Goes in January? What is the retreat in green investment funds

Alternative energy funds and ETFs have withdrawn seen 2013 of fantastic profits from some year. There is a saying in the investment world, that "as goes January, so the year goes." It's time to save this sector or stocks in General? Maybe, but wise long-term alternative energy should investors avoid rash steps that at this point.

Alternative energy fund yields

Mutual funds are around 4% in the average year-to-date and are basically flat for the last three months. Nevertheless, alternative energies are mutual funds by 22.7 percent last year, and not a single fund is trading in the red.

By far, the best performance is in the last 12 months firsthand alternative energy (ALTEX), up to 75 percent for the year. Who owns most of the stock funds are the high flying solar industry, including SolarCity Corp (SCTY), SunPower Corporation (SPWR) and GT Advanced Technologies Inc (GTAT).

Exchange-traded funds are on average just 0.9 percent. If the outlier iPath global carbon ETN (GRN) is removed, ETFs are 1.6 percent but down rather. On the other hand, the 17 alternative energy of ETFs scored a strong result last year to 34 percent in the average. Not surprisingly, two solar ETFs were the best one year yields - Guggenheim solar (TAN) and market vectors solar energy ETF (KWT).

The lowest funds on an annual basis are global X lithium ETF (LIT) and market vectors rare earth/strategic metals (REMX). Reflect these two funds the dip in raw materials markets, to live mainly in developing countries. Investors have soured on emerging markets in recent years betting on lower growth in China. The logic goes as China manufacturer in the world, and therefore the largest market for these materials, a slowdown in China will lead an economic burden for this sector.

Where we see opportunity

A Fund where we see opportunity, is Allianz RCM Global water (AWTAX), has risen to rank 1. This Fund for recycling has decent is a relatively low risk. His stock fundamentals are strong, and it has moderate management fees. AWTAX is relatively small in relation to its annual price class, commercial, so this looks like a good entry point.

iPath global carbon ETN (GRN), the Barclays global carbon index followed, finally had a lift. Profits began in April 2013 occur, then accelerates shortly after new year's. This reflects the fact so carbon markets from a ground dug crony. Despite these developments, it can take years before a viable CO2 market is emerging.

Goes in January?

Throwing so a closer look at the adage "as goes January, so goes the year." Is the S&P-500 to over 5 percent for the year so far is spooking investors. A brief look at the facts, but reminds me less reason to worry about than there slogan implies.

Look at historical data for the S - and P-500 back to 1950, there is a very high correlation of market direction for the month of January and the rest of the year. It was 70 percent of the time, when the market was in January at the time for this year, or if it was down in January for the year. The 45 years that there is a correlation, 32 of them were in one market and only 13 had a lower correlation. So the trend much more for one until January as from January. Is more interesting however, that as the S - and P-500 in January was low, it finished trading up for the year of 16 times. In other words, a from January a year forecast predicted several times that it later in the year. Although previous behavior to predict the future not always not too would I get forecast losses on the stock exchange in January down in 2014.

Persons who do not possess it. Monte financial report and Swiftwood Press LLC with Roen or control shares of any company mentioned in this article. It is also possible that individuals possess or shares of one or more underlying assets in mutual funds contain or exchange-traded funds in this article taxes referred to. Advice or recommendations in this article are General and not to be considered on specific investment advice. People should let their other experts for advice, before any important financial decisions. Find the general terms and conditions for more information.

Remember to consult a professional before important financial decisions with your investment.

This article originally appeared on the Roen financial report it Monte and was published with permission.

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Do green jobs in any other color?

The environmental and energy study Institute just a crammed five-page Datasheet on energy efficiency and renewable energy jobs. National and State numbers from different sources carry the punch, that in the year 2012 alone, there were more than 110,000 jobs in the clean energy.

It refers definition and their calculation on the Bureau of Labor Statistics green jobs of 3.4 million green jobs in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2011. Some of the figures going back three or four years; Some figures are forecasts.

The result is considerable, which sum up green jobs and contribute to a rebounding economy. So, let's Herald this message and creeping over the hyped expectation green jobs to stop.

