Massive Oil Spill? Send In The Lawyers??

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that he is dispatching a team of lawyers from multiple divisions within the Justice Department to New Orleans to meet with the U.S. Attorney and response teams and to monitor the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Not to be outdone, a law firm in Alabama, Beasley Allen has already filed a class action lawsuit against British Petroleum ("BP") and other companies with ties to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

And of course both the Attorney General and the plaintiffs' law firm immediately issued press releases announcing their heroic efforts.

This, sadly, is the state of America today. We are facing the worst oil spill since the Exxon Valdiz, and probably much worse in terms of environmental harm. Where we once would shout out "Send in the Marines!" or "Send in the Engineers!", today our call to arms is "Send in the Lawyers!" (The investment bankers will not be far behind, as soon as they can figure out how to profit from all sides of whatever transactions they can put together.)

Exactly what will all these lawyers be doing to address the environmental catastrophe on the Louisiana coast?

The Beasley Allen firm says that it seeks to represent individuals and businesses that have incurred damages related to the disaster, including; real property damages; personal property damages; loss of profits and earning capacity; loss of commercial and subsistence use of natural resources; increased costs of public services; and, loss of revenues.

As for the Attorney General of the United States, he promises that the "Justice Department stands ready to make available every resource at our disposal to vigorously enforce the laws that protect the people who work and reside near the Gulf, the wildlife, the environment and the American taxpayers."

Perhaps we should not make light of these noble efforts to ensure that justice is pursued swiftly (and profitably). But press releases? Why? Are they afraid that the people who are actually containing the spill and rescuing wildlife will get all the media attention?

Information Technology Generates Extraordinary Water Savings in Los Angeles

What's the best way to save water? The evidence suggest that it may be using information technology and controls systems.

Using wireless water management services from Water2Save, Cal State University in Los Angeles saved $100,000 on its water bills. The university reduced consumption by more than 27 million gallons of water since 2008, which is about 2,000 gallons of water an hour. That is enough to sustain 129 families in Los Angeles. The wireless technology remotely manages daily water usage based on a patented forecasted and measured weather data methodology.

"Not only are we saving water, but Water2Save does not require my employees to learn a new system, which saves my staff a lot of time. They also do not have to change watering schedules when the weather changes or shut the controllers off before it rains," says John Ferris, Director of Facilities Services at Cal State L.A.

This type of simple solution highlights the great possibilities that are available when information technology is used to control and manage water and energy costs. Simply by using information to better manage our consumption, we can achieve significant energy and water savings. Best of all, these systems pay for themselves very quickly. It is, as they say, a no-brainer.

www.DaviesGreenEnergy.com

Solar Shows Strong Growth in 2009 Despite the Great Recession

U.S. solar electric generation capacity increased by 37 percent in 2009, showing strong growth despite the Great Recession. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the growth was the result of increased investment in both photovoltaic and concentrating solar power. It was driven primarily by strong demand in the residential and utility-scale markets.

Solar water heating and pool heating also grew in 2009, by about 10%. Not too bad given the overall state of the economy.

SEIA attributes the good news to a combination of government policies, new business models, and declining prices. Give the continued availability of tax credits and stimulus funds this year and next, SEIA expects continued growth in solar electricity generation in 2010.

The solar industry added 17,000 new jobs in 2009 and now employs a total of 46,000 workers in the USA. Solar manufacturing showed a 7 percent increase in PV module production from 2008.

California led the country in new solar electric generation capacity with 220 MW. Other states that continued to see growth in their installed base of solar electric generation were New Jersey (57 MW), Florida (36 MW), Arizona (23 MW), Colorado (23 MW), Hawaii (14 MW), New York (12 MW), Massachusetts (10 MW), Connecticut (9 MW), and North Carolina (8 MW).

There is still room for tremendous growth in this sector. The USA currently ranks fourth in the world in new solar generation capacity with 481 MW. Increasing advances in technologies such as thin film solar, lower prices, and government policies requiring fossil fuel prices to include the costs of pollution, solar electric generation should help solar capacity to reach into the gigawatts in the near future.

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Dow Corning CEO Urges Congress on Green Energy Incentives

Dr. Stephanie A. Burns, Dow Corning's chairman, president and CEO, testified today before the House Ways & Means Committee at a hearing on energy tax incentives and the green job economy. The central message of her testimony was: "America’s energy transformation is inexorably linked to our nation’s economic and manufacturing future."

Dr. Burns noted that Dow Corning has announced more than $5 billion in investments in solar technology. Most of that is in capital for advanced manufacturing operations for polycrystalline silicon. It also includes other operations like research & development and materials that improve the performance and cost efficiency of solar cells and modules. Dr. Burns pointed out that these recent initiatives build on a 70-year history at Dow Corning of producing products focused on energy efficiency and sustainability.

