December 15, 2010
The 111th Congress did so little to distinguish itself in preparing us for our energy future that it’s hard to imagine the 112th occupying a lower circle of Dante’s tropical vacation spot. But the shift in the center of gravity of both Congressional chambers that was occasioned by the mid-term elections may consign renewable energy and climate change mitigation to the attic of our Government’s conscience for a couple of years more. This is, in fine, the conclusion of 2010 Election Analysis, an appreciation prepared by Washington Council Ernst & Young for the Solar Energy Industries Association.
In Ernst & Young’s analysis, Republicans in the upcoming Congress are seen as pushing for more extraction of traditional fossil fuels, resisting regulation of carbon emissions, and replacing mandates with incentives. The change in the character of Congress is also seen as forcing a realignment of the kinds of energy tax provisions and revenue offsets considered by House and Senate. (more…)
December 15, 2010
At Cancun, Mexico, this month, 193 countries made more progress toward addressing climate change mitigation than had been widely expected of them, and less than is widely considered necessary for effective mitigation.
The summit was the follow-up to the December 2009 UN ‘COP15′ conference in Copenhagen, which was largely conducted in a spirit of discord and ended, unsurprisingly, with little in the way of binding agreements. The Cancun ‘COP16′ talks produced almost unanimous agreement on future steps and expectations, but not without reservations being expressed about the suitability of the UN process and the likely efficacy of the agreed steps. And with what we know about the new U.S. Congress’ planned inaction on any truly productive climate legislation, we wonder how close a relationship the agreement bears to reality. (more…)
December 15, 2010
Another study released this week shows that solar jobs in the U.S. are responsible for some very positive export news.
The report, U.S. Solar Energy Trade Assessment 2010, has been published by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research. It finds that the U.S. is a major solar exporter, with net exports of solar energy products totaling $723 million in 2009.
Net exports of polysilicon for PV use came to $1.055 billion, of PV wafers $24 million, and of solar hot water products $5 million. The U.S. was, however, a net importer in 2009 of PV modules ($232 million), PV cells ($4 million), PV inverters ($121 million), and concentrated solar products ($4 million). The net effect was $723 million in the export column.
Rhone Resch, President and CEO of SEIA commented: “Solar is a global industry. The U.S. imports and exports products from every continent. But in addition to being a major net exporter of solar energy products, the industry is creating significant wealth in the United States and jobs in all 50 states. We are seeing investments in U.S. manufacturing in areas of the country hit hard by the recession – Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio and others. But we’re concerned that there is a lack of stable, long-term federal policies in the U.S. amidst an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Even modest federal policies like expanding the Section 48c manufacturing tax credit can help the U.S. solar industry remain one of the few sectors of our economy that is a net exporter, while creating tens of thousands of jobs”.
You can read a fact sheet on the SEIA/GTM report here.
You can read the full report here.
