in his keynote address, "China is our Sputnik. We need to see China's taking leadership of the clean energy arena as a wake-up call."

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• CG Power and CNSE Launch Global Partnership to Establish $20M Center for Intelligent Power at UAlbany NanoCollege (nanotech-now.com)
• CNSE intelligent power center to generate over $50 million in revenue (troyrecord.com)
• UAlbany NanoCollege Selected to Host Five Prestigious Global Nanotechnology Conferences May 19, 2010 (nanotech-now.com)

Can a Disruptive PV Technology Topple First Solar? (from GreentechSolar)

Eric Wesoff at Greentech Media raises some interesting questions for $FSLR investors and ponders whether there's a "new black swan improbable pyro-nano-quantum-thingamajig technology" waiting to displace thin-film PV:

As we watch First Solar lower their industry-leading costs from $0.81 per watt in Q1 to $0.76 per watt in Q2, we get a clearer picture of their cost trajectory. First Solar's roadmap sees their costs dropping another 20 percent to 30 percent by 2014. They also envision their efficiencies climbing to 14 percent from today's 11.1 percent. Is this the best that the solar industry can do?

The leading (and bankable) Chinese crystalline silicon manufacturers will continue to price their product exactly where it needs to be to win commercial and utility business.  And folks like SunPower, with their high efficiencies and high costs, will attempt to keep up. Other public companies without the benefit of very high efficiency, very low costs, or big balance sheets are going to be on the losing end of Shyam's Solar Shakeout.

So, why aren't there solar panels everywhere?

Read the full article here: Disruptive

(Disclosure: I hold long positions in FSLR. This post is for informational purposes only and is neither intended to be investment advice nor an offer, or the solicitation of any offer, to buy or sell any securities.)

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• How China Can Speed Up Solar Exports (solarfeeds.com)
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• First Solar Drops Cost to 76 Cents a Watt (greentechmedia.com)
• UPDATE 2-First Solar profit beats, raises forecast (reuters.com)
• First Solar Earnings: A Mixed Bag (earth2tech.com)