June 14, 2010

Google is searching for answers. This time it is using its weight to find energy-related solutions and specifically in the renewable realm. To this end, it has invested nearly $39 million in two wind farms that will generate 170 megawatts of electricity in North Dakota that are owned by NextEra Energy, Inc.

Google is not just a do-gooder. It's a ravenous consumer of electricity and it must find a way to become more efficient and cleaner. By placing its bets on green energy, it is attempting to understand how it works and to help create economies of scale so that it can be cost-effectively generated. The mere fact that the money is coming from its for-profit arm and not its philanthropic division indicates that it is serious.

June 02, 2010

The economic forecast is not exactly clear but that has not stopped the country's risk takers from stepping out. By all accounts, venture capital investment in the clean technology sector is starting to shine with the electric automobile sector, energy efficiency and wind and solar projects taking in the biggest shares.

Despite the start and stop nature of the financial recovery, investors are allocating capital to projects that they think will be supported by public policy and where federal stimulus monies may be awarded. Toward that end, plug-in vehicles that could help reduce dependence on foreign oil are winning attention as is the intelligent utility that allows two-way communications between utilities and customers.

May 26, 2010

The United States has talked about the potential benefits of solar energy since the days of Jimmy Carter's presidency. To date, the technology has had a minimal effect on the nation's energy supply, but that may soon change, thanks to the work of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Known for its top-notch engineering program, the university has recently taken the lead in energy research. In the fall of 2006, the academic institution forged the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), a program designed to bring all of the university's top minds together to work on solving energy problems. "MITEI represents the largest cross-campus initiative that MIT has ever undertaken," noted Ernest Moniz, director of the MITEI and a member of President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Approximately 20 percent of the faculty is working on various energy projects, and half of them have never focused on energy issues before.

May 24, 2010

Long before carbon cap-and-trade or renewable energy mandates became part of the utility lexicon, California was out in front developing green energy. California is still way out in front in one important way, but there are plenty of followers, with utilities everywhere building and buying renewable energy assets from coast-to-coast.

With mandates for renewable energy in 29 states, California is the leader with a target of 20 percent by the end of this year and 33 percent by 2020. The state is at a pace that's way ahead of everybody else's, but the significance is diminished when so many others are doing the same thing, though at lower levels. There's an expectation in the industry, even today after climate legislation became bogged down in Congress over the past year, that some form of carbon regulation is inevitable. And with big-ticket nuclear still a few years away and new coal construction at a virtual standstill, utilities are in the renewables game, whether they like it or not.

May 10, 2010

Whole Foods Market, Inc. is aggressively trying to cut its energy consumption. Among its strategies is installing hydrogen-powered fuel cells at certain of its locations to supply anywhere from 50-90 percent of its electricity. The same system can also be used as backup power in case those stores should get cut off from the grid.

To the extent that businesses derive their power from such onsite generators, the wear and tear on the electric grid is diminished and reliability for customers is enhanced. Costs, technology and fuel supply are still hurdles. That is why the charge will be led by those customers, regulators and environmentalists seeking better performance and cleaner surroundings.