1. Environmental Stewardship Office. The Environmental Stewardship Office at Columbia University looks to have everyone on the campus work together “to reduce our consumption of resources in the classrooms, offices, and residences, [to] begin to develop a culture of respect for the environment.” The office works to implement a number of practical programs that will reduce the environmental footprint of the university and promote a strong culture valuing the environment and protecting it. The office sets up a number of interdepartmental and interdisciplinary working groups as well as joint programs to achieve all sustainability goals.

2. Administration. In 2007, Columbia University joined with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC Challenge, making toe pledge to reduce the total carbon dioxide emissions coming from the university by a minimum of 30 percent by the year 2017. The university’s Environmental Stewardship Office has a full time and part time staff that is dedicated to this by creating a number of policy recommendations as well as principles of sustainability.

3. Climate Change and Energy. Columbia University recently created a new policy that will reduce cooling and heating consumption throughout all residential buildings and classroom buildings. The university is doing this with the help of a computerized building management system that they are currently launching. Known as the Cool Columbia campaign, energy audits are conducted throughout off-campus housing, providing information on energy-efficient appliances and how to get them at reduced prices. The campaign also encourages the residents to take a three step pledge in an effort to reduce overall energy consumption.

4. Food and Recycling. Columbia University has made the commitment to purchase a percentage of its food locally. Currently, this percentage is at 16 percent. There is an organic student co-op in one of the campus dining halls well campus-grown produce is sold. As well, all food venues service fair trade coffee. As well, twice a week the campus has a farmer’s market right on the campus for people. All to-go containers in the dining halls are biodegradable. There is also a reusable mug program that offers discounts on the price of coffee to all participants.

5. Green Building. Currently, Columbia University required at all new construction projects on campus meets the standards of LEED Silver Certification. Right now the campus has five registered LEED projects currently in work. In 2008, Columbia University launched the beginning of its very first green residential dormitory. This dormitory features items like an automated energy monitoring system, energy efficient windows, and energy efficient boilers.

6. Student Involvement. There are a number of sustainability-related opportunities that are directed toward the students. This includes internships at the Environmental Stewardship Office and a number of Eco-Reps programs. There is an Eco-Reps program at Columbia’s medical campus. There is also the Green Umbrella Program, which is collaboration between the various environmental student groups to provide a voice to environmental sustainability and get more students involved in making the university a sustainable one, such as offering information of what students are doing at home. In the student-led RecycleBank program, students earn various rewards, including free meals and university apparel, for recycling items on campus.

7. Transportation. The entire Columbia University campus is serviced by an inter-campus shuttle that makes stops near major subway stations and bus stations. Columbia University also provides employees to purchase mass transit tickets with their pretax dollars. The university has also set up numerous bike racks for students to bike to classes rather than taking other transportation options. Eventually, the university will also be adopting a brand new policy for telecommuting.

8. CUIT. The Columbia University Information Technology center has also made the commitment to reduce their carbon footprint by creating a new project that will make various energy efficiency improvements to Columbia University’s Morningside Heights Data Center. The project is being supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

9. Clean, Give + Go Green. During December, Columbia University has the Clean, Give + Go Green recycling and donation drive. Hosted by the Environmental Stewardship Office along with other departments in the university, the drive collected more than 5,000 pounds of clothes, as well as hundreds of pounds of canned goods, computer equipment, toiletries, and other items for nonprofit organizations and homeless shelters. The drive also provided the opportunity for people to shred paper and recycle it rather than just rip it up and throw it away. The goal was to aid in bringing sustainability awareness to Columbia’s campus. It occurred at the end of the semester, providing students with a place to donate items they did not need while moving out.

10. Energy Conservation Pilot Programs. Columbia University has created a number of innovative pilot programs to test the different ways to improve overall energy efficient across the campus using LEDs, microturbines, as well as “dashboards” web interfaces that track energy. For instance, LED lights were installed throughout locations within the School of International and Public Affairs because the LED lights last longer and use much less energy than the regularly used fluorescent light bulbs. In another example, the facilities at the School of Social Work use the dashboards in an effort to track the heat and electricity being used in the business on an hour-by-hour basis, allowing the school to see data required to create strategies that will reduce energy consumption.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com.

Because we are fans of what Tesla has accomplished so far, and what they will accomplish in the future, we are happy to share this video with our readers. Check it out. . .

Most of it is due to bad research and lack of investigative and unbiased journalism. And many writers with little or no background in energy or cleantech, sensationalize an issue by taking a report from some biased think tank and presenting it as an unbiased analysis. Here is one example from a website ironically called Reason.com.

What the writer is saying is that Germany is spending massive amounts of subsidies to get a very little amount of power. Now here's what he missed:

1) He is not comparing the subsidies for solar with the subsidies of fossil fuels. Does he know that Fossil Fuel Subsidies globally amount to $550 billion a year, which is many times more than that given to Solar, Wind and other forms of renewable energy? .Even a developed country like Norway gives 5 times more subsidies to fossil fuels than renewable energy

2) He says that 18 billion euros is the cost of solar energy over 20 years . He conveniently forgets/does not know the basic concept of time value of money.

