MORE NEWS, 3-20 (THE SUNDANCE KID ON SUN; CAP&TRADE, THE SURVEY; UNIVERSITY GOES GEOTHERMAL)

THE SUNDANCE KID ON SUN
I Was Too Early on Solar Power – Let’s Not Be Too Late
Robert Redford, March 18, 2009 (Huffington Post)

"In his State of the Union address, President Obama noted that although America invented solar energy technology, we have fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it…I remember when America was leading the pack on clean energy in the 1970s. We abdicated that leadership thanks to the influence of a fossil fuel industry with deep pockets and friends in the White House. But Obama reminded us…We are a nation of innovators, and we can harness that resourcefulness again to build a better future.

"I saw that ingenuity emerge three decades ago, when the promise of renewable energy became clear to many of us. We were so eager to spread the word about solar power that we created "Sun Day," the solar equivalent of Earth Day. We had events from Maine to Chicago to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir even agreed to participate in one event."

From a Redford-produced film on solar energy from 1975. (click to enlarge)

"People were just starting to get excited about pollution-free power, but then Ronald Reagan became president and took the solar panels off the White House and the policies promoting renewable energy were stripped from the books.

"… All of [benefits of solar energy as a domestic, renewable power source] remain extremely relevant today, but we have lost three decades in the effort to extend them to more Americans…I was too early in my efforts to promote solar power, but now is the time. We are getting a second chance--another American trait. If we don't seize this moment, we will be too late to get the competitive advantage in a global marketplace, too late for the economic dividends, and too late to stave off the worst of global warming."

The Sundance Kid and the Nobel laureate - like minds attract. (click to enlarge)

"The Obama administration wants to see America double our supply of renewable energy in the next three years. Many lawmakers want to pass a national [RES]…Congress will likely vote this year on a bill to limit global warming pollution…These are the kind of bold, visionary actions we need right now. I urge you to call on your representatives to support them.

"In this time of economic crisis and uncertainty, I am reminded of being a child during World War II. I have no nostalgia for the turmoil and suffering of those days, but I do recall the communal effort, the sense that we all rallied around to support the greater good. Today we are trying to achieve the greater good of shared prosperity, and I believe it will be built on a clean and affordable energy economy. With enough resourcefulness, I know we can do it this time around..."


CAP&TRADE, THE SURVEY
Point Carbon Survey Finds 90 Percent Think US Will Introduce A US Emissions Trading Scheme By 2015
17 March 2009 (Business Wire via The Earth Times)

"An alarming 60 percent of respondents to a recent carbon market survey, all of whom work within companies with carbon trading operations, report having scaled back, delayed or cancelled carbon credit project investments as a consequence of the economic slowdown, according to Point Carbon, a leading provider of market intelligence, analysis, forecasting and advisory services for the energy and environmental markets.

"Some 87 percent of the respondents predicted a European Union Allowance (EUA) price of below €25 ($32) in 2010…respondents to the survey also reported a reduced need to buy European Union Allowances (EUAs) in addition to their full credit limit compared to last year… respondents reporting they have surplus EUAs to sell is up from 15 percent last year to 24 percent this year."

click to enlarge

"… hopes for a good long-term recovery are also high with almost half the respondents believing that an EUA price of €35 ($45) or higher in 2020 can be expected and some 90 percent predicting that the US will embark on its own cap-and-trade style emissions trading scheme (ETS) by 2015…many foresee a rebound in Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) investment by as early as 2009…41 percent of respondents predict they will increase their carbon credit project investments in 2009, against 23 percent that expect their investments to decrease or stop completely…"

click to enlarge

"Despite the up-beat long-term expectations, hopes are not high among respondents that the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December will produce a global climate agreement, with just 59 percent of the respondents expecting an agreement…against 71 percent in both 2007 and 2008. Point Carbon believes that the global economic slowdown, as well as the slow progress made in the post-2012 negotiations, may be to blame for this pessimism.

"This stark reminder of how the current global recession is impacting the global carbon business comes from Point Carbon’s Carbon 2009 report, titled Emissions Trading Coming Home and published on March 17…"


UNIVERSITY GOES GEOTHERMAL
Going geothermal; university plans to install the largest system in the country
February 6, 2009 (Ball State University Newscenter)

"…Ball State University is poised to take a bold, new approach to meeting its campus heating and cooling needs through geothermal energy. During its regularly scheduled Feb. 6 meeting on campus, the university's Board of Trustees approved a proposal that sets in motion a phased replacement of the plant's four existing coal-fired stoker boilers through a complete transition of the university's central heating and cooling system to one employing geothermal fields and energy centers to service more than 40 buildings on campus…

"The project will be divided into phases. Phase I will cost $36 million and will result in the shutting down of two coal stoker boilers and an annual operational savings in excess of $1 million. The university will seek state approval to apply $41.8 million in existing funds for use in developing the geothermal system. The funds were originally designated for coal-fired boiler replacement."

click to enlarge

"To complete Phase II, Ball State will use the balance of the $41.8 million, operational savings, and general and special repair and renovation funds. This phased conversion to geothermal would take place over a five to 10 year period, depending on the availability of funds over time. The total cost of the conversion over that period is estimated at $70 million.

"The university will actively pursue federal stimulus grants to contribute to the project and reduce its implementation schedule by many years. This project matches very closely to the stated goals of the proposed stimulus package: Much of it qualifies as shovel-ready, uses renewable energy sources and reduces carbon emissions…"

click to enlarge

"Geothermal equipment has been available for several decades and has been used in both residential and commercial applications. According to a December 2008 report from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 600,000 geothermal heat pumps have been installed in the United States…[T]aking the current coal boilers offline will save the university a half-million dollars per boiler annually in operational costs, resulting in savings of $2 million a year when the project is completed. Just as important…the university's net carbon footprint will be cut approximately in half…

…[P]lanners are considering locations for the geothermal well fields on campus, where water will be circulated in a closed-loop piping system to a depth of roughly 400 feet before being returned to the surface and distributed through three energy centers, which will act as central heat exchangers…"