Earth Advantage Institute:  January 19, 2010

Starting in 2010, Portland metro area residents will see major changes related to sustainable and green practices. These changes will occur as the city begins to implement its Climate Action Plan, which was developed in 2009. Climate change is a serious problem that affects the world, and carbon emissions are a major contributing factor. Although the comprehensive Climate Action Plan aims to improve the sustainability and quality of life in many different areas of the community, the overall goal is to reduce carbon emissions in the Portland metro area 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.

The Climate Action Plan will improve the city of Portland environmentally, socially, and economically. A fundamental consideration of the plan was to create an economic development strategy, including the creation of local jobs. Specifically, the city recognized that the Portland metro area boasts many companies that provide green products and services. The focus will be on integrating these local companies into projects that may have previously outsourced similar products or services. A larger and economically sound workforce will provide the city with more resources to achieve the environmental and social objectives outlined in the Climate Action Plan.

Because carbon emissions are directly related to fossil fuel consumption, reducing residents’ dependence on fossil fuels is a common goal of every objective in the Climate Action Plan. Other important objectives of the plan are to improve social equity by ensuring that the most vulnerable communities are given priority for Climate Action Plan measures and that these communities are integrated in a meaningful and engaging way. Also, the city hopes to create healthier residents by improving the walkability of neighborhoods and enriching the quality of local forests, watersheds, and ecosystems.

Implementing the Climate Action Plan will be a serious undertaking. The State of Oregon and its local governments are going to be the primary entities responsible for this implementation. The framework of the Climate Action Plan is broken down into objectives; each objective is then broken down into the actions that are necessary for its completion. Currently, the deadline to meet all of the objectives is 2012. Because of the complexity and dynamic scope of sustainable practices, the city will evaluate and modify individual objectives every three years with a complete plan revision scheduled for 2020.

The following are some of the actions that will take place in the Portland metro area between now and 2012:

The establishment of a business tax credit for the simultaneous installation of solar panels and an eco roof.

The city will collaborate with private companies to reduce carbon fuel sources, including coal and natural gas, from Portland’s electricity mix.

Diesel fuel will start containing at least 10% biodiesel. Half of the biodiesel must be produced in Oregon.

The city of Portland will assist 1,000 businesses every year to improve compliance with the city’s paper, metal, and glass recycling requirements

State and local governments will replace street lighting, water pumps, water treatment systems, and other energy dependent systems with energy efficient technologies.

The city of Portland will collaborate with companies or individuals to develop and implement an outreach campaign to residents about the benefits of trees, watershed health, and green infrastructure.

The city will develop a more balanced funding mechanism and adopt a schedule for public investments to make neighborhoods highly walkable and bikable.

Overall, the Climate Action Plan lays the groundwork for a healthier, happier Portland. It will not be an easy task, but with everyone’s participation, the city can create the diverse network of businesses and individuals necessary to complete such a progressive plan. To see the complete plan, visit http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=49989&a=268612 .

January 9th, 2010 by Sundance Channel:

WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2010 (ENS) – President Barack Obama today announced the award of $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for 183 clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States.

“Building a robust clean energy sector is how we will create the jobs of the future,” said President Obama. “The Recovery Act awards I am announcing today will help close the clean energy gap that has grown between America and other nations while creating good jobs, reducing our carbon emissions and increasing our energy security.”

Scientist Harv Mahan makes anodes for litium-ion batteries. (Photo by Jack Dempsey courtesy NREL)

“Harnessing new forms of energy will be one of the defining challenges of the 21st century,” said the President. “And unfortunately, right now the United States, the nation that pioneered the use of clean energy, is being outpaced by nations around the world. It’s China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient.”

“We spearheaded the development of solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it,” Obama said. “And almost all of the batteries that we use to power our hybrid vehicles are still manufactured by Japanese companies or in Asia – though, because of steps like the one we’re taking today, we’re beginning to produce more of these batteries here at home.”

The investment tax credits, worth up to 30 percent of each planned project, will leverage private capital for a total investment of nearly $7.7 billion in high-tech manufacturing in the United States, administration officials said.