3) He does not consider the costs on health, pollution, mining deaths and other social costs of fossil fuel-based electricity. He forgets to mention the BP Oil Spill and the Fukushima Disaster.

4) He says it is cheaper to do energy efficiency than solar energy, a fact that is already well known. But will energy efficiency alone solve our global warming problems. Nobody doubts the fact that energy efficiency is cheaper, but you need cleaner power generation as well.

Mainstream media is woefully inadequate at presenting the problems we are faced with, particularly when it comes to a topic as complex and vilified as climate change. Taking a report and presenting it without a balanced opinion just makes it worse.

Read more on Pros and Cons of Renewable Energy here

Check it out. . .

1 ) American University Office of Sustainability. American University houses their Office of Sustainability right on campus. As one of the greenest universities in the United States, it is only fitting that American University has an Office of Sustainability that aids in building a university campus whereby the students and faculty work together to clean up the campus and make it much more sustainable. The work done by the Office of Sustainability “celebrates the abundance of nature by building a campus community of leaders, who work to clean our air and water, cool our atmosphere, and produce fertile land and habitat.” Some of the areas the office focuses on include buildings, dining, energy, purchasing, recycling, water, and transportation.

2 ) Administration. The administration at American University has adopted a number of policies regarding different aspects of sustainability, including green cleaning, green building, zero-waste, and sustainable purchasing policies. The administration also makes certain that the university only purchases electronics and appliances that are Energy Star Certified. As well, the university only purchases EPEAT Gold Certified computers, and recycled paper towels and toilet paper. The administration also created a Clean Energy Revolving Fund to finance new sustainability projects.

3 ) Climate Change and Energy. American University looks to become the first carbon neutral campus in the United States by the year 2020. To get to this, the university has implemented a number of energy conserving technologies, including back pressure turbines, cogeneration, as well as placing energy management systems in a number of the buildings. Most of the energy utilized by the campus is generated via a rooftop solar array as well as a solar hot water system. In 2010, American University became the first university in the United States to purchase 100 percent energy credits in wind energy.

4 ) Food and Recycling. The Dining Services at American University spends over 25 percent of its annual food budget on local products. A majority of the produce used by the dining staff comes from the garden located right on campus. The dining halls only serve cage-free eggs, sustainably harvested seafood, as well as antibiotic-free and hormone-free milk. All dining halls are trayless and all food scraps are composted. Recently there was a 12 week food waste reduction campaign to cut food waste by ten percent. More than 65 percent of all waste on campus is recycled.

5 ) Green Building. All new constructions on the American University campus, as well as all major renovations, need to at least meet the LEED Silver Certification guidelines as set up by the United States Green Building Council. To date, 40 buildings are LEED registered in the LEED Volume Pilot program. The university has also installed weather-informed irrigation systems and low-flow faucets. There are a number of green roofs, vegetated swales, and porous pavement around campus that manage storm water.

6 ) Student Involvement. Students if they would like, can opt to live in the Sustainable Earth Hallways at American University. Just launched by the university is the Green Eagles eco-rep program. There is also the Eco-Sense student group that leads an eco-certification program for all university offices. Student groups have also launched campaigns against bottled water and started a farmer’s market on campus.

7 ) Transportation. American University has a ride-sharing website that provides discounts on rates as well as preferential parking spots for people who carpool to work. The university also provides students and employees with discounts on public transportation. As well, the university partners with a car-sharing program, and there is a student-run bicycle-lending program which is completely free.

8 ) Green Cleaning. American University realizes that conventional cleaning products may contribute to a number of health problems, including cancer and asthma, and are also very unsafe for the environment. By utilizing safer cleaning chemicals, the university can improve their indoor air quality and the environment at the same time. For this reason, American University has set up a green cleaning program whereby the maintenance staff only uses Green Seal Certified cleaning products that are nationally recognized for the benefits provided to individuals as well as the environment. The maintenance staff is also efficiently trained on how to handle chemicals properly and how to minimize areas where dirt can build up, thereby eliminating the constant need for chemical cleaners.

9 ) Green Office Program. The Office of Sustainability at American University recently launched the Green Office Program to assist the faculty and staff at the university “green up” their departments as well as their office spaces. The Green Office Program provides insight on how offices can mitigate the environmental impact in their department, such as using recycled paper products, double sided printing of documents, reducing margins to save paper, using scrap papers, or requesting vegetable-based or soy-based inks for print jobs as they reduce the amount of VOCs emitted during the printing process.

