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Green Wave Energy plans to enlighten the community
The Newport Beach-based manufacturer will showcase products at the Great Park.
BY CASEY GOMEZ
Published: August 24, 2010
Orange County Metro

Green Wave Energy’s World Power System
Newport Beach-based Green Wave Energy Corp. will showcase its flagship products – the World Power System and World Light Pole – at the Great Park of Irvine Corporate Offices on Friday.

Founded in 2008 by Mark Holmes and David New, Green Wave Energy manufactures renewable energy products such as wind turbines, wave generators and water current turbines for the U.S. and global markets. The company designs, sells and installs in the industrial, commercial, government and military business channels.

“The World Power System and World Light Pole are designed to change the way most people think about how and where we can generate electrical power, and how much it should cost to make electrical power available when building housing developments, parks, railroads, ports, airports and other large real estate projects,” said Holmes, Green Wave’s CEO.

Green Wave’s World Power System is a quiet, self-sufficient power generator that uses solar and wind energy to produce clean electricity. It’s portable and simple to assemble, making it an appealing replacement for the toxic diesel generators that are usually utilized at construction zones, disaster relief sites and other places where off-the-grid power is necessary. The World Power System generates enough energy to power both outdoor and indoor applications, or a home or commercial business.

The World Light Pole is a virtually indestructible, self-sufficient power system that also uses solar and wind energy. It can be permanently installed like an ordinary streetlight, or temporarily in a couple of hours. Not only does the World Light Pole provide light in remote locations, it can also run small household appliances and power remote cell, Wi-Fi, and security camera applications. This product could potentially save millions of dollars that would otherwise have to be spent on traditional electrical grid infrastructures to power lights and traffic signals.

“The best way to really understand the impact of our technology is to come out and see our demonstration and just how much power is generated,” Holmes said. “It will change the way people think about renewable energy.”

The World Power System and World Light Pole demonstrations are open to the public and will take place at 4 p.m. There are no definitive plans made to install the Green Wave systems at the Great Park.

Gore calls for major protests on climate change inaction
By Russell Berman – 08/17/10 04:54 PM ET
The Hill

Former Vice President Gore is calling for major rallies to protest congressional inaction on climate change.

In a post on his personal blog headlined “The Movement We Need,” Gore linked to and quoted from an Australian wire service report that “tens of thousands of protesters … have taken to the streets across Australia to urge the major political parties to take action on climate change.”

“Across the world, when politicians fail to take action to solve the climate crisis, people are taking action,” Gore wrote.
He added after excerpting the news report: “It is my hope we see activism like this here in the United States.”

Gore noted he trained activists in Australia to deliver the slideshow that formed the basis for the documentary film that won him an Academy Award. A representative of Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection addressed the rally in Sydney.

Gore has in recent weeks stepped up his criticism of the Senate for its inability to pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill that would put a price on carbon. In a conference call with environmental activists last week, he reportedly said “the United States government in its entirety, largely because of the opposition in the United States Senate to taking action on clean energy and a solution to the climate crisis, has failed us.”

Browner: Energy bill success still possible before end of the year
By Shane D’Aprile – 08/08/10 10:51 AM ET
The Hill

White House Energy Adviser Carol Browner said Sunday that while the Obama administration is “deeply disappointed” that an energy bill was unable to make its way through Congress, the president has not given up hope that it can get done this year.

In an exclusive interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Browner was asked whether the president has conceded defeat on energy legislation.

“Not yet,” Browner said. “The Congress is coming back and we will continue to see if we can get legislation. We passed it in the House and we will continue to work in the Senate.”
Asked if Democrats could potentially get it done in a lame-duck session, Browner responded, “Potentially.”

As for the ongoing clean-up effort in the Gulf, Browner wouldn’t comment on whether the government will pursue criminal negligence charges against BP, but she did say she expects the company will be held accountable to the full extent of the law.

