Is Asia's expanding middle class closer to reaching a tipping point where modern notions of 'environmentalism' become a key component to improving quality of life factors? Maybe!
The Korean government is pushing forward on a massive 'Green' New Deal style investment package could create more than 900,000 jobs.
The $38 billion investment plan includes: waste to energy power plants, support for 'Green Homes', transportation infrastructure for rail and bicycles, cleaning up polluted river systems, and investments in energy storage technologies used for electric vehicles.
Real story = Values Shift up Maslow's Hierarchy
The long view implications of this story go far beyond any actual investments that may or may not turn Korea's attention towards 'cleantech' industries. These projects might already have been planned long before the recent global economic slowdown. And $38 billion is not a lot of money for a 'New Deal'.
The real story is the media spin on 'green' and underlying values statement that shows widespread support within Korea for cleantech and eco-friendly ventures. The ripple effect of modern notions of environmentalism (able to address impacts of large scale industrialism, not traditional forms of agricultural living) could begin to challenge the notion of 'growth at any cost' that dominates economic policies around the world in all nations, but especially in emerging economies.
Values are very important when it comes to 'cleantech' policies, and there is no evidence that 'environmentalism' as it is viewed in American and European life is a current global phenomenon. There are still several billion people in the world who see 'quality of life' factors as related to jobs, education, home ownership and upward mobility, not planetary health.
What is driving this value's shift? Economic Growth, not Traditionalism
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January 05 2009 / by Garry Golden
Category: Energy Year: 2009 Rating: 6 Hot New
What might be at the top of the list as the 'Next Big Thing' for the energy sector?
Creating a 'Smart Grid' (Guide) for Electricity that is more resilient, responsive and efficient.
2009 should be a significant year for investing in the three main ingredients of smart infrastructure: Software, Sensors & Storage.
In 2009 we will be watching for major investments made by utiltiies with the help of 'smart grid' startups and incumbents capable of transforming how we manage, distribute and store electrons:
1) Gridpoint
2) Comverge
3) BPL Global (Better Power Lines)
4) Enernoc
5) Enerwise
6) Trilliant Networks
7) Silver Spring Networks – Kleiner Perkins investment
8) Tendril
9) SmartSynch
10) Itron
11) Sequentric
12) Eka Systems
Other notable sensor and systems startups:
Energy Hub, GainSpan (Embedded Systems), GreenBox, eMeter (Enterprise)
Incumbents to Watch:
General Electric, IBM, Honeywell, and Johnson Controls
Related posts on The Energy Roadmap.com
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January 02 2009 / by Garry Golden
Category: Science Year: 2014 Rating: 2 New
We are not going to 'consume' ourselves into a future global economy driven by clean energy technologies.
We have to build it using new scientific knowledge based on nanoscale interactions of light and molecules mostly- carbon, hydrogen, oxygen reacting to metals and enzymes.
Energy = Interactions
Creating 'clean energy' means using materials that make these molecular interactions that capture and release energy more efficient and less wasteful.
While consumers might be the ones who get the credit for changing behavior, the real heros of our cleantech energy future will be people involved in chemistry, biology, physics and materials engineering.
And the good news is that these scientists are increasingly turning to advanced computers and simulation software to accelerate the development of energy related materials!
Computational Power & Materials Science - Recent Examples for Materials Science
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January 02 2009 / by Garry Golden
Category: Energy Year: 2012 Rating: 2 New
The US Fuel Cell Council is now lobbying Congress for more than a billion dollar investment to accelerate America's manufacturing position around this important piece of the future energy sector.
Energy Storage - Sprint vs Marthon
Even though Asia appears to have won the sprint towards next generation 'batteries', the US could regain its position in energy storage and conversion around the marathon race towards fuel cells.
Fuel cells convert chemical energy (e.g. hydrogen, methanol, natural gas) into electricity. They can be used for stationary power to reinforce the electrical grid with onsite generation, or to power portable devices and electric vehicles.
Fuel cells are not Dead, just Misunderstood
There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty and skepticism towards fuel cells among eco and energy bloggers. The technology fell victim to the 'Hype Cycle' after the Dotcom Bust in 2000, but the energy conversion platform has been making steady progress in recent years. Their long term advantages in terms of cost per kilowatt, performance durability, scalable modular manufacturing are still complelling reasons to support fuel cells as alternatives to batteries and combustion engines.
USFCC's Recommendations:
Now, the USFCC believes the invesment could create an estimated 24,000 jobs and is recommending funds for: Deploying Fuel Cells ($100 Million), Supporting a Fueling Infrastructure ($65 million), improving Federal Fuel Cell Investment Tax Incentives, expanding applied Learning Demonstrations ($375 Million) building foundation for American Manufacturing Capacity ($100 Million), accelerating Research in Partnership with Industry ($350 Million), investing in Fuel Cell Transit ($180 Million) and including Fuel Cells in President-Elect Obama‘s Energy Initiative.
Related posts on The Energy Roadmap.com
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December 29 2008 / by Garry Golden
Category: Energy Year: Beyond Rating: 3 New
"Whether you think you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right." - Henry Ford
The worst thing we can do when thinking about the future of energy is to look at possible solutions and simply extrapolate today's technologies and scientific assumptions forward about what 'is' or 'isn't possible'.
There is still a lot we do not know about the basics of energy systems dealing with photons, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, enzymes and metals. Our current first phase efforts to design nanoscale materials used in energy production, conversion and storage are certain to yield systems that will change how we live in the world in the decades ahead.
Remember, only a century ago, coal and wood were king, magical 'electric' light intimidated the general public, only a few could see the potential of oil, rockets and nuclear science were beyond our imagination, and the vision of a tens of millions of 'horseless carriages' reshaping the urban landscape was a ridiculous proposition.