10 ) Earth Week. Every year, American University participates in Earth Week. Each day, a different topic regarding sustainability is focused on. There is a “passport of events” where students can find out what is going on. Topics focused on every year include energy and conservation, transportation, food and water, and different services. There are a variety of workshops, such as collecting trash to be recycled around campus and helping with the green roofs around campus. There is also tree planting events, visits to the solar panels, and a number of guest speakers on topics regarding sustainability.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com

Now I wonder how BP and Exxon came up with this data? (Insert sarcastic tone here)

Of course, I've also seen my fair share of questionably optimistic studies claiming that in 30 years, electric vehicles will make up 70 percent of the global market. I feel confident that both projections are extremely inaccurate.

The truth is, electric vehicles are likely to claim about 3 percent of the global market in about 10 to 12 years. And by 2042 (30 years from now), electric vehicles will probably represent about 15 percent of the global market.

Now I could be way off, too. But based on the first year sales of the Volt and the LEAF (which were quite impressive, despite what the media bullies and partisan slaves like to claim), the cost of oil production over the next 20 to 30 years, the projected decrease in battery costs, and just a more superior electric vehicle boasting 500-mile ranges and 10-minute quick charges, I find it difficult to believe that in 30 years at least 15 percent of the global vehicle market won't be electric.

In fact, I think 15 percent is actually quite conservative.

Let's face it: The internal combustion engine is an outdated technology. On a technological level, it simply cannot compete with what electric vehicles can offer. Now BP does expect the efficiency of combustion engines to double by 2030. And this would actually be a big deal if it wasn't going to happen around the same time the average range of an electric car will be 500 miles!

Nice try guys. But I think we'll just go ahead and continue to focus on progress.

Check it out. . .

Calling Tesla the “Apple of autos,” Pichel notes that Tesla's strategy is based on a combination of technology, performance, unconventional marketing and a “cool factor.”

Pichel also commented on Tesla's price advantage, writing. . .

Model S offers unique value proposition: We believe the right economic question for the Model S is not “what is the payback period,” but rather, “would you buy a Model S with similar price/performance to a BMW 5-series and the ability to use cheaper electric fuel?” Unlike other EVs or hybrids that require a significant upfront price premium, the Model S is priced comparably to other luxury sedans in its segment.

We also believe that Tesla's a serious contender and has upped the ante in vehicle design and development. In fact, it could be argued that Tesla is responsible for lighting a fire under the asses of the big automakers. After all, we didn't see much development with the big guys until Tesla proved that you can successfully build and sell a quality, high-end electric car.

Just take a look at these. . .

The Tesla Roadster

The Model S

And coming soon, the Model X, which is an SUV crossover that will be unveiled in less than two weeks.

The question is, is this delaying, or even putting off the electric vehicle?

I think these “breakthroughs” are just small improvements; some final efforts to try and maintain the old status quo. Yes, for the immediate future, improving fuel economy on conventional cars can do a lot of good, especially if you consider that electric vehicles are not within everyone's reach today.

Baby Steps

The improvements for the internal combustion engine are small steps that should really have been taken a long time ago.  But it is only now with the current awareness on fuel conservation, that engines have become more efficient.

Before there was no real, urgent need. So calling them breakthroughs is giving them a bit more credit than they deserve.

As well, I find the thought that the internal combustion will ‘win’ over the electric vehicle is amusing.  Given the potential benefits of the electric drive train, there really is no reason to continue our reliance on gasoline and diesel.  And let's face it: Ultimately, the only true ‘winner’ if you want to call it that should be the people who can enjoy a cleaner world and a car that's always full when you go to work in the morning.

Step One

For the immediate future, it is clear that the goal is simply better fuel economy.  And right now, conventional hybrids are the best solution for the masses. 

Sure, the electric vehicle can provide the goal of zero emissions and zero reliance on petroleum.  But given that many folks still don't have easy access to electric vehicles (due to cost and production volumes) we will likely have to wait a few more years before we see more electric vehicles on the road.  In the meantime, hybrids or vehicles with better fuel economy can provide a lot of consumers with an intermediate before the electric vehicle is ready to go on main stage.

Step Two

Once the electric vehicle market has matured a bit more, and these vehicles can provide a bit more range, and when the charging infrastructure is more widely adopted (and interoperability is a standard!), the big breakthrough of the electric vehicle will happen.

At that point it simply becomes a common sight in the streets, just like any other vehicle you see today.

This is going to happen.  And it's going to happen a lot faster than most people realize.

SolarWorld claims that China's subsidies violate global trade rules and provide Chinese manufacturers with an unfair advantage.

They're right in that China offers huge subsidies for its solar industry. But is it unfair?

Certainly if you can't pump out solar panels cheaper than a heavily-subsidized manufacturer in China, you're not going to be happy. And I can't say I blame you.

But before we start throwing stones at China, let's remind ourselves that for years, we did a very good job at hindering domestic solar development on our own. Thanks mostly to useless Washington bureaucrats and the special interests that have long controlled them.