“BP will be held absolutely accountable,” she said. “There will be a large financial penalty.”

The government is also confident in its own estimates of the total amount that flowed into the Gulf as a result of the spill. The government puts that number at 4.9 million barrels, according to Browner — a figure that BP is likely to dispute.

She said the company has been silent on the figure, “but that doesn’t matter.”

Browner also sounded supportive of the idea of returning as much as 80 percent of the penalty dollars paid by BP directly to the Gulf Coast states. That’s the number proposed by several lawmakers from the region.

Browner said that number “makes a lot of sense,” but stopped short of saying the president was committed to that specific percentage.

The Obama administration also said last week that more than 70 percent of the oil that spilled into the Gulf is already gone, but that has been disputed by some scientists and other environmental experts.

Browner defended the government’s clean-up efforts, noting that just because the administration is touting the early results of the clean-up, that doesn’t mean it’s ignoring the potential for long-term environmental impacts.

“No one is saying ‘don’t worry,’” she said. “Right now, we’re saying the tests show nothing of concern.”

Kerry eyes lame duck climate fight

By Ben Geman – 07/23/10 09:26 AM ET
The Hill

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is suggesting a climate change bill could have better prospects in a lame-duck session.

Kerry made the comments to Bloomberg as the Senate abandoned plans to move on climate change legislation before the August break. The decision is expected to prevent a vote on the matter this year, though Kerry is still offering hope.

“I have to tell you, this is not dead. We are going to continue to work. It may well be that after the election — if that is what happens — I mean, we will continue to try over the next weeks, but if it is after the election, it may well be that some members are free and liberated and feeling that they can take a risk or do something. Or, you know, the whole political landscape may have changed in some way,” Kerry said Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital With Al Hunt” that will be broadcast this weekend.

Kerry told the Bloomberg news service that he would continue seeking votes, and said the climate bill’s prospects could improve after the midterm elections.

Kerry also said that President Obama should promote the measure. “I think it is important for him to weigh in with some colleagues, to even to go to some of the difficult states at the right moment and talk to people about why this is important for America,” Kerry said.

SANYO Introduces HIT Power 220A Photovoltaic Module

SI Staff, Thursday 22 July 2010 – 11:11:37

SANYO North America Corp. has launched a new model in its HIT Power solar module line: the HIT Power 220A. According to the company, this module provides improved efficiency and energy output, and it is designed to energize integrators and installers with more power per square foot than other models.

The HIT Power 220A features certified cell efficiency of 19.8% and module efficiency of 17.4%. This is the fifth product to join the HIT Power family, which also includes the HIT Power 205, 210, 215 and 220 modules.

SANYO HIT Power solar modules are made of 72 hybrid HIT cells that combine monocrystalline silicon with layers of amorphous silicon. The monocrystalline silicon is sandwiched between the amorphous silicon to offer improved conversion efficiency, excellent temperature characteristics and considerable output under diffuse and low light conditions, the company says.

June 20, 2010
Lieberman: Comprehensive energy bill can be done this year
Posted: June 20th, 2010 12:33 PM ET

From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

Sen. Lieberman said Sunday that the Gulf oil spill should be a motivator for passage of a comprehensive energy bill. ‘Because the less we depend on oil, the less chance there is of another environmental disaster like this,’ Lieberman told CNN’s Candy Crowley.

Washington (CNN) – Echoing President Obama’s Oval Office address to the nation last week, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, said Sunday that a comprehensive energy bill can be done during this midterm election year. Lieberman added that he hoped the Gulf oil spill would help motivate lawmakers to support the controversial legislation.

Speaking Tuesday, Obama called the Gulf oil disaster “the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now.”

Asked about energy legislation Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, Lieberman said a bill “does have a chance and it needs to be done.”

Lieberman, one of two principal architects of an energy bill that includes a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions, also suggested that support for his bill is about 10 senators shy of the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster.