I often see Dr. Sarah White strategy targeting the center of Wisconsin. In November last year Sarah workforce education conference with this Sage spoke to our clean energy statement: "green jobs are not a myth, not a failed initiative, she simply got mixed with a failed economy."

As visionary, Dr. Debra Rowe predicted that "A green touch to have any job."

And that's exactly what we see.

There are green jobs as obvious System Installer, energy auditors, and designer. And there is a growing span of jobs which mix green skills with traditional. Therefore, we are at meeting with groups such as the refrigeration service engineers society, the air conditioning contractors of America, the International Association of electrical inspectors and International Association of plumbing and mechanical officials to name of a few.

We see green skills training mix in other educational programs. Hudson Valley Community College surrounded by two new PV courses, two-year degree can be taken in the context of their existing associate in occupational studies. Lane Community College created a renewable energy technician option as part of its two-year associate in science degree programme applied for energy management engineers. Trading add training programs, their basic training training options such as photovoltaics.

This does not mean that we stop tracking, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The solar Foundation census reports are crucial for the matching jobs with market growth.

It means that it's time to look beyond the obvious - other indicators, the green jobs in other colours come.

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Green jobs survey killed as US prepares Government-wide cuts

The move is a harbinger of the program cuts that may occur Government cuts, about the request for the $85 billion in the entire Board of Directors known as sequestration, for the current financial year from US.Their cumulative effect will be not immediately obvious.
"Sequestration is finally swinging into force tomorrow causing flutter flags, soldiers, barefoot and balls in the air, pause to stop" Yair Reiner, analyst at Oppenheimer & co. in New York, said in a note to investors yesterday.

"Well, not exactly" pure said. "As big and painful as the sequestration cuts are likely to be, its impact weeks, months and in some cases takes years to play out."
Barack Obama administration remain Congress and President far apart, how to start the cuts, part of $1.2 trillion in linear spending cuts this year and will be spread over nine years to replace.

Defense programs will absorb half of the cuts. The Pentagon has warned that more than 750,000 civilian employees to take unpaid leave with on average one day per week in furloughs, which would start April 25 can be forced. Today the Defense Department Manager lists of the essential staff send them suggest what by the furloughs.
Effects of Defense

"Not everything that is day one, happen," Pentagon spokesman George Little reporters yesterday. "But we have some very fast decisions on programs that we may again pare."
The biggest decline since 1972 after the Viet Nam war fell defense spending by 22 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012. The cuts are very much felt.

"It absolutely affected us," said Kenneth Moore, a Vice President of Advatech Pacific Inc., a closely held engineering company based in San Bernardino, California, in an interview.
Earlier this year expected to Advatech Pacific in an order of $400,000 for military communications equipment to share. The contract yet still not been let and was cut to "a fraction", Moore said. A third to a half of Advatech Pacific workers encountered, he estimated delays in payment or non-working days without pay.

Loss of jobs
Sequestration cost could be more than 2 million jobs, with about half from defense workers, contractors and their suppliers, according to an estimate in September of Stephen Fuller, an economist with George Mason University Center for regional analysis in Arlington, Virginia.

"The furloughs that what could happen until April, because of the need, hints for the workers concerned offer take place would not" fuller said in an interview yesterday. "Tomorrow or next week will notice the most noncitizens are there a sequester as what is in the newspaper or on television."
In a Feb. 26 E-mail to staff said the Ministry of labour statistics unit a clean energy survey, which included everything from oil lobbyists for drivers of hybrid buses according to the Republicans, would be one of three data reports aborted because of the cuts, according to the person, not identified because the announcement was not official.

Gary Steinberg, a BLS spokesman, referred questions to the Ministry of labour to the discontinued data reports. Labour spokesman Steve Barr is not responded to a request for comment.
'Great loss'

The BLS discontinue reporting on collective redundancies and international comparisons, and trim spending on travel, bonuses and training.
Disappointed clean energy cuts proponents of the wind to say, are the fastest-growing in the United States the Department published its first industry survey in 2012 at least 3.1 million Americans had to find green jobs solar and other renewable energy industries.

