Obama administration recently announced a new clean energy REDI program

The Obama administration announced a new program on December 14: The Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (REDI), which will offer $350 million in funds to accelerate the development of clean energy technologies. As both a domestic and global initiative, some of the funds ($85 million) will go into a joint coffer (supported by other countries such as Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, the UK, and France) to be used to develop and deploy clean energy tech around the world.

The program will operate in several industries, including advanced vehicles, bioenergy, building and industrial efficiencies, smart grid technologies, carbon capture, high-efficiency coal,  and of course, solar, wind, and marine energy. The official REDI website outlines the following programs that will receive this funding:

• The Solar and LED Energy Access Program will accelerate deployment of affordable solar home systems and LED lanterns to those without access to electricity.  This program will yield immediate economic and public health benefits by providing households with low-cost and quality-assured solar alternatives to expensive and polluting kerosene.
• The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment Program will harness the market and convening power of MEF countries to improve efficiency for appliances traded throughout the world.  A number of MEF countries have implemented, or are exploring, incentive programs for energy-efficient appliances. Coordinating incentives, standards and labeling systems can create unprecedented economies of scale for these appliances.

• The Clean Energy Information Platform will establish an online platform for MEF countries to exchange technical resources, policy experience and the infrastructure to coordinate various activities in deploying clean energy technologies, and share this information with the world.

• The Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (S-REP), under the World Bank’s Strategic Climate Fund, will provide policy support and technical assistance to low-income countries developing national renewable energy strategies and underwrite additional capital costs associated with renewable energy investments.  Funding through Climate REDI will accelerate the launch of S-REP.

Further, it states that REDI will use the following tools to disseminate the new technologies:

1. Quality assurance to guard developing country consumers against sub-standard renewable energy products;
2. Minimum efficiency standards to remove the lowest efficiency appliances from the market;
3. Labeling to guide consumers to quality-assured and high-efficiency products;
4. Financing for scale up of early-stage low-carbon products, to bring down costs and remove barriers to deployment and to catalyze investment by the private sector;
5. Information sharing that enables all energy stakeholders to access state-of-the art information on technology and best practices.

New efficient appliances Via Flickr - redjar

There have been rumors of a new stimulus program being announced, and thankfully they’re now coming true. Much like the Cash for Clunkers bill that allowed Americans to trade in gas-guzzling vehicles for more fuel efficient ones, the new Cash for Caulkers program, as it has been dubbed, could make each home eligible for up to $12,000 in rebate money for improving efficiencies. The same bill will also provide funding for businesses working in the renewable energy and efficiency sectors.

With the total program expected to be in the range of about $10 billion, it would provide funds for homes that replace old heating and cooling systems, appliances, and insulation with new, more efficient options. Though the percentage that would be rebated has yet to be determined, some are speculating that it could be as much as 50%, allowing people to spend $24,000 in upgrades and then receive half of it back.

This is an excellent idea, not only because it can go a long way to reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, but also because it has the potential to significantly lower residential utility bills for those who participate in the program. Some estimate that the improvements could reduce home energy consumption by as much as 20%. Find out more at Yahoo Finance.

And on the subject of fossil fuels and energy efficiency, don’t forget to take action in support of strong climate action at this week’s Copenhagen talks. Be part of the green noise (COP15 was the biggest topic on Google today).

Saving power with better appliances Via Flickr - hitormissIncreasing insulation to save energy Via Flickr - Velo Steve

COP15 America.gov Daily Video - check it out!

The day has finally arrived: today is the first day of the Copenhagen climate change talks begin. The COP15 (15^th Conference of the Parties as it is known) hopes to put together a global agreement that would work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to within safe levels – an agreement that would take over from the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012. It’s an audacious goal, but a worthy one. It’s a task we should not shrink from.

But there’s a lot to accomplish before truly binding agreements can be put in place. Perhaps the most contentious issue is that of how to regulate emissions in rich versus poor countries, with the poor nations demanding aid before they commit to targets, and rich nations requiring climate commitments before they send aid.

And there is also widespread disagreement as to the appropriate size of carbon reductions. While Obama has committed that the US will reduce its emissions by 17% below 2005 in the next few years, most scientists and global leaders contend that this is far too little.

