Clean Tech: Bush US$2bn to Stimulate Clean Tech Development in...China and India?

"Let us create a new international clean technology fund, which will help developing nations like India and China make greater use of clean energy sources," President Bush said in his final State of the Union address Monday night.

The fund essentially represents a commitment of US$2 billion over three years. Add this to the US$18 billion Bush has already put together over the last seven years, mainly for R&D, and you begin to think momentum is building.

But the latest commitment pales in comparison to the US$10 billion clean technology pledged by Japan in Davos yesterday and US$15 billion from the Abu Dhabi emirate last week. And the Bush $2bn is intended to stimulate clean tech development in...China and India.

The Bush pledge is either arm-twisting or noble gesture, take your pick; but it seems to me we're stimulating the wrong economies here.

We wanted to hear from President Bush that it's time for the US to take the lead in clean technologies, to build our energy security, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and jumpstart the new green economy.

This on the heals of news from Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, which told their global clients that China is launching a grenade into the camp of the global wind turbine industry with a low-cost option that may just rule the day. Apparently, they got wind of the World Wind Energy Council's (GWEC) claim that China will leap to the top of the list of wind turbine producers as early as 2009.

"For my members now, one of the big issues is to prepare for the onslaught of relatively inexpensive Chinese turbines onto the world market," Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the GWEC, said, adding that no Chinese companies were exporting at present.

"The two that have big export plans starting in 2009 and 2010 are Gold Wind, which has really been the market leader (in China) and Sinovel," Sawyer said.

Meanwhile, the US economic stimulus package that passed the House of Representatives today does not include an extension of tax incentives for alternative energy development here at home. It still has a shot on the Senate floor, where US Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) spoke in support of the extension last Thursday.

"They [the incentives] have the desirable benefit of getting immediate short-term results," said Cantwell, "that is -- significant economic activity and new jobs in 2008. And they also result in long term benefits. This is the ideal type of stimulus expenditure for us to make.

"Extension of these clean energy tax incentives provide just the short term stimulus that people and businesses immediately need. And it demonstrates the type of foresighted leadership that the American taxpayers expect."

So, where is our leadership for the new green economy, Mr. Bush? China? India? Abu Dhabi? How does that stimulate our economy? How does that contribute to our energy security?

Clean Tech: Solar Thermal Gets Boost From US$105M Investment in Solel

Venture Beat reports this morning about a solar thermal company gaining "significant traction: Solel, a manufacturer and installer of solar thermal energy generators, has taken in US$105 million from London-based investment firm Ecofin.

"In the space of the past couple years, the 20 year old Israeli company has taken flight, accumulating contracts and equipment orders and signing agreements to build major generation projects in California and Spain.

"In California and Nevada, Ausra and Brightsource are also competing for attention, scaling up operations as rapidly as possible. At least for the moment, solar thermal looks like a safer bet than photovoltaics, based on the economics.

"However, that story may be changing, as solar PV manufacturers bring down costs over the next few years."

Global Climate Change: Google's Conversation with Thomas Friedman

Google's Larry, Sergei, and Curly, er, Larry B on climate change in conversation with Thomas Friedman. Amazing that the poverty and climate change agendas are coming together; something we've written about at length on The Green Skeptic.

Connect these conversations with Gates's "Creative Capitalism" and Muhammad Yunus's call for social business and perhaps we can get a new triple bottom line: new energy jobs, poverty elimination, and lessen the impacts of global warming.



You've got to applaud the hubris of the Google guys -- and hubris is what it's going to take to push progress. Push on!

Global Climate Change: Al Gore and Bono Interviewed by Thomas Friedman at Davos

New York Times columnist Thomas "The World is Flat" Friedman interviews Al "Invented Climate Change and the Internet" Gore and U2's (Not Sonny) Bono at WEF in Davos regarding possible marriage between the climate change and poverty alleviation agendas. We have to ask, what's the pre-nup look like? Worth a look:



(Sorry about the nicknames; feeling ESPN-dprived this weekend.)

Social Entrepreneurs: Bill Gates Talk on "Creative Capitalism" at Davos

Readers of The Green Skeptic know that I believe in the concept of market-based social change or doing good and making money; what Muhammad Yunus is now calling "social business" and what Bill Gates spoke about at Davos this week, "Creative Capitalism." Here is the video of Bill Gates from Davos:

Clean Tech: Small-scale Wind Power May Be Closer to Home

Venture Beat reported this morning about Marquiss Wind Power, which is trying to popularize a roof-top turbine suitable for use by ordinary businesses. This is good news for wind fans (no pun intended; well, maybe...) who want to see wind power brought closer to home:

"The company’s 'ducted' wind turbine looks a bit like a 19 foot tall box fan. Despite its clunky appearance, it’s capable of re-orienting itself according to the direction of air flow, while the ducting is intended to increase wind speed as it approaches the blades.

"At the moment, two models are sold — one intended for areas with wind speeds of 6-10 mph, and another for higher average speeds. The turbines are intended for buildings between one and three stories tall.

"Marquiss received the $1.3 million funding from Velocity Venture Capital, which led, and Strategis Early Ventures. The funding was the Folsom, Calif. company’s first."