“There are about 50 senators who want to vote for a strong, comprehensive energy bill that puts a price on carbon pollution,” Lieberman told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. “There are about 30 who are set against it and there are 20 undecided. You’ve got to get to 60 to pass anything in the Senate. We need half of the undecided and we can do it.”

The senator added, “And we’ve got to do it. And I hope the spill in the Gulf will motivate us to do it. Because the less we depend on oil, the less chance there is of another environmental disaster like this.”

Asked about a competing bill that does not include a comprehensive cap-and-trade system, Lieberman expressed some openness to a compromise floated by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel that would impose a carbon cap only on the energy utilities across the country.

“Yes, I’d like to look at that,” Lieberman said, though he was quick to defend the concept of an economy-wide cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions.

“If you put a price on the pollution that carbon emits into our atmosphere, then you’re going to create an incentive for hundreds of billions of dollars of private capital to be invested in energy sources and systems that don’t put carbon into the atmosphere – like solar and wind and biomass and nuclear.”

He added, “So we need to put a price on carbon to let the private sector create the jobs and the energy industries we need.”

The independent senator also sounded off on what he sees as causes of the Gulf oil spill.

“The big mistakes made here were made before the accident. The big mistakes were made by the Minerals Management Service of the federal government that has a responsibility to approve oil spill response plans by the oil companies like BP before they’ll let them drill.

“And the plan that BP submitted, we now know, was a joke,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman suggested that the Obama administration should review who is responsible for overseeing different aspects of offshore drilling. The former Democrat pointed out that the U.S. Coast Guard is currently responsible for certifying offshore oil rigs and their spill response plans while the Minerals Management Service, which is part of the Department of Interior, is responsible for regulating subsurface, deep water oil wells.

“I think we’ve got to consolidate that in one agency,” Lieberman told Crowley.

He added, “I put my confidence in the Coast Guard. Let the Coast Guard have broad responsibility for preventing oil spills and then getting ready – better than they obviously were this time – to stop them once they start.”

Senate liberals threaten rebellion on energy bill
By Alexander Bolton – 06/17/10 09:00 PM ET
The Hill

Liberal Democrats in the Senate are threatening to vote against energy legislation if it does not address global climate change.

After watching centrist Democrats and Republicans shrink the 2009 economic stimulus package, strip the public option from healthcare reform and slice a pending package of safety-net program extensions, liberal senators are reaching the limits of their patience.

They don’t want to watch leaders rip out what they consider the core element of energy reform and advertise the result as a comprehensive solution.
Yet it appears that is exactly what Senate Democratic leaders plan to do.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to include provisions to address the Gulf oil spill and strengthen regulation of deepwater drilling to the energy legislation, but Reid on Thursday declined to commit to including climate change provisions in the bill.

Some of the strongest critics of offshore drilling within the Democratic Conference now warn they may not vote for it without a measure to require industry to pay for carbon pollution.

“It’s hard to imagine that I would support it,” said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), after Democrats met Thursday to discuss energy legislation.

Democratic lawmakers heard presentations on energy proposals from Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The Kerry-Lieberman proposal and Cantwell’s bill would limit carbon emissions. The Bingaman bill would create a renewable electricity standard and federal incentives for nuclear energy and natural gas production, but would not limit carbon.

“At some point there has to be an incentive to limit emissions,” Lautenberg said.

Lautenberg argued that China has become a major exporter of solar panels and there is not sufficient incentive for American industry to invest heavily in their production.

He and other Democrats believe that placing a fee on carbon emissions will make renewable energy technology more competitive in the marketplace.

“The foundation of any serious comprehensive energy bill is placing a price on carbon pollution so the polluters can’t keep doing it for free,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a leading liberal Democrat from Rhode Island.

Whitehouse said “it would be very challenging” to vote for an energy bill that did not take a significant step to limit carbon emissions.

“Everything else is just purfling around the edges,” he said, making reference to wooden inlays used to decorate guitars.