Yet there is growing momentum behind the movement. Countries that could perhaps have the biggest impact on climate change in the near future – India, China, and Brazil being chief among them – have made public commitments to support the climate talks (here’s hoping they don’t walk out part-way through the proceedings as some have threatened to do). So there is hope.

Want to get involved? If you haven’t already, please do! Here are some resources for educating yourself and then digging in to make a difference during these important talks:

• Find up-to-the-minute information on the talks through the common editorial being put together by 56 newspapers in 45 countries.

• For a really quick primer, check out COP15: What’s at Stake in Under 5 Minutes.

• Then get active by signing petitions and encouraging others to do the same. Get involved by speaking up on Facebook or Twitter, sign up with the Tck Tck Tck and 350.org campaign or Hopenhagen, or get involved in civil protests (find one near you through Beyond Talk). You CAN make a difference.

COP15 Editorial Collage Via Flickr - Me.blogger

COP15 Maldives Demonstration Via Flickr – jasonwhat

Chinese renewable energy Via Flickr - drs2biz

All eyes were on the Chinese-US talks the last week as Obama met with key leaders in the Asian country. With clean energy being one of the biggest issues on the table for the first time in a really public manner, we were all holding our collective breath to see whether anything would get done. And it seems that there is reason to hope!

The US and China, knowing the joint sway they will hold over the Copenhagen talks in January, were eager (or so it appeared) to see how they could influence the talks for good by developing a renewable energy agreement. These the two biggest emitters were able to agree on a broad plan that would help to bring about serious advances in clean energy.

The seven-point plan included the following:

• They US and China will establish a Clean Energy Research Center to facilitate joint research and development of renewable energy technologies. The center will receive both public and private funding to the tune of $150 million over the next five years.
• A joint US-Chinese Electric Vehicles Initiative was announced that will see joint vehicle standards, public education, demonstration projects, and more.
• Together, China and the US will work on an Energy Efficiency Action Plan for buildings, consumer products like appliances, as well as industrial facilities.
• A new US-China Renewable Energy Partnership was launched that will help to support renewable energy deployment and regional partnerships for sharing expertise and best practices.
• “Clean” coal was part of the overall strategy—21^st Century Coal. The two Presidents will work together to develop large-scale carbon capture and storage projects for coal-fired plants.
• Working together, the two countries will explore Shale Gas Resources within China using the experience gained on US soil.
• A new Energy Cooperation Program between China and the US will also be established to leverage private sector resources that will support smart grids, green buildings, combined heat/power, renewable energy, clean coal, and more.

Met Office Climate Change Map

A new climate change map of the world, launched by the British government this past week at the Science Museum in London, shows the widespread impacts of a 4°C rise in temperature, and the picture is not pretty for humans or for the environment. It warns that we must keep global temperature increases to 2° C of face dire consequences globally.

The British government’s chief scientist, John Beddington, explained the anticipated impacts in a video that gives an overview of the new map, detailing things like:

• A serious decrease in major cereal crops in all major regions of production
• Significant reduction in the size of glaciers, resulting in flooding
• High pressure on water and food supplies as a result of droughts
• Severe drying of tropical rainforests such as the Amazon, with subsequent die-back

Ed Miliband, Climate and Energy Secretary put it this way:

“To tackle the problem of climate change, all of us – foreign ministries, environment ministries, treasuries, departments of defence and all parts of government and societies – must work together to keep global temperatures to 2° C.”

So, if you’re curious about what will happen should our temperatures continue to rise as they are right now, go ahead and play around with the map. You’ll soon discover how all-consuming this issue really is. Makes a good case for saving power in our daily lives. And if you haven’t already, be sure to sign one of many pledges and pacts to encourage your local leaders to take firm action on climate change by getting involved in Copenhagen:

• 350.org
• Action-Pact
• David Suzuki Foundation

Perito Moreno glacier Via Flickr - riggott

A study by Cardiff University and A&M University entitled Atmospheric carbon dioxide through the Eocene-Oligocene climate transition (available to subscribers of Nature International Weekly Journal of Science online), has confirmed a direct link between the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and formation or melting of Antarctic ice sheets. According to the study, which involved collecting microfossils from samples of rocks in an East African village, the formation of the Antarctic ice-cap was formed as a result of gradual diminishment of the natural greenhouse effect.

