MORE NEWS, 9-28: NEW REPORTS SHOW HUGE NEW ENERGY JOBS PROMISE; WIND HAS JOBS, NEEDS RES; HOUSTON TO BUILD BIG SUN; PLUGGED IN & POWER HUNGRY

NEW REPORTS SHOW HUGE NEW ENERGY JOBS PROMISE
Report touts global low carbon job boost; Think tanks call on G20 leaders to act together to create the efficient low carbon markets
Tom Young, 25 September 2009 (Business Green)

"…[The G20 Governments] could create tens of millions of new jobs by agreeing to invest in low carbon technologies, according to…[Creating Opportunity; Low-carbon jobs in an interconnected world] by the Global Climate Network of think tanks.

"The report argues that bold government policies to promote rapid growth in climate-friendly innovations and industries represent one of the most effective means of tackling rising unemployment…[and] concludes that measures to creating markets for low carbon technologies will serve the dual purpose of creating extra jobs in renewable energy, information technology and service sectors, as well as helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

From a report by one of the Global Climate Network think tanks. (click to enlarge)

"Policies the report recommends include ambitious renewable energy targets, increased R&D funding for clean technologies, the creation centres of excellence for low carbon technology, financial support mechanisms such as feed-in tariffs, phasing out subsidies for carbon-intensive industries, and taxing carbon emissions…The report argues that the positive economis and environmental benefits of such policies will be significantly multiplied if they are adopted in a globally co-ordinated manner, instead of being enacted within separate countries…

"While jobs will be lost in conventional, carbon-intensive sectors, Global Climate Network's research shows that more jobs will be created than lost provided that policies are ambitious enough."

From a report by one of the Global Climate Network think tanks. (click to enlarge)

"For example, the study predicts China's existing plans to decouple emissions from economic growth and develop new low carbon industries could lead to the creation of over 40 million new jobs. In contrast, there may be 10 million fewer new jobs created due to closure of factories with inefficient technologies in the manufacturing, construction and transport sectors.

"The findings echo earlier research from Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the UK member of the GCN, which suggested that up to 70,000 long-term jobs could be created in the UK offshore wind industry with strong government support…Similarly, a recent study from Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council predicted that shifting from a high to a low carbon energy infrastructure could deliver a net increase in EU employment of 2.7 million jobs by 2030."


WIND HAS JOBS, NEEDS RES
Global wind leaders push climate legislation
Sandy Shore, September 24, 2009 (AP via Forbes)

"The wind power business will grow at a slower pace, buffeted by stiff competition from Europe and China, unless Congress approves climate change legislation, global industry leaders said…

"The leaders pressed their case at a Washington, D.C., news conference called as federal legislation is pending that would curb carbon emissions and require utilities to generate a percentage of electricity from renewable sources…Without such legislation, the industry will have a more difficult time attracting investors, manufacturers and wind farm developers, who could be lured to China or Europe where such regulations are in place, said Denise Bode, chief executive of the American Wind Energy Association…"

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"Bode was joined by representatives of manufacturers, wind farm owners, the Global Wind Energy Council and the European Wind Energy Association.

"Congress is considering legislation that would impose nationwide limits on greenhouse gases and require utilities to produce at least 12 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020…A bill has been approved by the House but Senate action has been delayed as lawmakers debate overhauling the health care system."

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"The White House and many Democrats say the changes will create millions of green-energy jobs and reduce reliance on coal, oil and natural gas…Some Republicans contend the legislation could hurt job growth in oil-producing states and hamper development of new technologies for fossil fuel production.

"Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world's biggest wind turbine manufacturer, entered the U.S. market in California in the 1980s … "went bust" in 1986 after that state altered its regulations, said Peter Brun, who heads Vestas' government affairs…[but] today has 2,000 U.S. employees with plans to expand to 4,500 by the end of 2010 and invest $1 billion in Colorado manufacturing operations over the next few years…"


HOUSTON TO BUILD BIG SUN
Houston to get state's largest solar plant
Elizabeth Souder, September 25, 2009 (Dallas Morning News)

"NRG Energy Inc. will build [Texas’s] largest solar array in Houston and sell all of the power it makes to the city.