So what seemingly novel ideas could shape the next century?
List of 10+ Novel Energy Stories from 2008:
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'The New Energy Economy' is the latest policy buzz word being used to describe the vision of a future global economy that runs on clean, abundant energy systems.
The incentives to accelerate this cleantech future are growing. Beyond issues of climate change, there are increasing concerns about accelerating resource depletion and 'peak' production of key resources as the world adds 3 billion people and doubles energy consumption by 2050. Paris-based International Energy Agency estimates that peak oil production could occur as soon as 2020.
The 'new energy economy' will require leaps in performance with new forms of energy production and storage systems.
Nothing is likely to happen quickly as the transition takes decades to unfold. And while our dependency on fossil fuels is likely to continue through mid-century, big changes are ahead.
World Watch Energy Report
The World Watch has released a report (PDF) looking at a roadmap towards a lower carbon economy based on a wide range of new energy systems.
"We are on the verge of an energy revolution," says Flavin. "With strong political leadership, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use policy and technology innovation to stave off the greatest human-caused threat our planet has seen."
World Watch believes that 'these new energy sources will make it possible to retire hundreds of coal-fired power plants that now provide 40 percent of the world's power by 2030, eliminating up to one-third of global carbon dioxide emissions while creating millions of new jobs.'
The report's roadmap includes:
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December 27 2008 / by Garry Golden
Category: Energy Year: 2009 Rating: 1
How do you build an 'sustainable' economy for 9 billion people?
Reinvent how we make, recycle and re-use metals, wood, glass, plastic and biomaterials that go into everyday products.
Who can enable the 'new energy economy'? Our bet is on the Scientist, not the Consumer.
While some get excited over 'green products' like solar powered backpacks, better lightbulbs and organic cotton yoga mats, most notions of 'eco-friendly' products fall drastically short of what will be needed to meet the demands of adding another 3 billion people to the planet by 2050.
We need to reinvent the whole concept of 'Industrialism' to create new methods for producing materials using less energy and 'resources' in fundamentally new ways.
List of 2008 Stories in Energy Materials Science
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December 27 2008 / by Garry Golden
Category: Energy Year: 2011 Rating: 1
Hawaii seems ready to stand head to head against California as a leading edge testbed for the new energy economy.
While it might lack the market size, political clout and industrial base of California, Hawaii is building the intellectual captal and policy experience needed to export cleantech around the world.
In the past year Hawaii set in motion some sweeping regulatory changes to manage its electrical grid, and signed an agreement with electric vehicle infrastructure startup Better Place. Hawaii has established pilot facilities for next generation biofuels, and Lockheed is planning a cutting edge ocean thermal energy conversion plant. The state is also home to a few promising startups involved in materials for fuel cells and solar.
Distributed Solar Power Generation
Now, Honolulu-based Sopogy has announced a 50 MW project in Toledo, Spain in what will be the largest commercial demonstration of its micro-concentration power technology. Sopogy believes that its smaller solar systems offer an easier, more cost effective method for brining clean electricity online.
Videos: How It Works - Sopogy
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December 26 2008 / by Garry Golden
Category: Energy Year: 2010 Rating: 2
While US and European leaders debate investments in clean tech energy platforms, Asia continues to advance its first mover advantage in energy storage.
Toshiba Corporation has announced plans to construct a new production facility for its safe, long-life rapid charge SCiB battery to meet expected demand for industrial and automotive applications from 2010 on. The company also announced plans to expand production of high efficiency motors at a Vietnam based factory.
Energy storage is going to be a major growth area within the 'new energy economy'. Batteries are expected to be the dominate platform in the years ahead, but fuel cells and capacitors could soon emerge from the bottom of the 'Hype Cycle' with actual commercial products.
Toshiba estimates that the market for lithium-ion batteries for industrial and automotive applications to reach sales of 1.7 trillion yen (approximately US$19 billion) worldwide in fiscal year 2015.
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Penn State University understands that the future of cleantech and the 'new energy economy' comes down to advancing the fundmantals of chemistry, biology and materials science.
The University has become a powerhouse for cleantech research and its scientists are pushing the limits of performance around next generation solar cells, fuel cells and cleaner hydrocarbons.
Now researchers have made a breakthrough related to the breadown of ligin that can be used to lower the cost of cellulosic based biofuels, and change the feedstock industry.
Rethinking the breakdown of Ligin
Lignin is a key piece of cellular walls in woody plant material. Breaking it down to access the energy of chemical bonds in the plant material is one of the great barriers to cost effective cellulosic biofuels.
"There is lots of energy-rich cellulose locked away in wood," said John Carlson, professor of molecular genetics, Penn State. "But separating this energy from the wood to make ethanol is a costly process requiring high amounts of heat and caustic chemicals. Moreover, fungal enzymes that attack lignin are not yet widely available, still in the development stage, and not very efficient in breaking up lignin."
Bean gene + Poplar Tree + Enzyme
Researchers inserted a gene from beans into a poplar tree that inserts a protein between two lignin molecules when the lignin polymer is created.
"Now we have a lignin polymer with a protein stuck in between," explained Carlson "When that occurs, it creates a type of lignin that is not much different in terms of strength than normal lignin, but we can break open the lignin polymer by using enzymes that attack proteins rather than enzymes that attack lignin."
These enzymes that attack proteins are already used widely in the laundry detergent industry and are commercially readily available, added Carlson. The genetic modification does not appear to weaken the plants or the crop production.
The easy to breakdown ligin variation may also have major implications for agriculture and livestock industries:
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