"It's a big loss," said bracken Hendricks, senior fellow at the Center for American progress, wrote a book on green energy. "This means that the United States will be flying blind on the growth of a very, very important in the US economy."
If the clean energy growth rate of the other segments of the economy exceeds industry, it still fall short of Obama's goal to set jobs – a point Republican government efforts have stressed at the assault on the economic recovery.

Green energy
During the 2008 campaign, Obama said that 5 million jobs could produce green energy about a decade. Stimulating the economy in 2009, about 90 billion $ in the form provided by loans, grants and tax breaks for clean energy programs, created by the year 2010 the White House has said about 225,000 jobs.

John Berlau, senior fellow at the competitive Enterprise Institute, a free-market research group in Washington, said cutting the programs "Way" and said their absence "leave the Americans no poorer people would."
"It be inherently subjective because that is no standard definition of what for a green job", said Bailey. "If a survey of employment from the premise, start that some jobs are better than others, this is propaganda."

Republicans, including representative Darrell Issa of California, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, criticized the Administration for the promise of renewable energy as a source of new jobs advertising.
"This never a real report, but rather propaganda was designed to a misleading political narrative ahead", Issa said in via e-Mail statement. "From the outset it was a misuse of taxpayer money and it is a pity, that it took which sequester the Administration make it to realize that."

Copyright 2013 Bloomberg
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Seven green shares I said to my sister to buy

I also promised a follow up article on my buy recommendations. Here they are:

Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC)

Current Price: $8.44

Suggested Limit Price: $9.20 (sister); $8.50 (readers)

Suggested Allocation: 21% (sister); 25% (readers)

Ameresco is a leading performance contracting company, meaning that they install energy efficient and renewable energy solutions for institutions and government entities which are paid for out of the institution’s energy budget, from the cost savings. Ameresco disappointed investors with their guidance last quarter, largely due to the dysfunction in Washington. Ameresco’s largest customer is the U.S. government.

The stock has been trading down since. On February 15th, Ameresco released an outlook for its Fiscal 2012 results, which will be released in full-on March 1st. It said 2012 earnings should be even worse than previously expected, due to weather and fiscal uncertainty, yet Ameresco’s backlog is at a record high. As expected, Q4 2012 was bad, but the next few years look good. This “disappointment” has produced a buying opportunity which I don't expect to last.

I’m more focused on the future than last quarter, and I expect that future to be bright. In his State of the Union Address, Obama promised to take executive action to reduce carbon pollution and accelerate our transition to more sustainable sources of energy, unless congress acts to combat climate change.

While Obama can't change legislation, he can require increased energy efficiency and use of renewable energy within the government itself. And goverment entities rely on Ameresco and other performace contractors to fulfull just such mandates while staying within (and sometimes reducing) existing energy budgets.

Ameresco's 2012 results may be weak, but it can look forward to growing demand for its services from the Federal government (already its biggest customer) over the next four years.

Zoltek Companies (NASD:ZOLT)

Current Price: $8.86

Suggested Limit Price: $7.50 (sister); $8 (readers)

Suggested Allocation: 21% (sister); 10% (readers)

Zoltek makes carbon fiber. Their biggest market is currently large wind turbines, and their biggest customer Vestas (Copenhagen:VWS; OTC:VWDRY). The extension of the Production Tax Credit extension should help the company this year, but the long term bullish reason to own this stock will come when auto manufacturers turn to carbon fiber to reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel efficiency, as they are likely to do over the next few years to meet increasingly stringent CAFE standards and EU emissions requirements.

Zoltek is the stock that led me to pick last week to send my sister her annual recommendations. It was briefly trading below $8, and even fell below $7 for a day. I did not think the opportunity would last. Unfortunately, the window was shorter than I expected, and her limit order did not execute. It probably won’t now, so I’m afraid we’re going to chalk this one up as “the one that got away.” It could still fall back again, but I don’t expect it. It’s still a good buy around $8, but not the screaming deal it was. I’d suggest readers put in limit orders at $8, but for fewer shares.

Power REIT (NYSE:PW)

Current Price: $10.79

Suggested Limit Price: $10.75

Suggested Allocation: 18%

Power REIT is a tiny Real Estate Investment Trust which owns 112 miles of railway and is starting to invest in Real Estate under renewable energy farms. The $0.40 (3.8%) annual dividend makes it a nice dividend stock for a long term hold in my sister’s conservative portfolio, but the company also has the potential for some incredible upside if they prevail in an attempt to foreclose on the massively unfair lease of their track. Details here.

US Geothermal (NYSE:HTM, TSX:GTH)

Current Price: $0.32

Suggested Limit Price: $0.31

Suggested Allocation: 5%

US Geothermal is a geothermal project developer with projects in Nevada and Oregon. Many of its plants have recently come on-line, so earnings growth over the next year is already built in. Nevertheless, developing geothermal projects is a very risky business, so I was conservative on the limit price (there’s a good chance the order won’t execute) and kept the allocation small.

Canadian Stocks

I found out after I sent my sister her suggested trades that her broker does not let her trade Canadian stocks, even if they have a US OTC ticker, so my sister has not purchased any of these. I won’t be including any Canadian stocks next year unless I can persuade her to open an account with a better broker. But there’s no reason readers can’t benefit from this year's picks below.

Waterfurnace Renewable Energy (TSX:WFI, OTC:WFIFF)

Current Price: $17.07

Suggested Limit Price: $15.50

Suggested Allocation: 18%

Waterfurnace is a leading manufacturer of geothermal heat pumps. A reliable dividend payer (C$0.96 annually) it’s a long time favorite of mine. I traded as low as $14.90 in late January, but was already well above the limit price I gave her when I suggested buying to my sister. Although I did not really expect the trade to go through, I would have been happy if it had. This is one to watch long term and accumulate on any dips.

Finavera Wind Energy (TSXV:FVR, OTC:FNVRF)

Current Price: $0.20

Suggested Limit Price: $.21

Suggested Allocation: 12%

Finavera Wind Energy is a wind project developer with a focus on the early stages. The signed an agreement in December to sell almost all their current projects when those projects are ready to build (probably in the next 1-2 years) for a total of $40M. According to my valuation, the stock would be worth C$0.77 a share if they succeed. While nothing is certain, the stock is only trading at C$0.20 to C$0.21, which seems like an absolute bargain to me. That’s why I told my sister to put such a large allocation into such a tiny stock. Too bad she can’t buy it.

Alterra Power (TSX:AXY, OTC:MGMXF)

Current Price: $0.39

Suggested Limit Price: $0.41 (sister); $0.40 (readers)

Suggested Allocation: 5%

Like US Geothermal, Alterra is a renewable energy project developer and operator that seems currently undervalued. Their assets are mostly geothermal, wind and run of river hydroelectric in the Western U.S., Iceland, and Chile. The stock has been going nowhere recently, but could rise on the possible sale of a geothermal plant in Iceland or if the Phillipine utility Energy Development Corporation decides to move ahead with a partnership to develop Alterra’s South American assets.

Conclusion

Zoltek and Waterfurnace may have risen a bit far to buy now, but Ameresco is looking like a deal which may not last past their earnings announcement on March 1st. Finavera still looks like a steal to me as well. Power REIT, US Geothermal, and Alterra can also currently be bought at attractive prices.

I can’t real expect to produce the stunning returns I managed for my sister last year unless the clean energy sector as a whole takes off. Yet that could easily happen with prices at their current depressed levels and the President's re-affirmation of his commitment to combat climate change in his State of the Union address.

This article was originally published on AltEnergy Stocks and was republished with permission.

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Why not the deep South Green? Or is it?

Everyone is looking for the elusive killer app that will revolutionize energy. Most expect a high-tech gadget, or new form of production or mass quantities finally save electricity.

Not Susan Mazur Stommen anthropologist. You will look in a completely different location: in our head, or more precisely in the minds of those who live in the deep South.

Mazur Stommen, Director of behavior, and human dimensions for the American Council for an energy-efficient economy is trying to understand how consumers think energy. Their work has the opposite aim of most consumer research. Instead of looking for ways to make us more to buy, seeking it opportunities, to buy us less, or just said, are more energy efficient.

That's what they last week at the great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas, placed where they in part of a larger research project on the everyday use of energy households, businesses and farms in the deep South truckers, asked.

It was the last stop in a unusual summer trip for people in small town company, upward mobile Relovilles, to talk about agricultural communities and poor neighborhoods. Their research took them to Alpharetta, Georgia; Oneonta, Alabama; Corinth, Mississippi; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Not necessarily, what they found was what you'd expect.

In the South other times because of the nature of their culture is known for his opposition to the green energy, sometimes because of the nature of their local resources.

At the American electric power a few years ago a scheme to transfer moved to wind power nationwide to wear, also it conspicuously from the Southeastern States. Southern States received 2011 published for the annual scorecard ACEEE energy efficiency in low rankings. South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi were ten in the lower.

In fact, what she asked while in Mississippi, Mazur Stommen of a small town business woman, on energy efficiency. Your answer: "efficiency?" "We have not even curb side recycling!"

But that doesn't mean that the South is not green.

“People pursue green in the South, but they do it in their own way. This is one of the messages. Trust not in the Government. They do not trust their use. It was take care of, "she said."

What they found was a non-monolithic pursuit of energy efficiency, from place to place, a sometimes on pragmatism and other times on altruism, but apparently not on the wish to keep distinguished with Jones, as is sometimes the case in California or in the Northeast. No 'cloud of smug' - South Park satire of the Prius driver - hovering over the South.

A ageing trucker said Mazur Stommen, he always keeps matched his rig and wait for maximum efficiency, but quickly added, "I not trees embrace." It was held that the air conditioning high set thermostats in upmarket houses in Georgia. Egg farmers use LED lights, specifically for the laying of chickens because of their sensitivity to light; It was a practical not political act. In New Orleans, a basic network is an energy awareness for reconstruction which brings Hurricane battered city.

"It's complicated." People would clean fuel for health issues, "she said." "One woman said, ' I will not my man to smell like diesel ever '."

Energy said Mazur Stommen on people's minds. But they were overwhelmed by the ailing economy. Family and owners/operators of truck driver described the burden of government regulation are applied, but was better suited for larger operations.

"they are feeling, how she will be targets by regulation and the regulation is not appropriate to their situation and is sometimes aim, by you from business," she said. "I can say not necessarily that they are wrong."

Those who often interviews she expressed to believe a strong relationship-based institutions. She believes that such institutions could become better purveyors of energy efficiency in the South as government agencies and utilities - objects of suspicion.

The bottom line is that the messaging must be different in the South, when it comes to energy efficiency than in many other parts of the country, she said. "You have to not only provided get in the complexity that people are anti-environmental." It is branding. "I want to be a tree hugger, but I want to do the right thing." "There is a certain side of environmentalism, people want not to get, but they want to burn cleaner fuels."

Take full account of the deep South, which will be published in end of 2012 by ACEEE on Mazur Stommen.

(Author's Note: this blog is dedicated to Lisa Perea Hane, a very good friend, who died this week.) Lisa was a native of South Carolina, which played southern friendliness and wit, and never given up their performances "Y ' all ' despite many years away from home.)

ELISA is a long-time energy writer, whose free Newsletter is available on the subject of energy efficiency under RealEnergyWriters.com

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Olympic Games in London go for green energy efficient design

The 2012 Olympic Games in London are under way, and 500 acre Olympic Park built for the world competition is home to nine new sports facilities. With the enormous task to keep cool tens of thousands of spectators, that the lights on, and make sure that hundreds of bathrooms for the next weeks in perfect condition are London 2012 Organisation Committee and the Olympic delivery authority, to new equipment with energy-efficient, to build sustainable and recyclable construction. Here, 2012 in London the Watt is an overview of how the Olympic Games and is water that cut games to keep, clean, green and energy efficient.

The velodrome - one of the iconic and sustainable buildings ever built for an Olympic Games - contains the indoor cycling track. It was built, around 6,000 people keep and keep cool this summer with a completely natural ventilation system with outside air. That's right - no air conditioning required. In addition the velodrome natural light uses during the day to complement fluorescent lamps, save a lot of energy. Did we mention that it collects rainwater for its most important water consumption with the slanted roof? Well versed in fact. For the history of the power blog to read.

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'Great Green Fleet' Tests Biofuels in Hawaii Exercise

The U.S. Navy tested its "Great Green Fleet," a Carrier Strike Group's aircraft and surface ships, on advanced biofuel.
Credit: U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy recently used advanced biofuel to power its "Great Green Fleet," a selection of aircraft and surface ships of the U.S. Navy’s Carrier Strike Group, to test the fuel's performance in an operational setting. The demonstration took place on July 17 and 18 off the coast of Hawaii as part of the Rim of the Pacific Exercise. The operation was the first ever using biofuels in an exercise of this scale. The biofuel blends are 50-50 mixtures of biofuel (made from used cooking oil and algae) and either petroleum-based marine diesel or aviation fuel. Approximately 450,000 gallons of 100% biofuel were purchased in 2011 in preparation for the Great Green Fleet demonstration.

During this operation, the Great Green Fleet also showcased energy efficiency technology that increase combat capability by allowing Navy ships to achieve greater range and reduction of dependence on a vulnerable logistics supply chain. Further, this demonstration included the following maritime efficiency measures: the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to save energy, especially when replacing incandescent fixtures or in colored lighting applications; a ship energy dashboard which provides real-time situational awareness of energy demand associated with equipment; and a smart voyage planning decision aid, which sends messages to ships with optimized routing plans for both ship safety and fuel savings. The Navy signed a Statement of Cooperation with the Royal Australian Navy to formalize future cooperation on alternative fuel deployment.

The demonstration is a component of a broader administration effort to reduce reliance on imported petroleum by partnering with the private sector to speed the commercialization of next-generation biofuels. For example, in early July the Energy Department, the Navy, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $30 million in funding to support commercialization of "drop-in" biofuel substitutes for diesel and jet fuel, and the Energy Department announced an additional $32 million to support research into advanced biofuel technologies that are in earlier stages of development. See the USDA press release , the Navy website, and the July 5 EERE Network News.

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Would Gordon Gekko Go Green?

Energy books tend to be either jargon-filled tomes or hand-wringing, end-of-the-world, please-just-shoot-me-now reprimands. So it was a relief to see that Brian Keane avoids both of these worn-out roads in his new book, “Green is Good: Save Money, Make Money, and Help Your Community Profit from Clean Energy.”

Keane expertly tells the clean energy story with humor and anecdotes likely to capture readers who want to learn more about energy efficiency and renewables, but have found few credible, consumer-friendly vehicles that teach them. I’ve never before seen solar power compared to Tony Bennett: not a rock star, like say, micro-hydropower, but “older, more reliable and almost certain to give a top notch performance every time.”

For those who know Keane, this engaging writing comes as little surprise. As president of SmartPower, a non-profit marketing firm, he’s the guy at energy conferences who can hold people’s attention — even during the low-blood sugar late-afternoon sessions — with his insight into how we think and behave as energy consumers.

Keane’s been in the thick of it for several years, working to sell the idea of green to sometimes skeptical politicians and an often snoring public. He takes us inside some of his intrepid efforts. The book provides an account, for example, of how he convinced two very different Connecticut mayors (think blue blood versus blue collar) to engage in a competition to see which city could get the most people to sign up for renewable energy. The mayors agreed to participate in the duel even under the terms that the loser would wear a t-shirt saying, “I wish I were the mayor of [name of losing city.]”

We get a clear picture of where we are today as energy consumers versus where we were 40 years ago in Keane’s comparison of his drafty 12-member childhood home in Massachusetts to his present energy efficient six-member Virginia house. You would think the smaller family, alone, would mean less energy use (“fewer bodies mean fewer eyeballs staring into the open refrigerator”). But no. Even with better insulation and Energy Star appliances, our homes now consume a lot more juice. Or here is another factoid from the book that puts our electricity appetite in perspective: College dorm rooms have more plug-in potential than the entire White House during Woodrow Wilson’s World War I presidency.

