Renewable Energy
August 7, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Debating the Brazilian Ethanol Tariff; The Weak Dollar and Foreign Investment
Thursday, August 7th, 2008As American politicians try to prove to their constituents that they are addressing high gasoline prices this summer, the debate over increasing Brazilian ethanol imports has gotten more traction in Washington. The Brazilians say that lifting the 54-cent tariff on imported ethanol will help bring down the price of all ethanol, thus bringing down the price of gasoline. The domestic ethanol industry says there’s already an oversupply of renewable fuels and that more imported ethanol from Brazil will oversaturate the market. In this podcast, we’ll address some of the arguments for and against lifting the tariff on Brazilian sugarcane ethanol.
We’ll talk with Joel Velasco, chief U.S. representative of the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association about why he believes more Brazilian ethanol will be good for both U.S. ethanol producers and American consumers.
Then, we’ll speak with Nathan Schock, director of public relations at POET, the nation’s largest ethanol producer. He’ll talk about why more imported ethanol may flood the market and make it more difficult for cellulosic ethanol to compete down the road.
Also in the podcast: Jay Tannon, partner at the law firm DLA Piper, will talk about the impact that the low dollar is having on foreign direct investment in the U.S. and around the world.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
July 31, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Big Developments for U.S. Wind; Enhancing Grid Communication
Monday, July 28th, 2008The last few weeks have been full of positive news for the U.S. wind industry. Former oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has thrown his support behind a 20% wind penetration target for the U.S. in the next 10 years; former Vice President Al Gore has made wind the centerpiece of his 10-year 100% renewable electricity goal for the U.S.; and the U.S. just passed Germany as the leader in electricity generated from wind.
In this program, we’ll talk with Randy Swisher, executive director of the American Wind Energy Association, about these developments and what they mean for the U.S. wind industry.
Also in the podcast: Prakash Chakravarthi, CEO of the smart metering company Eka Systems, talks about the technological requirements for creating a more dynamic next-generation grid.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
July 24, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Web 2.0: Connecting the Renewable Energy Community
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008The renewable energy industry is leading one of the most important technological shifts in the history of mankind. In many ways the distributed, democratic nature of the envisioned renewable energy infrastructure mimics the internet; however, many businesses within the industry still have not figured out how to effectively use the internet to market their products, craft their message and build their brand.
In this podcast, we’re talking with some innovative companies and individuals about “Web 2.0” concepts and how they’re using open-intelligence platforms, social networking sites and new media to create new business opportunities and spread the message about renewable energy.
JP Ross of Sungevity.com talks about how the company’s online-only sales model will drive down the installed cost of solar.
Chris Beekhuis of Fat Spaniel Technologies tells us how the company’s new open-intelligence data monitoring system will help bring renewables to the masses.
Deep Patel of GoGreenSolar.com discusses the importance of blogging and describes how to make business contacts on social networking sites.
Joel Bush of RenewablePost.com talks about the best way for companies to approach the multi-media environment enabled by the web.
And Joel Makower of Greener World Media tells us about how the evolution of social networking and new media will make for better business networking.
Also, thanks very much to Kamla Bhatt and WediaBuzz for the audio clips of Tim O’Reilly talking about Web 2.0 concepts.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
July 17, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Global Green Job Growth; PPAs Enabling U.S. Community Wind
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008There are now 2.3 million people working directly or indirectly in the renewable energy industries around the world, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. As job growth in this sector continues, the fossil energy industries are seeing a decline in jobs, despite an increase in production.
In this program, we’ll speak with Worldwatch’s Michael Renner about where the most jobs are being created, why the fossil energy industries are seeing a decline in jobs, and what exactly people mean when they talk about green collar jobs.
Also in the podcast: How one North Dakota college is trying to meet the demand for wind power in the state. Doug Darling of Lake Region State College tells us about the school’s planned wind technician program and why wind jobs are so important for the community.