Companies such as Dow Corning and its joint venture partners are manufacturing solar and other renewable energy-related materials here in America. This creates thousands of jobs in construction, engineering, science and skilled trades, according to Dr. Burns.

The problem is that many countries are now competing for these good jobs with tax credits and other incentives to attract green and sustainable investments. "Other nations have enacted aggressive policies to support the growth of the renewable energy industry," she said. "Companies that hope to manufacture in the United States are faced with a tax structure that encourages them to do otherwise. It is time for America to enact policies that will essentially assure this industry grows here."

Dr. Burns pointed out that recent initiatives such as the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have had a very positive impact by leveraging investments from the private sector. She urged Congress to do even more to stay competitive in the global clean technology race. The tax credit was capped at $2.3 billion, and was significantly oversubscribed. According to the Department of Energy, there were many viable projects that were not funded. With that in mind, Dr. Burns asked Congress to make the tax credit permanent in any energy, climate, or jobs bill now under development. "This will help propel America into an era of sustained, renewable energy use and help put Americans back to work," she said.

Dr. Burn's complete testimony before Congress is available by clicking here.

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Major Business Leaders Pressure Senators to Enact Comprehensive Climate and Energy Legislation

The US Chamber of Commerce may be opposed to climate change and energy legislation, but that does not mean that it speaks for the entire US business community. In fact, some of the largest companies in the US are emphatically in favor of proposed legislation to address climate change and energy.

This week more than 200 businesses in targeted states around the country called on key Senators to pass clean energy and climate legislation upon return to Washington, D.C. In the letters to Senators the business leaders highlighted the economic and job creation benefits of national climate and energy legislation.

"Today, the United States is falling behind in the global race to lead the new clean energy economy," they said in the letter. "In order for American business to unleash a new industrial revolution in energy, we need cooperative and coordinated action in the public policy and business arenas. We are ready to compete in the global marketplace, and we urge you to act so that we can win the race for a new clean energy economy. We stand ready to work with you to build this vital and growing economic sector."

Under the banner of a "We Can Lead" campaign, these corporations argue that legislation to address climate change and energy is essential to the future prosperity of the nation. "Energy is the largest industry, by revenue, in the world. It represents the next breakout technology sector," said Rose Lige, chief financial officer for Gary's Wynter Power Services, LLC, a full-service energy management company located in Indiana. "Clean energy technology will do for energy what IT has done for information and communications -- grow jobs and spur innovation."

We Can Lead is sponsored by the Clean Economy Network and Ceres' Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP). Ceres is the largest coalition of investors, environmental and public interest organizations in North America. Ceres launched the BICEP coalition, whose members include Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, Starbucks, Sun Microsystems, The Timberland Company, Aspen Skiing Company, Clif Bar & Company, eBay, Gap Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle, The North Face, Seventh Generation, Ben and Jerry's, Eileen Fisher, Stonyfield Farm Inc., and Symantec.

www.DaviesGreenEnergy.com

Residential Customers Are Open to the Smart Grid -- If It Will Save Them Money

A survey of 600 U.S. residential homes reveals that almost half have reported an increase in their electricity bill, due mostly to an increase in electricity consumption. Almost 60 percent of the homeowners who were surveyed say that they are willing to change their electricity use to save money. Among the thngs they are willing to do is enroll in a demand response program.

The survey was conducted and released by Frost & Sullivan. It is called "Smart Grid Market - A Customer Perspective on Demand Response", and it examines the motivations and probability of residential customers adopting demand response programs.

Demand response is a load power management program offered and controlled by either electric utilities or curtailment service providers. It is an important part of a smart grid, and it is expected to reduce the need for additional peak generation plants, as well as improve overall power quality and the environment.

"Customer awareness of smart grids appears moderately high, though awareness does not likely stem from the direct efforts of electric utility companies," states Frost & Sullivan Senior Energy Consultant Farah Saeed. "Only 16 percent of all surveyed residential electric customers are aware of any effort by their electric utility company to introduce smart grid technology into their community."

The survey notes a high probability of customers signing up for demand response if the customer has access to smart appliances. So-called smart appliances will be connected to the smart grid, allowing them to either shut-off or go into energy saving mode during peak power periods.

More than half the respondents said that they are either likely or somewhat likely to adopt smart appliances (59 percent). However, the majority plan to wait until their appliances come due for replacement (75 percent), rather than adopting smart appliances right away. Those willing to be early adopters also want rapid payback on these appliances: 79 percent want payback in two years or less, with only 7 percent not insisting on a payback at all.

For more information on this survey, please send an e-mail to Johanna Haynes, Corporate Communications, at johanna.haynes@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country.

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