As a result, China beat us to the punch. And they're doing it again with wind energy, too. While lawmakers debate over what amounts to pennies offered in the form of a production tax credit for wind, China's also now becoming the largest manufacturer of wind turbines.

I have to be honest. From where I sit, it looks like we consistently missed some opportunities here, and perhaps we need to look in the mirror before we start demanding unreasonable tariffs and start a very dangerous trade war that could actually hurt the domestic solar industry even more.

In fact, just today we learned that more than 50,000 U.S. jobs could be threatened by tariffs on Chinese solar-energy equipment that some American companies are now seeking.

This news was released in a report by the Brattle Group, which published its data in response to the original SolarWorld complaint.

According to the report, 100 percent tariffs would result in 50,000 lost jobs and $698 million to $2.6 billion in losses to consumers. Tariffs of 50 percent would cut as many as 43,000 jobs.

Jigar Shah, founder of Sun Edison responded to the report by saying. . .

“We cannot allow one company's anti-China crusade threaten the U.S. solar industry and tens of thousands of American jobs.”

Shah has been very outspoken on this issue, and earlier this year offered a pretty solid argument to the Managing Director of Cleantech Research at AURIGA Securities. Take a look:

"I write to you not from one trading desk, but representing the 1,000 or more rooftops where I have deployed solar.

I write to you representing more than 97 percent of the U.S. solar industry. These are the people who have not only visited factories where solar panels are manufactured, but who have actually worked in those factories, and many more who have worked assembling, installing, and maintaining solar systems.

At a trading desk, one is managing portfolios, trading prices of commodities like solar panels and more. You may even be concerned about the cost of silicon chips used in computing (but we are not complaining about the low cost of silicon chips manufactured outside the U.S. in this dialogue).

Every day, we, the actual people who work in the solar industry, are interested in growing the deployment of solar, particularly at a cost that creates grid parity, location by location. More importantly, we are interested in preserving and growing the 100,000 American jobs in the industry, which, according to the 2011 National Solar Jobs Census published by the Solar Foundation, grew 6.8 percent between 2010 and 2011 -- nearly ten times higher than the national average employment rate
of 0.7 percent.

Real jobs. Real people. Using real tools.

By the way -- on the theoretical stuff, many of your colleagues disagree with you and might provide you with a bit of insight and education. See below:

Photon Consulting: “Overall, trade restrictions between the U.S. and China will destroy value in the global PV sector. Equally important, imposition of artificially higher prices for solar consumers would undoubtedly slow the adoption of solar power in key markets such as the US.”

Jefferies: “The U.S. solar industry, already suffering from a lack of financing, will experience higher module prices and lower demand if countervailing duties are imposed as early as March 2012.”

Axiom: “There is simply more supply than there is demand," Johnson said. "It's very simple economics." And it's not the Chinese's fault, Johnson said: "You can't complain because a guy is beating you," Johnson said.

AEI Research: “Higher module prices are likely to lower the excess return, putting solar energy at risk of losing years of economic potential as a result.”

SEMI: “This case could lead to significant price increases that could have a significant deleterious impact on SEMI members, many of whom are upstream providers of high-value-added equipment and materials. It will also impact downstream service providers, such as installers, where a majority of solar industry jobs are concentrated."

I'm sure there are plenty of folks who will disagree with me on this. And that's fine. But I maintain that while we blame others for our own complacency and incompetence, others are capturing more and more market share of what is certainly to be one of the greatest investment and growth opportunities of the 21^st century.

This is simply unacceptable.

1) Carnegie Mellon University Office of Sustainability. The Carnegie Mellon Office of Sustainability, also known as the Green Practices Committee, is part of the strategic initiative to enhance the impact and the scope of education and research programs that are related to the environment. The objective of the Green Practices Committee is to “strive to develop university practices that improve environmental quality, decrease waste, and conserve natural resources and energy, thereby establishing Carnegie Mellon as a practical model for other universities and companies.” Through the increase of sustainability on campus, it is the hope of the university to enhance campus life as well as the infrastructure of the university.

2) Administration. At Carnegie Mellon University, the administration is working alongside the Green Practices Committee diligently to create a number of initiatives. The administration has also recently expanded the student-led eco-reps program and established a number of Green Teams throughout all the departments in an effort to encourage faculty and staff to reduce their total environmental impact. The university remains committed to increasing sustainable efforts for formal mission statements and a master plan for the campus.

3) Climate Change and Energy. Carnegie Mellon University has established a number of ways to reduce energy and thereby reduce carbon dioxide emissions. For instance, the university uses a series of digital controls for all HVAC systems throughout the buildings, and they have also installed lighting retrofits and steam line insulation in almost 100 percent of buildings. As well, all vending machines located in 80 percent of all buildings have sensors so they do not waste electricity when not in use. Approximately 75 percent of the power used at the university is purchased through wind power.

