Grid Parity Blog - Green Chip Review

India Solar Power Plan

As of Thursday, November 19, India has an official plan for building an extensive solar power network throughout one of the world's top developing countries.

With $19 billion in planned spending, the cabinet is directing the national political and corporate leadership to put more than a gigawatt of installed capacity in place by 2012. The pace of the rollout will have to pick up quickly, since the government is targeting 20 GW of solar generating capacity by 2022.

The plan will go into effect over three phases, using power purchase agreements (PPA) to stabilize demand while driving local production prices down. India's goal, as with China's own solar energy plan, is to develop top-to-bottom solutions for domestic industrial expansion. Quite simply, these emerging markets have their sights set on energy independence and international prominence in clean energy.

You can read about some of the international solar power stocks that will benefit from a broad-based global solar rollout, right here:

Solar Energy Stocks

-Sam Hopkins

China Wind Turbines

A few weeks ago, I told you that the Chinese had marched into the Lone Star State with $1.5 billion for a 600+ megawatt wind farm.

Then, a few days later, I told you that Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) wanted the Obama administration to reject an expected request for stimulus funding for this particular wind project because it could end up generating Chinese jobs - not U.S. jobs. According to the Senator, if approved, the funds would be used to buy turbines and other components made in a Chinese plant.

Well, yesterday we found out that the turbine manufacturer for this project, A-Power Energy Systems, is now going to build a turbine production facility in the U.S.

Expected to employ about 1,000 U.S. workers, the new plant will produce more than 1,000 megawatts per year.

I realize there will still be some folks upset over the fact that a U.S. turbine manufacturer is not being used for this project. But if the Chinese are willing to come here and do something we could've started doing years ago - so be it.

That being said, it should also be noted that according to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, companies that have supplied turbines to funded farms had U.S. plants and the farms are in the U.S. - thereby creating local installation jobs and tax revenue. He also cited an industry statistic that indicated 53% of the value of turbine parts installed under the stimulus program were American-made.

Jeff

Suntech Solar Arizona

So it looks like Arizona has been chosen as the location for Suntech's first U.S. manufacturing plant.

Located in Phoenix, initial production capacity will come in at 30 megawatts. Production is expected to start in Q3, 2010.

This particular plant is expected to employ 75 full-time workers.

Also in solar, industry research firm iSupply updated its forecast on the oversupply of solar panels, stating that the glut could be resolved next year. Initially iSupply forecast the oversupply to last throughout 2010.

Of course, based on strong demand in Germany, and new subsidy-driven demand in the U.S. and China, we're not surprised. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at the subsidies in the U.S. and China and realize that any solar glut will be short-lived.

And finally, the Spanish government announced on Friday that it plans to bring 8.8 gigawatts of renewable energy generating capacity online by 2012. 5.3 gigawatts will come from wind, and 1.5 gigawatts will come from solar.

Jeff

First Wind Utah

On Tuesday, the small town of Milford, Utah played host to a renewable energy watershed event of national importance.

First Wind, based in Boston, has finished building Utah's largest wind energy array near Milford.

From Massachusetts to rural Utah to Southern California, the Milford Wind Corridor buildout will advance the interests of First Wind, other connected companies like Wisconsin's engineering and construction firm RMT, and important local governments with ambitious clean energy targets.

The 203.5 MW wind farm led to $86 million in total spending and created hundreds of jobs during its first phases, and ongoing maintenance & operations will provide employment and energy security to the Milford area and the wind farm's customers.

As it happens, Utah's biggest city—Salt Lake City—is not the primary city-level consumer base that First Wind has lined up to tap its new western capacity.

The 97 turbines at Milford will generate power for the Southern California Public Power Authority under a 20-year purchasing power agreement (PPA) that guarantees energy to the SoCal grid and revenue to First Wind.

The city utilities of Pasadena and Burbank are also directly involved in the Milford project, and all parties involved are proving that top wind energy companies can be connected to hungry power markets and can be financed amply—Royal Bank of Scotland arranged $376 million in project financing for First Wind and its partners.

We'll keep you up to date with this important step in making the cities of the Southwest cleaner and less prone to power outages.

