In green technology news this week, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a one-two punch to global competitors, offering incentives to bring technology jobs back to America and creating a Trade Enforcement Unit; a predictive study on the effects of global warming left U.K. readers reeling; and Joulex had a championship season, with 2011 revenue growth up more than 420 percent over 2010 and the addition of 80 new customers.
In his 2012 ”State of the Union Address” on January 23
, President Obama made it clear that
he intends to fight for and defend American jobs and products, by providing incentives to businesses — especially high-tech firms — that bring jobs back to the United States. In addition, he is urging businesses to partner with community colleges to provide training for
the jobs of the future,supporting R&D programs that will advanceAmerica to the vanguardof technological innovation and clean-energy usage, andestablishing a Trade Enforcement Unit dedicated to investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. “We have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back,” he said, “But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.”
In the UK, a study was commissioned recently to find out what, if any, repercussions Britain could expect in the future from global warming. The results were chilling, to say the least, according to the Associated Press, including close to 6,000 deaths as a result of hotter summers by the 2050s; more frequent flooding, at a high cost to businesses and infrastructure; droughts that will affect as many as 59 million Britons; beach erosion; and more. Among the few positive effects would be a reduction in damages and injuries caused by cold weather, year-round shipping routes, and a longer and warmer tourist season.
Atlanta-based JouleX, a provider of solutions for enterprise energy management, announced significant achievements for 2011, including revenue growth of more than 420 percent over 2010 and the addition of 80 new customers. The company got a major boost last June, when it received $17 million in investment capital, and used it to expand its footprint and development opportunities in global growth markets. The company opened six new sales and support stations worldwide; and expanded existing operations in Atlanta, Germany, and Tokyo. JouleX also launched a dedicated Energy Manager for Cisco (News 
- Alert) EnergyWise; and signed a global sales, marketing, and development agreement with that company.
La Rumorosa, Mexico is known for its “bluster”—in a good way. Energy experts say there is enough wind energy in this small town just south of the border to power 2.5 million homes in southern California. So it is no surprise that Sempra Energy, the parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric, has been reconnoitering in La Rumorosa for about five years, trying to find a perfect site for a large wind farm. Sempra will begin construction in 2012 on the Energía Sierra Juárez 1 wind farm— located in Baja California, Mexico, along the Sierra Juárez Mountains. Energía Sierra Juárez will connect to the existing California electric grid at SDG&E's proposed ECO substation in eastern San Diego County, via a new cross-border transmission tie-line. When completed in 2013, the wind farm will be capable of producing up to 1,200 megawatts— enough clean electricity to power about 65,000 average homes. Sempra Generation also announced that it reached preliminary agreement last year on the framework for the sale of a 50-percent partnership interest in Energía Sierra Juárez to Houston-based BP Wind Energy, a BP subsidiary that owns and operates wind power facilities.
Five thousand—and counting. That’s the latest tally of alternative-fuel fleet vehicles (AFVs) placed on U.S. roads within the past 34 months by Dallas-based communications powerhouse AT&T. In March 2009, AT&T (News - Alert) revealed plans to invest up to $565 million to deploy more than 15,000 alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs) — out of a total corporate fleet of 71,500 — over the following ten years. At that time, AT&T expected to spend $350 million to purchase about 8,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and around $215 million to replace 7,100 passenger cars with alternative-fuel models. The target for CNG vehicles is one of the highest set by a corporation to date, and the company expects to reach that number by year-end 2013. AT&T’s AFV initiative is projected to save 49 million gallons of gasoline over the ten-year deployment period and reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons.
A new study conducted by Forbes Insights, in association with small business and middle market lender CIT, found that, not only are U.S. energy executives not opposed to fracking (hydraulic fracturing) to reach the massive deposits of natural gas and oil beneath the Marcellus and Eagle Ford shales, but fully 88 percent support it. Such new discoveries, along with the multibillion-barrel oil deposits in the Williston Basin of the Dakotas and Montana, have heartened executives about the state of the industry. Backing that up, 70 percent of the 107 respondents agree there is good potential for U.S. energy independence within 15 years. However, they expressed concern that new regulatory restrictions on drilling (33 percent), along with environmental concerns (16 percent), and a lack of investment in energy due to low commodity prices (14 percent) could dash that promise.
There are about 13 million Americans who could be tempted to take advantage of rooftop solar arrays if they were offered a third-party lease, rather than a purchase agreement, according to the results of a recent study by the Golden, Colorado-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). In contrast to buyers, this discrete demographic group of younger, less affluent, and less-educated customers would be attracted to the lower upfront costs and immediate savings they could enjoy by leasing. The new third-party-lease business model – seeing a surge in Southern California – enables homeowners to put as little as $3,000 down and derive instant gratification from a lower electricity bill (albeit, by just a few dollars). The real benefits are realized over the next two decades, when their $40 or $50 monthly lease payment stays constant, while, presumably, the cost of electricity soars. Third-party companies are touting potential customer savings of $10,000 to $15,000 over the term of a 20-year lease.
On January 25, Livermore, Calif.-based Epicor Software (News - Alert) Corporation, a software solution provider, announced the results of its first-ever carbon accounting survey of nearly 1,000 manufacturers worldwide, shedding light on a “dirty” little secret. Despite forthcoming legislation mandating carbon accounting, most companies are just “blowing smoke” when they talk about environmental impact. In fact, the survey revealed that 58 percent of companies surveyed had not heard of the term “carbon accounting,” fewer than 25 percent could accurately describe what the term means, and fully 80 percent of companies surveyed don’t monitor their carbon footprint. The survey, which was conducted during August and September 2011, revealed that although the CEO is the person most likely to be responsible for a company’s green strategy, 50 percent of companies surveyed don’t have any C-level involvement at all in their carbon accounting initiatives.
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Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