Qualifying manufacturers will produce solar, wind, and geothermal energy equipment; fuel cells, microturbines, and batteries; electric cars; electric grids to support the transmission of renewable energy; energy conservation technologies; and equipment that captures and sequesters carbon dioxide or reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Worker examines aluminum parts at the National Renewable Energy Lab. (Photo by Pat Corkery courtesy NREL)

“By investing in innovative clean energy manufacturing projects like these, we are not only creating good jobs now, but helping lay a new foundation to keep America competitive in the 21st century economy,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “This is what the Recovery Act is all about.”

Projects in 43 states are expected to create tens of thousands of high quality clean energy jobs.

“There is no greater priority for this administration than getting Americans back to work,” said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. “The awards announced today, together with the more than $5 billion in private sector capital spurred by our investment, will drive significant growth in the renewable energy and clean technology manufacturing sectors, good jobs, an energized private sector marketplace and a leadership role for the U.S. in these crucial high-growth markets.”

These credits move the country towards meeting the President’s goal of doubling the amount of renewable energy America uses in the next three years with wind turbines and solar panels built in the United States.

“The world urgently needs to move toward clean energy technologies, and the United States has the opportunity to lead in this new industrial revolution,” said Secretary Chu. “Today’s awards will create new jobs and jumpstart the industries we need to both solve the energy problem and ensure America’s future competitiveness.”

Awardees will use the funding to create new products large and small that will make energy manufacture and consumption cleaner and cheaper. On the solar side, a random sampling of the 183 selected projects finds:

Amonix will manufacture low-cost solar electricity systems using inexpensive plastic lenses that concentrate sunlight. The systems generate 500 times more solar electric power from small, high-efficiency solar cells.

Dow will produce photovoltaic cells built into residential and commercial roofing and siding products. Dow’s technology imbeds solar cells into shingles, sidings, and other building materials.

GreenRay will manufacture a simplified “plug and play” AC solar electricity system for residential rooftops.

Nanosolar will factory-produce tools for the manufacturing of low-cost, low-GHG emission solar cells, using nanotechnology-enabled roll-to-roll processes.

PPG Industries will produce a double anti-reflective coating for glass that will permit increased light transmittance in solar modules. At their Louisiana facility, PPG will produce a special tire tread component that reduces rolling resistance and improves fuel economy.

On the wind side:

Eagle Claw will manufacture large wind turbine towers, a component piece of wind turbine systems used to generate electricity from wind energy. Towers are typically 250 to 400 feet high.

Great Lakes Industry will manufacture component precision gears for multi-megawatt wind turbine gearboxes.

Ingeteam Inc. will manufacture wind turbine generators in various technologies and will also manufacture power converter and control systems.

Johnson Plate & Tower Fabrication will establish and design a facility to manufacture commercial wind towers.

Martifer-Hirschfeld Energy Systems LLC will develop a factory for the production of steel towers for wind turbine generators.

Merrill Technologies Group will invest $73 million in advanced manufacturing equipment to support the production of nacelles for Northern Power’s new 2.2 MW utility-scale wind turbines.

Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas, Inc. will create a new facility that will manufacture nacelles for 2.4MW wind turbines.

Siemens Energy Inc. will expand a wind turbine blade manufacturing facility.

TPI Composites, Inc., a developer and volume manufacturer of large-scale composite structures for the wind energy, transportation and military vehicle markets, is building a new manufacturing facility in Nebraska to produce next generation wind turbine blades, creating over 200 new jobs.

Companies receiving tax credits for other technologies include:

CalStar Products will manufacture bricks and pavers from coal power plant fly ash. The process uses 88 percent less energy than traditional “fired” clay products, while avoiding the CO2 emission associated with concrete, and makes beneficial use of fly ash.

GEMX will re-equip an existing manufacturing facility to produce sodium metal halide batteries for electricity grid support and regulation and help increase efficiency by reduced peak power demands.

General Electric will redevelop manufacturing facilities to produce Energy Star compliant heat pump electric water heaters, heat pump clothes dryers, and efficient refrigerators, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions and energy savings.

W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. is producing an advanced membrane for high efficiency fuel cells for buildings and vehicles. The company’s products can help enable lower-cost fuel cells for use in electric vehicles or to power homes and businesses. They are also manufacturing an advanced turbine filter to improve the performance of gas turbines to produce greater outputs at lower cost and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

While projects selected for this tax credit generally must be placed in service by 2014, approximately 30 percent of them will be completed in 2010.