-Sam Hopkins

IEA Climate Change

For those who oppose any kind of meaningful action on global climate change, consider the latest findings on the cost of inaction.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world will have to spend an extra $500 billion to cut carbon emissions for each year it delays implementing serious action on global warming. This would be on top of the $10.5 trillion investment needed from 2010 to 2030 to boost renewable energy development and improve energy efficiency.

Of that $10.5 trillion, the IEA states that about 45 percent, or $4.7 trillion in investment will be in transportation. Just one more reason we continue to remain so bullish on the electrification of our transportation infrastructure, mass transit and high speed rail.

The IEA report also pointed out that to continue current trends of energy demand and burning fossil fuels would lead almost certainly to massive climate change and irreparable damage to the planet.

Of course, if the international community does take significant and decisive action on climate change, the IEA scenario shows that - in regards to transportation - by 2030, conventional internal combustion engines will represent only about 40 percent of vehicle sales, with hybrids taking up 30 percent, and the rest being taken up by plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.

We remain bullish on the premise that the international community does move forward - despite heavy lobbying that seeks to deter or at least slow progress on climate change legislation. There's too much at stake - politically, environmentally and economically - to assume otherwise.

Jeff

Sanyo Solar

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has issued its quarterly staff report on California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).

According to the report, more renewable energy generation came online in 2008 than in the entire 2003-2007 time period. And forecasts show that new installed capacity in 2009 will almost match the amount that came online in 2008.

And Sanyo announced yesterday that it's planning to increase investment in its battery and solar business. This news comes as the company moves closer to being acquired by Panasonic.

With the completion of this expected takeover, Panasonic could become a major player in hybrid car batteries and solar power.

Meanwhile, now that Sanyo is making more of its own silicon and initiating other strategic moves, the company could be able to cut the cost of its solar panels by as much as 33 percent by the end of next year.

Jeff

Wind Energy Stimulus

Earlier this week I told you that China marched into the Lone Star State with $1.5 billion for a 600+ megawatt wind farm. The project is actually a joint venture with Cielo Wind Power, U.S. Renewable Energy Group, and Shenyang Power Group. When completed, it will supply enough power for about 180,000 homes.

Well, now it looks like Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), wants the Obama administration to reject an expected request for stimulus funding for this particular wind project because it could end up generating Chinese jobs - not U.S. jobs. According to the Senator, if approved, the funds would be used to buy turbines and other components made in a Chinese plant.

Certainly I agree that stimulus money should be provided for projects that create domestic jobs (especially in the manufacturing sector). But it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

I suspect that part of the whole deal hinged on Chinese manufacturer, A-Power Generation Systems providing the turbines. And I can't imagine the Chinese will set up manufacturing facilities in the U.S. just for this one project.

It's actually quite frustrating when you think about it. After all, we have fantastic wind resources in Texas, yet at this point, the only folks willing to pony up the cash to develop this particular project are in China.

Don't get me wrong. If China wants to invest in these projects (and make huge profits) because we can't seem to get it done - so be it. Because the bottom line is that we need to build out our renewable energy mix and strengthen our electric infrastructure now. Not tomorrow. And if China's willing to step in because we won't - well, that's on us.

And don't kid yourself. China already has a huge stake in all of this anyway. Whether through turbines, solar panels and batteries or the rare earth elements that are necessary to build these things - China's influence on OUR energy economy is real...and it's massive.

Of course, it's no secret that the opportunity for renewable energy development in the U.S. is huge. And if a Chinese company wants to invest in a Texas wind farm or set up shop here in the United States, and use domestic workers to manufacture this stuff - I'm all for it. Certainly that's what companies like Vestas, Gamesa and Siemens have done.

But with unemployment likely to remain at unacceptable levels for years to come, we can't afford to lose out on a single job.

That being said, if we don't get our act together soon and start getting aggressive on providing the necessary funding and manufacturing for our own renewable energy development - rest assured, someone else will. With or without stimulus funds.

Jeff

Climate Change Debate

Well, I can't say I'm surprised.

Climate Change legislation on the Hill has proven to be exactly what we should have expected all along - a partisan bickering match comparable to playground scuffles I recall from my elementary school days.

On cue, the Republicans moved to boycott this week's work session on a climate change bill, stating that they want more time to study the EPA's economic analysis. Interestingly enough, these folks had nothing to say when the Bush Administration used the EPA as a pawn in the game of delaying serious climate change debate. But you know how it is - it's all politics.