4) Food and Recycling. At Carnegie Mellon University, 32 percent of the Dining Service’s annual food budget is put toward the purchase of local products. 65 percent of all pre-consumer and post consumer food scraps are composted, and approximately 90 percent of all meals served in the dining facilities on campus are trayless. Two of the dormitories on the university have compost bins located outside. All printers on campus are set at default to print on both sides in order to reduce waste. All cardboard during the move in period is collected and then recycled. All unwanted items at the conclusion of the academic year are donated.

5) Green Building. The objective of Carnegie Mellon University is to have all new buildings constructed to meet the LEED Silver Certification standards as listed by the United States Green Building Council. Currently, there are ten LEED buildings throughout the campus, and there are two buildings that are expected to achieve LEED Platinum Certification. To reduce water use throughout the dormitories, all washing machines are energy and water efficient. 80 percent of all showerheads in all dormitories are low-flow, and approximately 50 percent of all buildings have water metering systems. There is also a student garden that is irrigated using rainwater.

6) Student Involvement. There are a number of groups on campus that work on various sustainability initiatives. For example, there are groups to get rid of bottled water from the university campus, create a garden on campus, organize a zero-waste luncheon, and develop a course for credit known as “Environment Today.” Those students that are interested in maintaining sustainability can opt to live in the Green Connections hallways or the Neville Co-op.

7) Transportation. The students, faculty, administration, and staff are given free passes to use the public transportation system in the area. They also get free shuttle services to all off-campus destinations from the university. All carpoolers receive decreased parking rates for on-campus parking rates and they get pre-validated parking tickets for the days when people need to bring in their own vehicles. Carnegie Mellon University also partners with a prominent car-sharing program.

8 ) Solar Panels on South Craig Street. Just recently, a solar panel roof installation was placed on South Craig Street at the university. It was done part of a $88,000 Energy Harvest grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The solar panels will feed directly into the power supply of the buildings as a large part of looking to reduce fossil fuels used by the Carnegie Mellon building. This building is right now home to the university’s SCS Interactive Systems Lab as well as the Institute for Software Research International.

9) Green Teams at Carnegie Mellon. The Green Teams at Carnegie Mellon is a volunteer group made up of students, faculty, administration and staff within a specific department of the university, so there are a number of green teams that all work together in helping the university become much more sustainable. Every team does an environmental sustainable assessment to locate all the areas in need of improvement, including indoor air quality, energy, waste management, lights, green purchasing, commuting, as well as general workplace practices.

10) Green Roofs. Carnegie Mellon University has a number of green roofs throughout the campus, including at Doherty Hall, Gates Center, Posner Center, Porter Hall, Mellon Institute, and Hamerschlag Hall. The green roofs on these buildings aid in reducing heating and cooling energy consumption, protecting the roof’s structural elements from ultraviolet rays, extending the overall lifespan of the roof, and lowering stormwater waste streams. The eventual goal is to have every roof of every building on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus become a green roof and add to the sustainability of the university.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com

Plan A:  We continue on our current course. We ignore the fact that our population will soon be growing from 7 billion to 10 billion, and that an ever-growing percentage of that population is joining the ranks of consumers. Our leaders know that we’re in the process of driving off a cliff; they may lack basic decency, but they’re long on intelligence, and they exploit voter ignorance of this core  truth as long as they possibly can.  During this time, they and the extraordinarily powerful forces that elected them desperately look for new ways of extracting fossil fuels, while obfuscating the effects on global climate, ocean acidification, social chaos, war, respiratory disease, etc.  The elite remain in power until the planet is in ruins.  

Plan B: We aggressively adopt what Jeremy Rifkin and others refer to as “The Third Industrial Revolution,” which contemplates continued economic growth by focusing on renewable energy and the many other components of sustainability. As Rifkin conceives this, there are “five pillars” at play here: shifting to renewable energy, developing buildings as power plants, deploying hydrogen and other storage technologies, using Internet technology, and transitioning the transport fleet to electric, plug-in and fuel cell vehicles. Not to give anything away, but this concept is embraced by several of the people I interviewed in my second book, due out shortly: “Is Renewable Really Doable?”

Plan C: Although we’d probably love to believe in Plan B, we just don’t see it as a pragmatic reality. We regard the phrase “sustainable growth” as an oxymoron, and find a way to cut back on energy consumption and deal with a period of negative growth, because this is our only choice. Btw, this too is addressed in my next book, and it’s the core belief of Bill McKibben and many other great minds.

My job is to pull this apart, to unravel the issues that underlie each of the three major plans.  And now may be a good time to thank you, reader, for being here, and offering your insightful comments as we work this through together.

Many of the industry stalwarts that had been around since the inception of the solar industry like Solon and Evergreen Solar bit the dust. Even the much hyped solar startup Solyndra is bankrupt while others like Miasole and Nanosolar could soon share the same fate.