But other members of the Democratic Conference, especially lawmakers from coal-dependent states such as West Virginia and Indiana, are less eager to consider a cap on carbon.

Two days after President Barack Obama delivered his first Oval Office address to spur congressional action on energy legislation, Democrats emerged from Thursday’s meeting with a desultory air and little progress to report.

A trickle of legislative progress on the Senate floor this week has contributed to a lack of optimism for energy reform. A partisan stalemate may stall progress on a package of tax-credit and social safety-net provisions, normally routine legislation, for another week.

Democratic lawmakers spent more than an hour Thursday in the wood-paneled Mansfield Room off the Senate chamber listening to presentations but did not get around to debating what to do next.

Reid plans to hold another caucus meeting on energy reform next week. But the pace of the negotiations has raised doubt about whether the Senate can pass a comprehensive energy bill by the start of the monthlong August recess.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat from West Virginia, said he was not persuaded about supporting a carbon cap after emerging from the meeting.

“If anything has a chance, it’s the Bingaman proposal,” said Rockefeller.

Environmental groups have criticized Bingaman’s bill for providing generous loan guarantees to the nuclear industry and a renewable electricity standard they consider too lax.

Sen. Mark Udall, a liberal Democrat from Colorado who sits on the Energy Committee, voted for Bingaman’s bill at the committee level. But he said he supported it with the understanding that it would be paired with a climate measure.

“The Bingaman bill was crafted with the understanding that a system to price carbon would be linked,” said Udall. “I’m still not willing to back off, and a number of senators agree with me.”

Kerry and Lieberman tried to spur their colleagues to action Thursday by holding a meeting at noon with corporate executives who favor a fee on carbon emissions.

The CEOs of General Electric, Dow Corning and Honeywell International told nearly 20 senators that a cap on carbon emissions would fuel investment in renewable energy technologies and create new jobs across the country.

“They’ve been very vocal in saying there needs to be a price on carbon,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), who attended the meeting.

Liberal Democrats say it will be virtually impossible to wean the country off fossil fuels if alternative energy production is not made more economically attractive. They argue the best way to do this is to price carbon.

Citing a recent analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency, Kerry and Lieberman say the cost to the average household would be less than $1 a day.
Liberals say that leaders cannot fulfill their promise to pass comprehensive energy reform unless they take this step.

“We obviously don’t have comprehensive energy reform unless we address the pollution that comes from carbon,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

Ben Geman contributed to this story.

Policy & Regulation: NHA Conference: Planning for Reform
Regulators tout “historic” MOU as the hydro industry makes plans to build on that momentum by calling for regulatory reforms and incentives for the most reliable form of renewable power.

By Russell Ray and Shaun Epperson
Hydroworld.com

Hydropower advocates meeting in Washington, D.C., for the National Hydropower Association’s 2010 Conference said a “historic” agreement between three federal agencies will be a powerful tool in helping the industry reach its goal of doubling hydropower production in the U.S.

Hydropower can play a starring role in the nation’s push toward a clean energy economy, said Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Kristina Johnson, who delivered the keynote address during the conference’s opening plenary session.

Johnson was one of several keynote speakers during the three-day event, which drew more than 500 attendees, an all-time high.

The NHA conference, held April 26-28, came after the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and DOE signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote the development of hydropower, the largest and most reliable source of renewable power. Under the agreement, the agencies agreed to work more closely and align priorities to support the development of environmentally sustainable hydropower.

Johnson said she looks forward to seeing results from the recent MOU and that hydropower has plenty of room to expand its role in providing clean, renewable energy.

“We’re quite excited to move forward on this,” she said. “We’re counting on hydropower to double, both in jobs and clean electrons on the grid.”

The Corps is the nation’s largest owner of hydropower. Terrence C. “Rock” Salt, is principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army, who provides policy oversight for the Corps. During his keynote speech, Salt said the potential to increase hydropower capacity in the U.S. is significant.