Certainly we saw much of this kind of behavior from the Democrats during the Bush years. It's really not much different.

That being said, the request for more time to review the EPA's economic analysis is nothing more than a stall tactic. There has been plenty of time for everyone to review the EPA's findings. They're just not happy with the results because the results further erode the argument that climate change initiatives will put us in the poor house. It's not true, and anyone who wants to be honest about this, knows it's not true.

Of course, I won't lie. This whole cap and trade concept plays out as a very complex system that seeks to achieve a goal which can be achieved without it.

The best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to go full force on renewable energy and transportation alternatives (like electric vehicles and rail), cut all subsidies for the petroleum industry (don't think for a second that what you're paying at the pump is the appropriate price for that gasoline) and figure in ALL environmental costs in any type of power production. Some folks want to roll their eyes at that one. So come talk to me after the last bit of remaining fresh water we have has been polluted by tar sands operations and mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Listen: We can sit here all day and debate energy costs. But when the air's toxic and the water is no longer safe to drink - debate on energy costs will be irrelevant. Just ask the Chinese. Not only are they pouring billions into renewable energy development, but they're also funding new renewable energy operations here in the U.S.

And what are we doing? Oh, we're playing partisan games, telling folks that requiring utilities to cut their carbon emissions will hurt the economy.

No my friends. What hurts the economy is our continued reliance on oil, the never-ending environmental costs involved with our reliance on coal-fired power, and the continued utilization of a crumbling infrastructure.

And let's not back away from the real issue here. Any costs related to any kind of pollution stemming from power production should be considered operational costs anyway. If you make a mess, you clean it up. If it ends up costing the consumer more. . .well guess what - that's the price of power.

We've become dangerously accustomed to insanely cheap power because for far too long these costs have been externalized. But they still exist. They didn't just disappear because some politician handed off the problem to someone else. And maybe it's about time we pay the REAL cost for power production, anyway. After all, this would certainly encourage alternatives. And in the long run, we'll all be better off economically.

Think about it: The costs of producing and burning fossil fuels will only continue to go up. But the costs for renewable energy will continue to fall for decades.

It's about investing in the future, folks. It's about not being OK with complacency and handing off this burden to future generations.

Enough with partisan dust storms. Enough with misinformation campaigns and political prejudices. Enough with denials.

The future is going to be powered by renewables. Conventional fossil fuels are extreme environmental and economic strains. And anyone who's willing to look at this honestly - without the influence of political motives - knows this is true.

So the choice is ours. Continue walking down the path of complacency while the rest of the world embraces progress, or take a stand for future economic and environmental prosperity. But make no mistake, if we miss this opportunity, we're dead in the water in twenty years. A second-rate nation with a great history of accomplishments, but one major, game-changing regret.

Jeff

China Wind Power

United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said on Thursday that China is moving to allow more parts from foreign manufacturers to be included in the Middle Kingdom's domestic wind power projects.

As it stands, Beijing requires that 70% of the components in wind energy turbines erected around China be produced by factories within the country.

Locke couldn't say exactly when the rule would change, but after the 20th U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, America's top industrial diplomat did indicate that a policy shift is on the way.

That will be a boon to American wind energy component producers like American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC), whose stock rose by over 10% in the week from October 26, compared to a 3% decline for the S&P 500.

China's loosening of domestic manufacturing requirements for wind power is also part of a bi-national wind power exchange that involves companies of all sizes.

In Texas, a consortium just announced a $1.5 billion Sino-American joint venture between Shenyang Power Group, Cielo Wind Power, and the U.S. Renewable Energy Group, a private equity fund. That collaborative effort will bring turbines from China to the Lone Star State via Chinese turbine maker A-Power Energy (NASDAQ:APWR).

Look for more news soon on the growing exchange in U.S. and Chinese wind power infrastructure expansion and the wind power stocks that could profit.

-Sam Hopkins

What are Global Acres?

Global acres —acres that have been adjusted according to world average biomass productivity to be compared across regions— are used to generate our ecological footprint on the planet. The're determined and compared after computing our ecological footprint in relation to the world's biocapacity. Each global acre corresponds to one acre of biologically productive space with world average productivity.

