2006: A good year for alternative energy.

I will always remember 2006 as the year I began to take a serious interest in our energy future - and as the birth year of The Fueling Station.

To readers of the blog I thank you all for visiting this site, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2007. It is my hope that this year will continue to see the advance of alternative energy technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as addressing our dependence on foreign oil.

2006 saw many advances, and hopefully the pace of change will quicken in 2007. It needs to. The latest scientific evidence points to a rapid increase in greenhouse gas emissions, at a rate much faster than our half-hearted efforts to reduce them.

2006 was a year which began with president Bush's surprise decalaration in February in his State of the Union address that the United States was "addicted to foreign oil." While he may not have done enough to alter that situation, he took us a long way simply by identifying it.

As Washington dithers, 2006 was a year in which states took the initiative in confronting energy issues.

In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush also had the vision to see beyond what hurricanes can do to our energy supply, and set about exploring some alternatives. He closed out the year by joining in the creation of a hemispheric commission to promote ethanol (Helpfuelthefuture.com)
And in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law America's first global warming legislation that imposes a cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
Iowa, the nation's leader in ethanol, even produced its own 2008 presidential candidate, Governor Tom Vilsack.

2006 will also be remembered as the year that Al Gore (click here for his latest essay in Newsweek magazine) reasserted his environmental leadership with the release of An Inconvenient Truth, a remarkable documentary look at global warming. As one friend commented recently, another bad hurricane season in 2007, or some other kind of weather-related disaster, and Al Gore could become a serious presidential contender in 2008.

In 2006 British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson (click here to read his latest essay in Newsweek) put the issue of 'green skies' on the agenda, by announcing a new business model to reduce airline CO2 emissions. Branson also put his money where his mouth is, pledging a $3 billion, 10-year investment in R&D for biofuels.

Other major companies also took innovative steps to diversify their energy use: among them Wal-Mart and Google, and Staples and GM. Wall St also began to take note with a dramatic increase in investments in clean technology stocks.

So, what can we expect in 2007? It will be especially interesting to see if the new Congress - hand in hand perhaps with the White House - will push for more federally mandated use of biofuels and other energy alternatives. (Click here to read my article on the new Congress and the future of energy policy.) Some experts predict the U.S. may even move closer to joining the Kyoto Protocol.

Public opinion and the private sector have already shown a serious commitment to change. It's time that government intervened to take the necessary steps to accelerate that process.
For example, in places such as Florida, potential biofuels distributors and current gas station owners need greater encouragement to install pumps and underground storage tanks for ethanol blends and biodiesel. The government also needs to embark on a national education campaign to promote alternative energy uses. Congress hopefully will begin to look at some of the tax incentives currently benefiting the oil and gas industry, and transfer some of that money to R&D in renewables. As Europe has already demonstrated, we shouldn't be afraid of higher gas prices. They are a necessary part of weaning ourselves off dependence on fossil fuels.
As my colleague at the BIOconversion blog likes to emphasize, there needs to be greater R&D spending on creating energy from landfill biomass, which is surely one of the least known and most  fascinating  new  technologies.

At The Fueling Station we look forward to bringing you news of these developments through the year.

Click here for a link to the BBC's Green Room and an analysis of future US policy on global warming by Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute in Washington DC.

Click here for a link to a New York Times article looking at the debate among scientists over global warming. Some are now adopting a middle road, seeking to avoid the more catastrophic speculation in favor of an insurance risk approach. This group argues it is sensible to be prepared for the worst, rather than argue over exactly what is happening to the planet.

Click here for a link to an interview on changing business practices with Marketplace's Sustainability Desk reporter, Sam Eaton. Eaton discusses how green is increasingly becoming the bottom line.

Click here for a link to the excellent end of year digest from the BIOconversion blog.

- David Adams

Comments

[Jay Draiman]

MANDATORY RENEWABLE ENERGY – THE ENERGY EVOLUTION –R2

In order to insure energy and economic independence as well as better economic growth without being blackmailed by foreign countries, our country, the United States of America’s Utilization of Energy sources must change.
"Energy drives our entire economy." We must protect it. "Let's face it, without energy the whole economy and economic society we have set up would come to a halt. So you want to have control over such an important resource that you need for your society and your economy."
Our continued dependence on fossil fuels could and will lead to catastrophic consequences.

The federal, state and local government should implement a mandatory renewable energy installation program for residential and commercial property on new construction and remodeling projects with the use of energy efficient material, mechanical systems, appliances, lighting, etc. The source of energy must by renewable energy such as Solar-Photovoltaic, Geothermal, Wind, Biofuels, etc. including utilizing water from lakes, rivers and oceans to circulate in cooling towers to produce air conditioning and the utilization of proper landscaping to reduce energy consumption.

The implementation could be done on a gradual scale over the next 10 years. At the end of the 10 year period all construction and energy use in the structures throughout the United States must be 100% powered by renewable energy.

In addition, the governments must impose laws, rules and regulations whereby the utility companies must comply with a fair “NET METERING” (the buying of excess generation from the consumer), including the promotion of research and production of “renewable energy technology” with various long term incentives and grants. The various foundations in existence should be used to contribute to this cause.

A mandatory time table should also be established for the automobile industry to gradually produce an automobile powered by renewable energy. The American automobile industry is surely capable of accomplishing this task.

This is a way to expedite our energy independence and economic growth. It will take maximum effort and a relentless pursuit of the private, commercial and industrial government sectors commitment to renewable energy – energy generation (wind, solar, hydro, biofuels, geothermal, energy storage (fuel cells, advance batteries), energy infrastructure (management, transmission) and energy efficiency (lighting, sensors, automation, conservation) in order to achieve our energy independence.

Jay Draiman
Northridge, CA. 91325
12-31-2006

P.S. I have a very deep belief in America's capabilities. Within the next 10 years we can accomplish our energy independence, if we as a nation truly set our goals to accomplish this.
I happen to believe that we can do it. In another crisis--the one in 1942--President Franklin D. Roosevelt said this country would build 60,000 [50,000] military aircraft. By 1943, production in that program had reached 125,000 aircraft annually. They did it then. We can do it now.
The American people resilience and determination to retain the way of life is unconquerable and we as a nation will succeed in this endeavor of Energy Independence.

[Jerry Paul]

Thanks, David. Nice '06 summary.

I agree, potential Florida biofuels distributors and current gas station owners need greater encouragement to install pumps and underground storage tanks for ethanol blends and biodiesel. In 07, Capitol Energy will be at the forefront of Florida energy policy evolution as the nation and the world transforms the way we harness, manage and consume energy. I cannot overstate how important your role has been in educating people on the issues. As a Floridian, thanks for what you're doing !

Jerry

Jerry Paul
Capitol Energy
Tallahassee
Washington

[Melissa Meehan]

Thanks David (and Craig) for your always informative blog. It is a wonderful resource that I check often. Looking forward to the success stories of 2007.

Melissa Meehan
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy