Event Spotlight: The Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference To Provide Real Solutions to Industry and Regional Governments

Event Spotlight: The Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference To Provide Real Solutions to Industry and Regional Governments

The Blue Green Alliance is sponsoring the 2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference, which will be held May 4-6 in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Hilton. The event focuses on transforming ideas into action and revitalizing the nation by building a green economy that creates good jobs, reduces global warming and preserves America’s economic and environmental security.

Are America’s Fears of a Greentech Race with China Unfounded?

Are America’s Fears of a Greentech Race with China Unfounded?

There has been growing talk about a clean-tech race between China and the U.S., often cast in ominous tones. But the quest to develop and implement renewable energy can be one where both nations win.

DOE Promoting Energy Efficiency in the Information Economy

DOE Promoting Energy Efficiency in the Information Economy

The Department of Energy is awarding $47 million to support the development of new technologies and knowhow aimed at improving energy efficiency in the information technology (IT) and communication technology sectors. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that 14 projects across the country will share in this award. Information technology and telecommunications are vital and rapidly growing sectors of our overall economy and will become even more central as the smart grid is deployed. As our country increasingly comes to rely on an information economy in sector after sector the underlying physical infrastructure that supports it, such as the data centers, networks, routers and so forth, is expected to continue to rapidly grow.

Commerce Department to Speed Review of Green Technology Patents

Commerce Department to Speed Review of Green Technology Patents

The U.S. Commerce Department announced on Monday that its U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will pilot a year-long program to accelerate the examination of certain “green” technology patent applications by as much as one year. The new initiative is designed to speed the development and deployment of green technology, create green jobs, and promote U.S. competitiveness. In particular, the program focuses on patents for renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, plus other environmental technologies.

Clemson University, SC to get $98M for Wind Turbine Test Site

Clemens University, SC has been awarded $98M to test new and very large wind turbine drive trains. The newly announced facility could eventually lead to thousands of new green jobs for the state and help establish South Carolina as a hub for offshore wind turbine manufacturing & servicing.

DOE to Invest $18 Million in Small Business Clean Energy Innovation Projects

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced more than $18 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support small business innovation research, development, and deployment of clean energy technologies. In this first phase of funding, 125 grants of up to $150,000 each will be awarded to 107 small advanced technology firms across the United States.

Geothermal Energy Gets Big Boost from Government

Steven Chu, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary has announced up to $338 million in Recovery Act funding for the exploration and development of new geothermal fields as well as for research into advanced geothermal technologies. The newly announced grants will be awarded to 123 projects in 39 states and will be matched more than one-for-one with an additional $353 million in private and non-Federal cost-share funds, for a total grant pool of $691 million. This is a pretty big number and represents a major investment in a promising and yet often overlooked renewable energy resource. Recipients of the new grant funding include private industry, academic institutions, tribal entities, local governments, and DOE’s National Laboratories.

Retrofitting Our Way Back to Economic Recovery

This country’s 130 million homes together generate more than 20% of the nation’s carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions. This is one of the most significant contributing sources in the country to global warming. Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce home energy use by up to 40 percent per home on average which would also lower our national greenhouse gas emissions by 160 million metric tons annually by the year 2020. In addition doing so would reduce home energy bills by $21 billion a year and over time these savings would more than pay for the high up-front costs for energy efficiency retrofitting.

$750M in New Funding for Renewable Energy Projects from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced in Washington that the Department of Energy (DOE) will provide up to $750 million in new funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help accelerate the development of renewable energy generation projects. This funding will be targeted to cover the cost of loan guarantees for renewable energy projects and could support as much as $4 to 8 billion in lending to eligible projects, and the Department will invite private sector participation to accelerate the financing of these renewable energy projects.