To determine the world's biocapacity, the amount of water, food, fiber, timer, and carbon sequestration provided by the Earth in a single year is measured and converted to a land area in global acres. To determine our ecological footprint, how much water, food, fiber, and timber we consume plus how much carbon we emit is measured and compared to the first number. These results are then converted to a land area in global acres. When the two are compared, our ecological footprint emerges.

According to the most recent 2009 estimates, our total world ecological footprint is 40% higher than the world's biocapacity. This is not an encouraging statistic.

Unfortunately, this number means we are consuming resources faster than they are being regenerated, and are now depleting the earth's natural capital. If we continue at this pace, we will eventually destroy the only assets we have without the option of regeneration. Well known examples of this destruction include the disappearing forests, falling water tables, and eroding soils. A key factor in the disappearance of many things is climate change, also affected by our ecological footprint.

We've all been paying attention to the warnings associated with the depletion of our resources, yet the statistics of consumption, particularly in America, continue to skyrocket. WWF's Living Planet Report puts the United States as the world's worst culprit per-capita after the United Arab Emirates. To put it into a greater perspective, North America's ecological footprint is the largest of any continent in the world, almost doubling the ecological footprint of Europe.

However, while the United States has been a major contributor to this rising issue, we have also taken many initiatives to develop innovative technology hoping to reverse this trend. Yet the battle has just begun.

The best way to reduce our ecological footprint is to improve the efficiency with which goods and services are provided, reduce per capita consumption of goods and services, and increase overall biocapacity by conserving and restoring ecosystems before all of our resources are permanently destroyed.

Until next time,

—Emily

Solar Rights

Yesterday afternoon at the Solar Power International Conference, Solar Energy Industries Association CEO Rhone Resch, announced a Solar Bill of Rights. I thought it was exceptional, so I decided to pass it along to you today.

Here's what Resch delivered. . .

"We declare these rights not on behalf of our companies, but on behalf of our customers and our country. We seek no more than the freedom to compete on equal terms and no more than the liberty for consumers to choose the energy source they think best."

1. Americans have the right to put solar on their homes or businesses Restrictive covenants, onerous connection rules, and excessive permitting and inspections fees prevent many American homes and businesses from going solar.

2. Americans have the right to connect their solar energy system to the grid with uniform national standards. This should be as simple as connecting a telephone or appliance. No matter where they live, consumers should expect a single standard for connecting their system to the electric grid.

3. Americans have the right to Net Meter and be compensated at the very least with full retail electricity rates. When customers generate excess solar power utilities should pay them consumer at least the retail value of that power.

4. The solar industry has the right to a fair competitive environment. The highly profitable fossil fuel industries have received tens of billions of dollars for decades. The solar energy expects a fair playing field, especially since the American public overwhelmingly supports the development and use of solar.

5. The solar industry has the right to equal access to public lands. America has the best solar resources in the world, yet solar companies have zero access to public lands compared to the 45 million acres used by oil and natural gas companies.

6. The solar industry has the right to interconnect and build new transmission lines. When America updates its electric grid, it must connect the vast solar resources in the Southwest to population centers across the nation.

7. Americans have the right to buy solar electricity from their utility. Consumers have no choice to buy clean, reliable solar energy from their utilities instead of the dirty fossil fuels of the past.

8. Americans have the right, and should expect, the highest ethical treatment from the solar industry. Consumers should expect the solar energy industry to minimize its environmental impact, provide systems that work better than advertised, and communicate incentives clearly and accurately.

This is great stuff!!!

Jeff

Smart Grid Development

So it looks like the government is going to pony up $3.4 billion in grants for smart grid development.

In an effort to help consumers save money on electric bills, reduce blackouts and move a wealth of new wind and solar, these grants will go to 100 companies, utilities, manufacturers, cities and various other partners in 49 states.

The winning companies have also secured another $4.7 billion in private investment, bringing the total to $8.1 billion in total smart grid investments.

And in wind news, SeaEnergy announced today that it's looking to build offshore wind farms in Taiwan with energy project developer, Taiwan Generations Corporation.

The two companies will start with an offshore wind farm on the west coast of Taiwan, which will have a capacity of up to 600 megawatts.

Taiwan currently has a renewable energy target of 15 percent by 2025.