Even now, big companies like LDK and Sunpower are only operational because of government or parent company largess. And the carnage would have been much greater if a free market operated in the global solar industry, while the fossil fuel industries maintained their generous subsidies. Instead the solar industry is a mish mash of free markets, government subsidies, feed in tariffs , irrational support, etc. This makes investing in the industry really challenging even though the industry has grown by an astounding 200% in the last 2 years in terms of volume, and prices have come down by around 70%.

While below is a list of all the solar stocks, most are dead investments as few solar companies will see 2013 given that the oversupply of polysilicon will stay here throughout the year and more companies get weeded out.

So what are the criteria for staying alive in 2012

• Government Support in Some Form – Most of the Tier 1 Chinese Solar Companies will fall into this bracket. However given that there are so many, you would have to look at the biggest like Suntech, LDK and Yingli for survival in any case. LDK, in my opinion, is a bankrupt company. The only reason it continues to produce solar panels is because of Chinese government support.
• Low Cost – Though it seems like an obvious idea, there are still companies existing which have high costs like Q-Cells and REC. You just can’t invest in them given that low cost is a necessary, though not solely a sufficient condition to survive
• Branding – Very necessary to get financing for solar projects as without a brand you are not bankable and will have to sell at a 10% discount in a market which is already selling at below cost
• Efficiency and R&D Dollars – If you sell a low efficiency multicrystalline solar panel, then you are toast given that the market is now only looking at higher efficiency stuff given that choice the buyers now have. You also need to spend sufficient R&D dollars to get ahead of the competition in reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Smaller solar companies are at a disadvantage here.
• Low Debt – Not necessary if you are LDK and have a Sugar Daddy like the Chinese Development Bank, but very important for every other solar company. Trina Solar shines in this respect, Suntech does not.

I have only given hints and conditions of which solar stocks to buy in 2012. For those who are saying this industry is not a good investment, they are wrong. Because a time will come when most of the weaker players are out and the winners will take all .

How is it grown?

How is your meat processed?

These aren't typically questions we think about while eating a spinach salad or biting into a burger. And sadly, that's what most industrial farming operations are counting on.

The fact is, our food system is one that is highly unsustainable. Through the rapid deterioration of our soil to the push to produce more meat at a cheaper cost, we are choking on our own progress.

Now there's an amazing movie called FRESH that highlights this very issue. But it also offers solutions that are actually being integrated right now. You see, this is not your typical, depressing documentary that focuses on the problem but offers no solution. In fact, I would argue that this movie offers those who care about sustainable agriculture, a sense of hope.

Normally, when I come across these types of documentaries, I include a trailer. But for the next few days, you can actually watch the entire movie for free right here.

I strongly urge you to check it out. It's truly inspiring.

1 ) Stanford University Office of Sustainability. The Stanford University Office of Sustainability is dedicated to reducing the university’s environmental impact, increasing sustainability and preserving resources. The vision of the Office of Sustainability is to establish a much healthier and happier environment that will offer a plethora of opportunities to future generations. There are a number of principles the office follows, including advancing knowledge about sustainability, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, fostering land stewardship, conserving water resources, creating environmentally friendly buildings, encouraging alternative and more environmentally friendlier modes of transportation, minimizing waste, and purchasing sustainability in regards to services, products, and food.

2 ) Administration. The administration at Stanford University remains committed to sustainability via a formal plan and policy created by the Office of Sustainability, which manages all the campus-based sustainability initiatives as well as cross-functional working groups and specialized teams. The administration supports and sponsors a number of sustainability initiatives through a variety of sources, including a revolving loan fund and a green fund.

3 ) Climate Change and Energy. The objective of Stanford University is to reduce total carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent from the 1999 levels by the year 2020. A number of energy efficient technologies have been installed throughout Stanford’s campus, including energy monitoring devices. There are also a number of products that encourage the community at Stanford University to conserve energy. Stanford University also generates some of its own electricity using solar hot water systems and photovoltaic solar installations.

4 ) Food and Recycling. Stanford University commits 30 percent of its annual food budget for all campus cafeterias to the purchasing of local products, including many organic products, such as fruits and vegetables. There are also a few campus gardens where Dining Services is able to get some of their product from. Some of the eggs that Stanford University buys are confinement free. The university also purchases sustainably produced seafood and meats, and fair trade sugar, chocolate, and coffee. Students and faculty, staff, and administration receive discounts on their meals and drinks if they use reusable bags and reusable mugs. All pre-consumer and post-consumer food scraps wind up being composted rather than being thrown out.

5 ) Green Building. All new buildings being erected on the campus at Stanford University needs to meet LEED Gold Certification standards as set up by the United States Green Building Council. At Stanford’s campus, the knight Management Center is looking to meet LEED Platinum Certification. A number of other buildings are already meeting Gold and Silver Certification statuses. Throughout the campus, a number of recycled water management systems as well as storm water management technologies have also been established to further increase the sustainability of buildings.