"NRG plans to spend $40 million to build a 10-megawatt solar plant on land near a natural gas plant that the company operates, NRG and the city said…[It will be a] small and expensive power plant. But building one of the first such plants in Texas allows NRG to study the technology and decide whether to install more solar arrays."

The important value of solar is it adds power juet when power is most needed. (click to enlarge)

"The project also allows the city of Houston to diversify its fuel mix – a key concern after hurricanes Katrina and Rita wiped out some Gulf Coast oil and natural gas infrastructure…[T]he city already gets 32 percent of the power it needs for city buildings from wind. City officials, driven by Mayor Bill White, wanted to add solar to the mix.

"The solar plant is large for its type, but tiny and pricey for a power plant. Compare the solar array to NRG's plans for new nuclear reactors. The reactors would have 2,700 megawatts of capacity and cost $10 billion. So, at $3.7 million per megawatt, even a nuclear plant costs less than a solar array, at $4 million per megawatt…[T]he panels make sense for NRG, because it can erect the system on land it already owns, near power plants with grid connections."

The potential to smooth peaking demand (in Pennsylvania, Texas or anywhere) is enormously valuable. (click to enlarge)

"The solar plant is scheduled to be on line in the second quarter of next year. The city will pay 8.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for 10 megawatts of electricity capacity. But since the solar panels only make electricity when the sun is shining, NRG will supplement with power from other plants.

"For the solar portion of the power, Houston will pay 19.8 cents per kilowatt-hour…The city will pay a market rate for the rest of the power, amounting to a total rate of around 8.2 cents…"


PLUGGED IN & POWER HUNGRY
Plugged-In Age Feeds a Hunger for Electricity
Jad Mouwad and Kate Galbreath, September 19, 2009 (NY Times)

"…Electricity use from power-hungry gadgets is rising fast all over the world. The fancy new flat-panel televisions everyone has been buying in recent years have turned out to be bigger power hogs than some refrigerators.

"The proliferation of personal computers, iPods, cellphones, game consoles and all the rest amounts to the fastest-growing source of power demand in the world. Americans now have about 25 consumer electronic products in every household, compared with just three in 1980…Worldwide, consumer electronics now represent 15 percent of household power demand, and that is expected to triple over the next two decades…"

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"To satisfy the demand from gadgets will require building the equivalent of 560 coal-fired power plants, or 230 nuclear plants…[E]nergy experts see only one solution: mandatory efficiency rules specifying how much power devices may use…Appliances like refrigerators are covered by such rules in the United States. But efforts to cover consumer electronics like televisions and game consoles have been repeatedly derailed by manufacturers worried about the higher cost of meeting the standards. That has become a problem as the spread of such gadgets counters efficiency gains made in recent years in appliances.

"In 1990, refrigerator efficiency standards went into effect in the United States. Today, new refrigerators are fancier than ever, but their power consumption has been slashed by about 45 percent…Likewise, thanks in part to standards, the average power consumption of a new washer is nearly 70 percent lower than a new unit in 1990…"

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"Part of the problem is that many modern gadgets cannot entirely be turned off; even when not in use, they draw electricity while they await a signal from a remote control or wait to record a television program…The biggest offender is the flat-screen television. As liquid crystal displays and plasma technologies replace the old cathode ray tubes, and as screen sizes increase, the new televisions need more power than older models do. And…Americans are spending more time than ever watching TV, averaging five hours a day…The result is a surge in electricity use by TVs, which can draw more power in a year than some refrigerators…Another power drain is the video game console, which is found in 40 percent of American households. Energy experts — and many frustrated parents — say that since saving games is difficult, children often keep the consoles switched on so they can pick up where they left off…

"Mandatory efficiency standards for electronic devices would force manufacturers to redesign their products, or spend money adding components that better control power use…Many manufacturers fight such mandates because they would increase costs, and they also claim the mandates would stifle innovation in a fast-changing industry…The government has never aggressively tackled the television issue because of opposition from the consumer electronics lobby…Some types of home electronics are rated under Energy Star, a program that classifies products in more than 60 categories according to their energy consumption. But that program, while a boon to conscientious consumers who buy only the most efficient products, does not prevent the sale of wasteful devices and has not succeeded in driving them off the market…"