Jeff

Bulgaria Wind Energy

N-Vision Energy has announced it will invest up to $210.5 million to build a 100 MW wind farm in Bulgaria.

The wind farm, which will be the second largest in Bulgaria (the largest is a 156 MW farm on the northern Black Sea coast), is going to be built about 42 miles south of Sofia. Operations are expected to begin in 2011.

And in solar news, the ENN Group has signed an agreement with Duke Energy to register a joint venture with the goal of becoming a PV systems provider in the U.S. The JV will focus on utility-scale solar farms and commercial distributed generation projects.

ENN operates China's first silicon thin-film photovoltaic module production line. The company's capacity has reached 70 megawatts, although expansion plans are expected to take capacity to 500 megawatts over the next two years.

Jeff

Global Warming Research

Greenwire reporter Ben Geman reports on a recent Pew Research Center survey that shows fewer Americans believe there is "solid evidence" of global warming (despite the increasing solid evidence) and that if global warming does exist, human activity plays little or no part in it.

While the issue is largely divided along partisan lines, all political persuasions have "cooled" on the idea that climate change is a serious problem.

The survey results coincide with a government report released today by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) urging the White House to prepare for the consequences of global warming. The report says that federal, state, and local governments should"develop a national strategic plan that will guide the nation's efforts to adapt to a changing climate."

Earlier this year, the U.S. Global Change Research Program issued a report outlining impacts of climate change already underway and those unavoidable due to global warming already "built into the system."

In July military experts and policy wonks testified before Congress about "grave national security threat" posed by climate change.

And yet Americans are becoming increasingly lackadaisical about it? Plunging our collective head into the sand won't make it go away.

Novera Wind Energy

Novera Energy (LON:NVE)announced today that Lloyds and BNP Paribas will pony up a 15-year project debt facility for up to $59.5 million so Novera can begin construction of the Glenkerie wind farm in Scotland.

When completed, the wind farm will boast 11 wind turbines with a capacity of up to 27 megawatts - or enough to power roughly 15,000 homes. The wind farm is expected to become operational in 2011.

And MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE:WFR) announced yesterday that it will be acquiring SunEdison for $200 million.

SunEdison develops, finances and operates solar plants all over the world. It's actually the largest solar energy services provider in North America with more than 72 megawatts of photovoltaic solar power plants currently under management. The company also has more than 6 megawatts in Europe.

Under the terms of the agreement, security holders of SunEdison will be paid 70 percent in cash and 30 percent in MEMC stock.

Jeff

Suntech Solar Reliathon

In an effort to expand into the U.S. utility-scale solar market, Suntech Power (NYSE:STP) is launching a new product called Reliathon, which integrates 270-watt solar panels with inverters and other components that can be used for large-scale solar arrays.

According to the company, by using Reliathon, the overall savings for installing a system of at least 10 megawatts could come in at around 10 percent. When you're talking about million-dollar projects, this is a pretty big deal.

Suntech says it plans to start shipping Reliathon in Q2, 2010.

Also in solar news, Mexican restaurant Chipotle (NYSE:CMG) has announced that it is partnering with Standard Renewable Energy to install solar panels on about 75 of its restaurants over the next year. Once completed, the project will make Chipotle the largest direct producer of solar energy in the restaurant industry.

Here's what CEO Steve Ells had to say...

"Our effort to change the way people think about and eat fast food began with our commitment to serving food made with ingredients from more sustainable sources, and that same kind of thinking now influences all areas of our business. Today we're following a similar path in the way we design and build restaurants, looking for more environmentally friendly building materials and systems that make our restaurants more efficient."

Beyond this recent announcement, Chipotle was already the first restaurant to receive LEED Platinum certification - which is the highest level of "green" certification by the U.S. Green Building Council - for its Gurnee, Ill location. And all of Chipotle's new restaurants do include some environmentally friendly materials, including low VOC paints, recycled drywall and stainless steel, and low-E window glass that helps reduce heating and cooling needs.

Chipotle's been a leader in the pursuit of more sustainable building options as an extension of its philosophy which is called "Food with Integrity." The idea being that the company seeks ingredients from more sustainable sources. This has led to Chipotle being the leader in providing more naturally raised meat (from animals raised in a humane way, never given antibiotics or added hormones, and fed a pure vegetarian diet) than any other restaurant company. The company also serves organic and locally-grown produce, and cheese and sour cream made with milk from cows that are never given the synthetic hormone rBGH.