6 ) Student Involvement. Students who attend Stanford University are able to select sustainability themed residential dormitories. The Stanford University new student orientation provides information on a number of green efforts that are going on throughout campus. There are a number of student-led groups dedicated to sustainability. There are also two main competitions held every year throughout campus aimed at reducing energy, waste, and water usage.

7 ) Transportation. More than 50 percent of all faculty, staff, and administration commute to Stanford University through sustainable means of transportation. The university provides a number of sustainable transportation options, including preferential parking as well as monetary initiatives to all employees that choose to carpool to work. There is also a ride matching programs for those who want to take part in the carpooling efforts. Employees are also provided with free access to all public transportation options while students get high discounts for the use of public transportation. The university also provides free shuttles to locations throughout campus, a bike sharing program, as well as a car sharing program.

8 ) Students for a Sustainable Stanford. Students for a Sustainable Stanford was established in 2000 to encourage the building of green buildings throughout the campus and to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions at Stanford. It is one of the most well known environmentally focused student groups at Stanford University. There are a number of subgroups for this group that focus on different issues regarding sustainability, such as climate and energy, environmental justice, a water group, and Zero-Wasters, which focuses on resource awareness and looks to improve recycling and reusing throughout campus.

9 ) Green Living Council. The Stanford University Green Living Council looks to engage students across Stanford’s campus that increases a culture whereby sustainability is integrated into every single aspect of daily campus life, including energy efficiency and recycling. The Green Living Council looks to engage students and convince them to switch to more sustainable habits without having to sacrifice a lot of make any big, drastic changes to their lives.

10 ) Stanford Community Farm. The Stanford Community Farm is located along the western side of Stanford’s campus and takes up one acre. This acre includes a large fruit plot, a number of individual plots, and communally-managed student plots. All students are allowed to visit the farm, where food and flowers are grown organically. The farm also holds a number of community workshops throughout the year about organic gardening and how to do it.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com

Craig, I’m reading your book and really like the point made about gas being double dirty and double inefficient because of the refining process. I just think that the conversation then should also look at the double / extra cost and pollution that the batteries represent. Thoughts?

Here’s the way I would look at that:

1) Batteries are more closely analogous to the gas tank than they are to the gas itself. I.e, they’re the place in which the energy is stored, and they are only minutely consumed as the electro-chemical energy is converted to kinetic energy to power the vehicle, and then recharged from an external source.

2) Car batteries are the single most recycled item on the planet, and that will certainly continue to be the case with electric transportation. Even if that were to change suddenly, there are (by the quick calcs I just did) 2210 cubic miles of  lithium in the top 100 meters of the Earth’s crust, or about 10^13 pounds, sufficient to build lithium-ion batteries for hundreds of billions of electric vehicles.

3) Personally, I think zinc-air is on its way, and zinc is more than four times as abundant in the Earth’s crust as lithium.

4) Having said all this, to your point, there is most certainly an ecological impact of anything we do in terms of energy generation and transportation (other than walking/bicycling). Even energy efficiency normally comes at a cost in terms of insulation, installation equipment, etc.  As I often say: There is no free lunch. Yet, just as the trade-off in installing insulation in our buildings is a no-brainer, the overall “well-to-wheels” comparison between gasoline-powered vehicles and electric transportation is favorable to the latter, and will continue to improve as we bring on more renewables.  Here is the piece I normally recommend to those wishing to know more on the subject: Sherry Boschert’s “The Cleanest Cars: Well-to-Wheels Emissions Comparison.”

I suppose one could say that the only exception to the “no free lunch” rule is conservation.  We all need simply to use less energy. 

The Delorean became famous for its appearance in the Back to the Future movies, where it was used for time travel.

Before that, with the looks of a sportscar, it appealed to the masses as cutting edge technology.  Unfortunately, it was too heavy to handle like a sportscar. But the electric vehicle version now has twice the power of the original Delorean and a prototype is in the making to achieve a 0-100 km/h within 5 seconds.

Wonder if there will be more iconic cars from movies that are getting the EV upgrade they need.

Why would they do such a thing?

Because solar continues to be a booming business, and there's a lot of money to be made in the solar game.

Wells Fargo, just like Citigroup and U.S. Bancorp, which have both been very active in the clean energy space, has already invested $2.7 billion in more than 300 projects since 2006.

Enfinity is one of the world's largest solar development companies on the planet, with activities in North America, Europe and Asia. The company has developed some of the largest solar projects in the world, and it continues to expand its operations on a global scale.

Here's a quick history on Enfinity. . .

1 ) Incentives and Policies for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in New Mexico. The state government of New Mexico has created a number of great financial incentives for both homeowners and business owners that are looking to make the switch to renewable sources of energy and energy efficient products. These incentives include a number of corporate tax credits for items like sustainable building and renewable energy production, performance based incentives, personal tax credits, property tax incentives, sales tax incentives on items like biomass equipment and solar energy equipment, and utility rebate programs from leading energy providers like El Paso Electric Company, New Mexico Gas Company, and Xcel Energy.