As levels of atmospheric CO2 declined during the Eocene-Oligocene climate transitions, the ice sheet grew until a tipping point of 760 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 was reached. At this point, our world is facing 400 ppm of atmospheric CO2, which is significantly higher than recommended by many scientists.

Professor Paul Pearson of Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences is quoted by Physorg.com as saying the following:

The period, known to geologists as the Eocene – Oligocene transition, culminated in the rapid development of a continental-scale ice sheet on Antarctica, which has been there ever since.

We therefore set out to establish whether there was a substantial decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as the Antarctic ice sheet began to grow.

Another co-author of the study, Dr. Bridget Wade from Texas A&M University’s Department of Geology and Geophysics calls this the “biggest climate switch since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.” She goes on to say:

Our study is the first to provide a direct link between the establishment of an ice sheet on Antarctica and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and therefore confirms the relationship between carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and global climate.

Perito Moreno glacier pools Via Flickr - Heather K. Powers

A significant finding, indeed. And a study our fellow power-savers may want to share with the climate deniers in their lives.

Wind turbine Via Flickr - greenforall.org

Many have argued that switching to a renewable energy structure in the short term would really put the economy on the rocks. But a new report put out by Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) called Working for the Climate shows that moving to a renewable energy economy while phasing out dirty energies like coal would create 2.7 million new jobs!

Perhaps more surprising than the statistics pointing to new jobs with a renewable energy push (are we surprised?) is the conclusion that continuing with business as usual could actually lead to additional job losses.

We found that under the Energy [R]evolution scenario, there would be an overall increase of around 2 million power sector jobs over 20 years. But if we carry on without measures to make the shift to clean energy, we will see sector-wide job losses – half a million energy supply jobs would disappear between 2010 and 2030.

As one way of proving the stability of the renewable sector, they cite these statistics:

According to the UNEP Report “Global Trends in sustainable Energy Investment 2009”, investment in the sustainable energy market has in some ways defied the global recession growing by around 5%—from  $148 billion in 2007 to around $155 billion in 2008.

These kinds of reports fly in the fact of clean energy deniers who purport that injecting funds into renewable energy will destabilize the economy even more than it already was. In fact, those who have claimed that for every green job created two jobs will be lost, the NREL has this to say:

The analysis by the authors from King Juan Carlos University represents a significant divergence from traditional methodologies used to estimate employment impacts from renewable energy. In fact, the methodology does not reflect an employment impact analysis. Accordingly, the primary conclusion made by the authors – policy support of renewable energy results in net jobs losses – is not supported by their work.

In combination with emissions-savings projects, such as improving building efficiencies and planting forests, the renewable energy sector has tremendous potential to re-employ America and get the country thriving again. And healthier in the process.

Installing solar PV panels Via Flickr - bkusler

Recycling pick-up Via Flickr - vict0r ram0s

UCS - Climate Change in the United States - Prohibitive Costs of Inaction - Nationwide Projected Temperature Increases

Climate deniers often talk about the cost to businesses and industry that will come as a result of climate legislation, but far too often, they gloss over the costs we’ll endure if we do nothing about climate change. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has recently published a new report, entitled “Climate Change in the United States: The Prohibitive Costs of Inaction,” which gives an overview of 60 studies that focus on the financial consequences of ignoring the problem of global warming.

Costs will be incurred as a result of hurricanes and flooding of greater intensity, rising sea levels, strained water and energy resources, wildfires, human health problems related to a warmer climate (vector-borne diseases, etc), and so on. The bill for these impending environmental problems will be somewhere in the neighborhood of hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century.

Lexi Shultz, deputy director of the Climate Program at UCS, makes this comment:

If we don’t address global warming, you can imagine a cash register going ‘ka-ching’ all across the country.

The report isn’t all doom and gloom. They take pains to point out that it will be much more affordable for us to address climate change now through preventative actions. Although there will be some financial costs to fighting global warming—the US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration suggests that in 2020 it will amount to about $10 monthly for the average US household—these will be significantly less than what taxpayers and businesses will have to pay if we ignore the problem.

There are also separate reports for the Southeast, Midwest, and Western states of the US, outlining more thoroughly the local implications of climate change.

Wildfire Via Flickr - DRB62

Hurricane Gustav, Mississippi Via Flickr - au_tiger01