“I don’t know what the right number is, but there’s no reason why we can’t achieve a huge lift in hydropower,” Salt said.

The U.S. has about 100,000 MW of hydropower capacity. However, a study by Navigant Consulting Inc. shows that the technical potential is around 400,000 MW. What’s more, up to 1.4 million jobs could be created by 2025 if the potential for new capacity is met, the study shows.

“One of the reasons this MOU is historic is because it’s an action MOU,” said John Tubbs, deputy assistant secretary of the DOI for water and science. “We need to achieve the goals the MOU set forth.”

Roger Ballentine, president of Green Strategies Inc., an environmental policy consulting firm, said the MOU represents a genuine effort by the federal government to boost hydropower capacity in the U.S. Such an agreement would not have been possible five years ago, Ballentine said.

“The MOU is a remarkable achievement,” he said. “I am just amazed about where we are today compared to where we were just a few years ago. It’s extraordinary.”

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Ballentine said, is “completely committed to hydropower.”

Lori Caramanian, counselor to the assistant secretary of water and science at DOI, said getting the heads of three federal agencies and their lawyers to agree to the provisions in the MOU was a titanic undertaking.

“That was no small chore,” Caramanian said. “But we got it done and we’re really excited about moving forward.”

The potential to boost hydropower capacity at facilities owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, an agency under DOI, is great, Caramanian said.

“We have over 500 dams. More importantly, we have thousands of miles of irrigation canals,” she said. “Of those 500 dams, 58 of them have federal hydropower on them and 71 are private hydropower leases. So there’s a lot we can do. We have irrigation canals that can be fitted with small turbines.”

NHA President Andrew Munro said hydropower is a firm, dispatchable form of renewable energy that can grow with the help of regulatory and legislative reforms designed to speed up the licensing process and boost investors’ confidence.

More than 500 people attended the National Hydropower Association’s 2010 Conference in Washington, D.C., a record high.

“The opportunity is right now for the hydropower industry,” Munro said. “Our benefits of clean power, job creation, and environmental quality line up perfectly with the priorities of our country.”

The conference’s opening day included a rally on Capitol Hill, which featured a visit from several key lawmakers and energy regulators.

FERC Commissioner Philip Moeller and U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Doc Hastings, R-Wash., were among those in attendance.

Energy Undersecretary Kristina Johnson (center) delivered the keynote address at the National Hydropower Association’s 2010 Conference, saying hydropower should play a starring role in the U.S.’s national energy plan. Also pictured are NHA Executive Director Linda Church Ciocci (right) and NHA President Andrew Munro (left).

“We have a huge opportunity,” said Rodgers, a founding member of the House Hydropower Caucus. “There have been so many positive results, and we just want to continue the positive story of hydropower.”

Markey said hydropower should be recognized as a renewable energy source that has helped to fuel the country’s energy needs throughout the nation’s history and that there is plenty of opportunity for hydropower to take a leading role in the nation’s energy future.

“Hydro is back. Hydro is big,” Markey said.

Senate fight over EPA resolution to highlight first week after recess
By J. Taylor Rushing – 06/06/10 05:16 PM ET
The Hill

The Senate this week will return to a pivotal, long-simmering debate over the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases.

The debate will center on a Thursday vote on a disapproval resolution by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would block the EPA from enforcing emission rules under the Clean Air Act. Murkowski objects to the EPA’s authority and believes that Congress should set such standards instead of the executive branch.

Although the resolution is not expected to pass, Murkowski is bringing the resolution forward under the Congressional Review Act, which prevents any filibusters and only requires 51 votes for passage. Murkowski’s measure has 41 formal co-sponsors, including Democratic Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) told The Hill that Murkowski’s resolution is “a distraction.”

