The UK’s offshore wind and wave generation industries could generate up to £70bn ($114.5bn)and up to 250,000 jobs if the country takes a “bold approach to commercialisation”, says the Carbon Trust. To achieve this, the UK would need a comprehensive package of technology focused support including investment of up to £600 million in R&D, removal of regulatory barriers and new incentive mechanisms to accelerate deployment of offshore wind power around our coasts. According to the Trust’s new study wind and wave generation alone could provide at least 15% of the total carbon savings required to meet our 2050 targets.
The United States today joined 130 other countries as members of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Ambassador Reno Harnish said: “The United States is extremely pleased to join IRENA. President Obama is committed to renewable energy to mitigate climate change, ensure energy security, create green jobs and lead a green recovery. Joining IRENA allows us to cooperate with 130 other nations to speed market adoption of renewable energy around the world.”
Hidden in the voluminous American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454) are cost-effective energy efficiency provisions that are the “golden keys” to addressing the nation’s most pressing economic and environmental concerns, the Alliance to Save Energy said today. The energy efficiency provisions are expected to save billions of dollars and create hundreds of thousands of jobs, greatly reducing any economic costs from other parts of the bill. According to the EPA, the energy efficiency provisions will save consumers 7 percent on their energy bills in 2020.
Despite Exxon Mobil Corp.'s well-publicized stance in support of fossil fuels, the oil giant said on Tuesday that it is sponsoring a program to bring a zero-emission electric vehicle to Baltimore. The car, called the Maya 300, is a partnership between the oil company and electric-vehicle maker Electrovaya. Exxon is providing parts for the Electrovaya's lithium-ion battery. The Maya 300 is slated to be available for sale in 2011, but visitors to the Maryland Science Center can test drive it for free, beginning on Tuesday, on a track inside the building. Full story here.
It’s official: Tesla Motors has won approval for $465 million in low-interest direct loans from the Department of Energy under the delayed Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program. Tesla, which now sells a $109,000 electric sports car, has just been awarded what the DOE calls “conditional loan commitments” to set up manufacturing in California. This represents a huge step for the startup on its at-times bumpy road to producing the long-planned electric sedan, the Model S, and accelerating its nascent battery pack supply business.