Jeff

Honda Electric Cars

Despite being one of the strongest advocates for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, Honda is now considering launching electric cars in Europe, Japan and the United States.

According to reports, slow progress in setting up hydrogen fueling stations could limit the sale of the company's fuel-cell vehicles. This is something we've been saying for years. While fuel-cell vehicles do offer the promise of zero or very low emissions, the infrastructure issue continues to make it unrealistic on an economic and logistical basis. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, already have the necessary infrastructure in place. And according to a report issued by the DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, off-peak electricity production and transmission capacity could fuel 84 percent of the country's 220 million vehicles if they were plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Of course, as we continue to move forward with the electrification of our personal transportation, battery advancements will also be necessary. But we're seeing that already. In fact, just a few weeks ago, researchers at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology developed the first Nickel-Lithium battery that can hold more than 3.5 times the energy of a normal Lithium-Ion battery.

When you're talking about an all-electric range of anywhere between 40 and 200 miles - that's a pretty big deal. Especially at the upper end, where this kind of technology can actually bring the all-electric range to a typical range for a gas-powered vehicle today.

Point is - and as we've been saying for years - electric vehicles really do represent the next logical evolution in vehicle development. And as you probably know by now, the major automakers are proving it - as nearly every one of them now has an electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in development.

Jeff

Siemens Wind Turbines

Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) announced today that it has been awarded six new wind turbine orders in North America, totaling more than 565 megawatts.

About 25 percent of the 250 turbines are headed to Ontario, with the rest destined for California, Oklahoma, Washington State and Wyoming. Combined, these wind farms will have the potential to provide enough power for 170,000 North American homes.

Valued at around $888 million, these orders further solidify Siemens' position as a leading turbine supplier.

In an effort to meet the increasing demand for wind power in North America, Siemens actually broke ground in Hutchinson, KS last month for its new wind turbine assembly facility. Once operational, the new facility is expected to employ about 400 green-collar workers.

Jeff

Clean Energy and the Dollar

The greenback has been in freefall over the past several months, as low interest rates and rumors of international reserve fund diversification drew confidence away from the U.S. currency. We see the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish ETF (NYSE:UUP) sagging steadily towards a 10% 3-month decline in the chart below.

Oil, which is traded in US dollars, has wobbled in the meantime, as reflected by the United States Oil Fund ETF (NYSE:USO).

What's especially interesting in this index race right now is the neck-and-neck coupling of the PowerShares Wilder Hill Clean Energy ETF (NYSE:PBW) with the broad S&P 500.

The S&P has roared upward on economic optimism and relatively strong earnings from industrial titans like Alcoa.

And both the S&P and PBW have drawn serious market premiums above USO since early September.

Should oil rise further on increased demand expectations, expect to see renewed separation of renewable energy ETFs from the U.S. benchmark.

As for the dollar's impact on clean energy funds, more investors are turning to international companies that do business in euros, yen and yuan to pad their energy portfolios agains the bottoming buck.

-Sam Hopkins

Green Job Creation

According to a new study released by University of California economist David Roland-Holst, California's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions will boost the state's economy and preserve hundreds of thousands of jobs that are now at risk due to rising energy costs.

The study indicates that rising fossil fuel prices could cut state economic output by $84 billion and slash 626,000 jobs from California's payrolls in 2020. But with a 33% renewable portfolio standard enforced, output would instead rise $20 billion and create 112,000 jobs.

And in the Midwest, governors from seven Midwestern states gathered in Detroit on Wednesday and adopted new jobs and infrastructure agreements that support training programs in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency and biofuels.

The governors also indicated the necessity to work together in an effort to develop a network of high-voltage power lines that can move wind power from the windiest parts of Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas to Midwestern cities that consume large amounts of electricity.

Here's what Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle had to say. . .

"If we don't move to renewable energy, we are going to see jobs not only lost, but jobs gained in other parts of the country and other parts of the world. This is where the world is moving, and Wisconsin has a lot of advantages that we had better build on. If we don't seize this opportunity, it is going to be bad for jobs."

We couldn't agree more!

Jeff