“The Supreme Court has affirmed the EPA’s right to address greenhouse gas emissions. But more importantly, all the science is staring us in the face saying we’ve got to act,” Kerry said. “If you don’t want the EPA to do it, then the Senate needs to provide some adult leadership to pass a comprehensive climate and energy bill instead of keeping our heads in the sand and then tying the hands of the EPA.”

Even if the resolution somehow squeezes through the Senate, it is unlikely to pass the House and would face a certain veto by President Barack Obama. Still, the possibility of even a close vote could prove embarrassing to Senate Democrats just weeks before Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Kerry plan to bring climate change legislation to the Senate floor.

Specifically, Murkowski’s measure would veto the EPA’s power to regulate greenhouse gases under the “endangerment finding” it issued last December. That finding would lead to regulations that “will ultimately endanger job creation, economic growth and America’s competitiveness,” Murkowski said, and is opposed even some by congressional Democrats who prefer congressional action instead.

“Given the widespread support for legislation, and the likely consequences of regulation, I believe these Clean Air Act regulations should be taken off the table,” Murkowski wrote on The Hill’s Congress Blog on Wednesday. “My decision to introduce this measure is rooted in a desire to see Congress – not unelected bureaucrats – lead the way in addressing climate change.”

Murkowski’s resolution comes just weeks after the EPA issued a rule clarifying how it intends to apply regulations under the Clean Air Act to large-scale emissions factories and refineries — not smaller-scale polluters such as schools or small businesses — starting next year. The action was seen as a signal that the EPA is planning to take an aggressive stance on regulations next year in the absence of any congressional action.

Kerry and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) have already introduced climate-change legislation that Reid plans to bring forward in July, and Kerry last month described the EPA’s action as a “last call” to lawmakers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed that view in an interview with The Hill two weeks ago, saying that climate regulations should be done by Congress, not the Obama administration, to prevent policy fluctuations with administration turnover.

Reid issued a directive to four key Senate committee chairmen on Thursday to solicit ideas for the Senate’s climate change bill that would be taken up after the week-long July 4 recess. Reid wants the Senate bill to restructure civil and criminal penalties for environmental disasters such as the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico, since current law sets caps that were quickly exceeded by the BP spill. A Democratic caucus meeting is scheduled for mid-June to determine how to proceed with the bill in July.

This week in the Senate will also bring three votes on Monday on judicial nominations, followed by action on a two-part tax extenders bill possibly as early as Tuesday. The extenders bill would prolong unemployment benefits and prevent a cut in reimbursements to physicians who treat Medicaid patients.

Schumer: Dems likely to keep energy and climate bills separate

By Michael O’Brien – 06/07/10 08:33 AM ET
The Hill

A proposed measure to address climate change is likely to be offered as an amendment to an energy bill Democrats have drafted in the Senate, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday.

Schumer offered details of an energy and climate change bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he plans to move in July.

“Leader Reid is preparing a really good, strong bill,” Schumer said this morning during an appearance on MSNBC, describing elements of the legislation.

Schumer said the legislation would include a lot to encourage use of alternative energy and nuclear power. The proposal would also include stricter regulation of oil companies in the wake of the massive offshore spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Schumer hinted that the legislation would be largely based on an underlying energy bill authored by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The committee approved that bill with several GOP votes a year ago.

It would be on top of that where Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) would have an opportunity to offer their proposals to rein in climate change, Schumer explained.

The Bingaman proposal would be “the base bill upon which John Kerry will seek to add his bill,” Schumer said.

“Kerry has a proposal that has pretty broad support,” added the senior Democrat. “He’s going, in my opinion, going to get a chance to offer it in the form of an amendment.”

Such a move would have the effect of divorcing climate change components from energy legislation during an election year in which vulnerable Democrats might be reluctant to support legislation that might make energy more costly over time.

For instance, Republicans had long hammered away at House Democrats’ votes on a much tougher (by comparison) cap-and-trade bill last June, deriding it as “cap-and-tax.”

Ben Geman contributed to this report.