Finally, MMA Renewable Ventures recently entered the wind market by agreeing to finance, own and operate a 10-megawatt wind farm in Oregon. The deal will help landowners there develop the project and eventually own it. MMA’s Moira Geraghty tells us why the deal is so important for community wind projects in the U.S.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
July 10, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - RE Mash Up: Electric Cars, Energy Storage, Carbon Trading and Entrepreneurship
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008In this week’s program we feature a series of interviews on a range of topics. We’ll speak with a line-up of experts on how to get America off oil, the game changing ability of storage, upcoming trends in emissions trading, and how budding entrepreneurs are learning the difference between invention and innovation.
David Sandalow, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, talks about his new book titled, “Freedom From Oil: How the Next American President Can End the United States’ Oil Addiction.”
Eric Martinot, senior researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, talks about the prospects for advanced energy storage options and how they’ll impact renewables.
Patrick McClosky, managing director of Evolution Markets, describes the business of trading carbon credits in the global market and renewable energy certificates in the U.S. market.
And contributor Mark Braly has some interviews from the Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy organized by the University of California, Davis. He’ll speak with an organizer of the Academy and an up-and-coming entrepreneur who’s trying to turn his idea into a business venture.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
July 3, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Roundtable Discussion: Outlook for Renewable Energy
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008Last month’s Renewable Energy Finance Forum in New York City brought together some of the most sophisticated investors and analysts in the renewable energy and cleantech space. The end of the conference featured a roundtable discussion about the current status and future prospects for the industry as they relate to developments happening within the conventional energy industry. In this podcast, we’re presenting a slightly edited version of this in-depth discussion.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest developments in renewable energy news and information.
June 27, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Community Wind: Building a Democratic Industry in Canada
Friday, June 27th, 2008This week, we’re podcasting from the World Wind Energy Conference in Kingston, Ontario. There is an ongoing movement in Canada to support more community wind projects and create a more distributed, democratic energy economy. We’ll take a look at what’s happening within Canada to promote awareness about community wind and help this under-developed sector grow.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
June 19, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - An In-Depth Look at Renewable Energy Finance
Thursday, June 19th, 2008This week, we’re podcasting from the Renewable Energy Finance Forum in New York City. It’s a complex industry out there, and this conference is designed to give investors the most in-depth, up-to-date information about the U.S. and global renewable energy markets. We’ll have some interviews about industry consolidation, tax equity financing, carbon cap and trade schemes, venture capital, and of course, the impact of the political stalemate in Washington over federal tax incentives.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
June 12, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion; EU-Wide Feed-in Tariff
Thursday, June 12th, 2008Few people have given Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) much thought over the last 30 years. But with the rising price and potential supply constraint of fossil energies, technologies that once seemed unfeasible now seem reasonable. OTEC is one such technology.
We’ll speak with Christopher Barry, a marine engineer who once worked on OTEC devices during the oil embargo of the 1970’s. He will tell us how OTEC works and why it could be an important part of our future energy mix.
Then we’ll speak with Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes, vice-president of the European Renewable Energy Federation, about why the European Commission decided to temporarily drop the debate over Feed-in Tariffs versus certificate trading and instead allow EU member states to meet the region-wide renewable energy target on their own.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
June 5, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Envisioning the Future for U.S. Wind
Thursday, June 5th, 2008In this week’s program, we’ve got a selection of interviews from the Wind Power 2008 conference on the technical, political and financial issues facing the U.S. wind industry. Although the industry still has not gotten the production tax credit extended for next year, the mood at the conference was very upbeat. We’ll take a look at the vision for the future of American wind.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.
May 29, 2008 - Inside Renewable Energy - Verifying Efficiency Claims for Organic PV; Renewable Heating and Cooling in Europe
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008Organic PV has made a lot of headway in recent years as efficiency levels have climbed higher and higher, grabbing the attention of researchers and investors. However, some reported efficiencies of organic PV cells are being disputed because of inconsistent and unverified testing.
We’ll speak with Journalist and Author Peter Fairley about his latest story called, “Solar Cell Squabble,” which outlines the debate over how organic PV should be tested and its implications for the health of the industry.
Also in the podcast: Part two of our look at renewable heating and cooling (REHC) policies. We’ll talk to Veit Buerger, a research fellow for the Energy and Climate Division at the Institute for Applied Ecology, about German promotion policies and the need for Europe to more aggressively develop a robust REHC sector.
Inside Renewable Energy offers the latest in renewable energy news and information.