An eSolar "heliostat"

When coal-spewing utilities make significant investments in solar power you know that the energy world is shifting under our feet:

The agreement calls for NRG to invest $10 million in Pasadena-based eSolar for the right to use the startup’s technology to develop and operate three solar power projects in California and the Southwest that would generate 500 megawatts of greenhouse gas-free electricity. NRG ranks as one of the nation’s dirtiest utilities, spewing 70 million tons of carbon dioxide annually from its coal-fired power plants, according to a 2007 Fortune Magazine story. But the Princeton, N.J.-based Fortune 500 company has sought to clean up its ways under CEO David Crane, pursuing carbon-capture technology and moving to build nuclear power plants.

It was nearly two years ago that a group of influential security experts said one of the biggest threats to world economic and political stability was not terrorism or fundamentalism but a warming climate.  Rising sea levels are expected to drive millions of people from their homes.  Throw in increased risk of extreme weather and disease, and you’ve got the recipe for some serious instability.

The Washington Post reports today on the signs that this mass migration–”Ecomigration”–has already begun.  Tens of millions of people world-wide have had to leave their homes and seek out a new place to live and earn a living.  In some cases the migration is driven by more violent storms or deforestation, while a slow but inexorable rise in sea level is driving others from their homes:

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If there was any lingering doubt that the new administration in Washington is day-and-night different from the last one on climate change, justcheck out what Energy Secretary Steven Chu said this weeK:

Chu warned of water shortages plaguing the West and Upper Midwest and particularly dire consequences for California, his home state, the nation’s leading agricultural producer.

In a worst case, Chu said, up to 90% of the Sierra snowpack could disappear, all but eliminating a natural storage system for water vital to agriculture.

“I don’t think the American public has gripped in its gut what could happen,” he said. “We’re looking at a scenario where there’s no more agriculture in California.” And, he added, “I don’t actually see how they can keep their cities going” either.

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Did you know New Jersey has the tallest water tower in the world?  And that Newark is the car-theft capital of America?  Even if you didn’t already know these tidbits of Jersey trivia–I bet you’re not surprised.  But how about this:  New Jersey is #2 nationwide for installed solar power, second only to California?  And the Garden State is about to up the ante.

The biggest utility in New Jersey–Public Service Electric and Gas (PSEG) has announced it is sinking three-quarters of a billion dollars into a huge solar power proj

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In case you need another example of how different this Administration is from the last one when it comes to energy policy, take a look at energy efficiency standards for appliances.  Here’s the Bush Adminstration:

The Bush administration was sued by environmental groups and 14 states for failing to update efficiency standards for 22 appliances as required by laws dating back to the 1970s. Following a 2006 settlement of the lawsuit and new legislation, the Bush White House eventually finalized standards for four appliances.

And the Obama Administration:

The US hasbecome the world leader in windpower, thanks to a recrod setting year in 2008–but China is number two and moving up fast.

Overall, installed windpower capacity grew by about 28%, with the US passing Germany to become #1 with over 20% of the worldwide total of windpower–about 25 gigawatts.  China, meanwhile, doubled their capacity last year.  They still have less than half as much windpower as the US, but it’s easy to see that gap closing quickly.  Analysts say  new windpower construction will slow down in the US because of the credit crunch.  And since we’ve apparetnly sent all our dollars to China, presumably the financing is a little easier to come by there.

by Brian Keane

Sometimes, being Energy Smart may mean getting a little down and dirty. Take it from our friend Elizabeth in the latest SmartPower Minute.

Most of the newer models of ovens have a self-clean option.  This gives us the modern luxury of having a “clean” oven by just flicking a switch . . . and waiting a few hours.

Now, granted, that seems like it makes things pretty easy. But it’s important to know just how much it costs you, and how much energy it takes to heat your oven up to the level where it “cooks away” or vaporizes the remnants of your spilled casserole.

How much is it? Well, if you use the self-clean option on your oven, say, once a month it costs you around $40 a year.  Yep, it costs you more than a tank of gas to burn off all the gunk on the inside of your oven each year.

by Willy Ritch

A Sunday Washington Post story on energy efficiency efforts by states and utilities points out that we’ve been down this road before.  In the 80s it was called “conservation” instead of “efficiency,” and it was a strategy that was abandoned by utilities during the deregulation era, when they were cutting costs to try and become more competitive.  Rising energy prices and the growing realization that we have to do something about global warming has brought about a revival, but these are not your parents’ conservation programs:

Advocates of energy-efficiency programs say today’s strategies are more refined because of new technology. The twisty, low-energy light bulbs, which use one-third of the power of conventional ones, didn’t exist a decade ago. Hot-water heaters, stoves and other appliances burn far less power now than they used to.

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 by Brian Keane

How many of you reading this blog have an electric pressure cooker or some other countertop cooking device stuffed away in the recesses of your kitchen cabinets?

They seem like the kind of appliances we get for the holidays, or pick up at the store on a random whim and then hardly ever use. Am I right?

Well, check it out; when you use an electric pressure cooker, crock pot or electric steamer, you’re actually being Energy Smart. That’s right. It turns out that these devices save you more money and create less pollution than just using the stove top.

According to the Web site ClimateCulture.com—where you can create your own virtual world, and join an online Facebook-like community to help track the real-world actions you take to save energy—the potential for savings from these appliances is big time.