2 ) New Mexico Wind Energy Center. The New Mexico Wind Energy Center was established in October of 2003 and looks to support New Mexico’s most ambition renewable energy project. Its wind center, located 170 miles from Albuquerque is suited for the windy landscape of the state. There are 136 turbines at 210 feet high. All together, it can create approximately 200 megawatts of energy, which is enough to power 94,000 average homes in the state. It was awarded the 2003 Utility Leadership Award because of its dedication to renewable energy and its advancements in wind energy.

3 ) Green Grid Initiative Gets Momentum. In 2009, New Mexico started to set in motion a brand new plan that will aid in creating the first fully integrated smart green grid in the United States. Along with state utilities, the government officials are working with national labs, energy businesses, and research universities to have the green grid modernized by the year 2014. The objective is “To create an Internet-enabled grid to allow utilities to continuously monitor energy supply and demand in real time. Automated controls would remotely shut things on and off across the network to conserve energy and better balance generation and consumption. Consumers also would receive real-time data on energy prices to decide when they want to use appliances or adjust thermostats.” With this project, New Mexico experts to reduce total consumer electricity use by six percent, reduce the local need for peak power generation by 25 percent by the year 2025, create over 850 permanent jobs, and increase private and public revenue by $11.5 billion by 2020.

4 ) University of New Mexico Living Green Program. At the University of New Mexico, the Resident Life and Student Housing association created the Living Green program. This is part of the university’s larger sustainable movement. The Living Green program provides students in dormitories with ways to conserve energy on a regular basis. These ideas include turning off all electronics when not in use, conserving HVAC systems by closing windows when system is in use, recycling at all times possible by placing recyclables in the right receptacle in the dormitory building, and cutting back on all waste, such as getting smaller servings in the cafeterias.

5 ) Geothermal Project Heading in Right Direction. In 2010, Raser Technologies, an energy technology company obtained over $15 million in financing for a New Mexico Lightning Dock project from Evergreen Clean Energy and FE Clean Energy Group. When this project is completed it will provide the state is 15 megawatts of clean geothermal power. This announcement demonstrated that there is still investor interest to create clean energy sources.

6 ) Energy Conservation and Management Division. The Energy Conservation and Management Division is part of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department. This division aids in the development and implementation of successful clean energy programs, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean fuels, conservation, as well as efficient transportation. The goal is the promotion of economic and environmental sustainability for all the citizens of new Mexico.

7 ) New Mexico Solar Energy Association. The New Mexico Solar Energy Association is a nonprofit organization that is committed to the continual promotion of solar energy and other sustainable practices. It was established in 1972 to find ideas and methods to use renewable energy and determine how smaller villages could become sustainable. The mission of the New Mexico Solar Energy Association is to “Promote clean, renewable energy and sustainability in New Mexico through education, empowerment, collaboration, and advocacy.” The association holds the Solar Fiesta every year, a two day educational event that provides information about all forms of renewable energy to everyone in New Mexico.

8 ) New Mexico Biofuels Information Center. The New Mexico Biofuels Information Center is a nonprofit organization established in 1998 to promote the utilization of utility-scale renewable energy for the generation of electricity as well as to further the utilization of renewable fuels for transportation. The center is a member of the New Mexico Sustainable Energy Collaborative. The New Mexico Biofuels Information Center works with petroleum retailers to create partnerships that are mutually beneficial. One of the pilot programs the center is looking to take on is a school bus biodiesel program. It would provide a 1,000 gallon biodiesel tank (above ground) that would be installed at the school bus refueling yard.

9 ) New Mexico Renewable Energy Conference. Every year, the New Mexico Renewable Energy Conference is held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The objective of this conference is to locate more efficient and affordable ways to “mesh large scale solar and wind farms and smaller distributed generation systems that include the sea of solar panels popping up on residential rooftops around the world into grids that are dependent on consistent sources of power.” Also as a topic of discussion at the conference is how policy makers are able to develop regulatory roadmaps that would encourage the creation of additional sources of renewable energy.

10 ) Largest Solar Photovoltaic Project Completed. In August of 2010, the largest solar photovoltaic array in New Mexico was completed. This 1.1 megawatt project was installed in the city of Albuquerque at the headquarters of Bell Group. The solar photovoltaic array spreads over five acres and generates enough electricity to meet approximately 80 percent of the energy needs for Bell Group. It will avoid the creation of an estimated 1,125 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. As an added bonus, it also provides shaded parking areas for visitor and employee vehicles.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com

If you're a regular reader of these pages, this video probably won't tell you anything you don't already know. However, it's a pretty decent first attempt at disseminating some very important information about the electrification of our personal transportation.

Check it out. . .

There's still quite a bit of misinformation out there about electric cars. Hopefully, these types of educational videos will enlighten a very misinformed public.