The book does not preach environmental religion; quite the contrary. Keane focuses on the relationship between green energy and capitalism. He advocates bringing “basic marketing principles to what often seems a holy cause.” In fact, Keane says “true believers” actually deter acceptance of clean energy by perpetuating the notion that going green requires adopting an alternative lifestyle (“wear hemp, eat only organic…”).

The title plays to the infamous line “Greed is Good” made by Gordon Gekko, the Michael Douglas character in the movie Wall Street. Keane portrays green as the flip side of Gekko’s destructive manipulation of capitalism; he takes us to a place where economic advantage and public good align. Rather than destroying the planet, here is where energy improves the environment using the good old-fashion profit motive. “Green is Good” offers an economic message that even Gekko might buy.

Published by Lyons Press, “Green is Good” is set for release in early October, and is now available for pre-purchase.

Elisa Wood is a long-time energy writer whose work is available at RealEnergyWriters.com

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Big Data Goes Green

Such are the developments, that software delivered over the web looks very similar to software operating on a personal computer, and is accessible from any computer in the world. Consequently, some IT sector analysts are predicting the death of the personal computer while others believe it will simply become another device to access the on-line world. Increasingly, the engine of the IT sector is composed of large-scale data servers that are driving the cloud-computing revolution forward. With regard to energy, cloud computing should result in lower costs for users and fewer greenhouse gas emissions by streamlining information-crunching into single facilities on speedy machines.

Slashing Costs

The cloud certainly seems to offer significant cost savings. A recent study found that if companies adopt cloud computing, they can reduce the energy consumption of their IT departments and save money on energy bills.

Indeed, a report that tracks climate change information, commissioned by the non-profit Carbon Disclosure Project, carried out by research firm Verdantix and sponsored by AT&T, estimated that cloud computing could help large companies in the US save US$12.3 billion on energy costs while cutting carbon emissions by 85.7 million tonnes annually by 2020.

In 2010 Pike Research found that cloud computing could lead to a 38% reduction in worldwide data-centre energy use by 2020, compared with the projected growth of data-centre energy consumption without cloud computing developments.

However, there are a few studies which are a little less enthusiastic, including a recent University of Melbourne report that found cloud computing can save energy when it leads to the consolidation of servers. But, the study further finds that energy efficiency savings are sometimes negated, particularly when companies are using cloud computing for storing data and the number of downloaded and accessed files is larger.

Emissions Savings

The impact of the cloud on CO2 emissions is also potentially huge. A 2010 study from Microsoft, Accenture and WSP Environment and Energy found that moving business applications to the cloud could cut the associated per-user carbon footprint by 30 percent for large, already-efficient companies and as much as 90 percent for the smallest and least efficient businesses. Backing up this take on the situation is another recent study showing that customers of fast-growing cloud computing giant Salesforce’s services produced 95 percent less carbon, on average, compared with running equivalent software in application servers located on the premises.

The tech industry is convinced both that cloud computing is the future and that it’ll have a major positive impact on the environment.

‘With Salesforce’s multi-tenant model, organisations that value sustainability can give their users powerful enterprise apps without the high cost, complexity and CO2 emissions associated with on-premise systems or false clouds that still require companies to buy hardware and install software,’ said Marc Benioff, Salesforce’s chairman and CEO. ‘The Salesforce community saved an estimated 170,900 tonnes of carbon in 2010 - the equivalent of taking 37,000 cars off the road, or avoiding the consumption of 19.5 million gallons (74 million litres) of gas [petroleum].’

Some of the reasons for such savings are obvious. With its on-demand model, cloud computing eliminates the need to keep data centres up and running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thereby reducing electricity consumption. This translates to significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

Energy Efficiency

While the debate over exactly how big an energy saving impact the cloud will have is on-going, there is no doubt that investment in the cloud is growing fast with the big four — Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple — leading the way.

That said, the energy required to power data centres is enormous, and rising fast. In recent years, increased digital communication, record keeping and financial transactions have been pushing up demand for data processing and storage.

The US government itself more than quadrupled the number of data centres it operated between 1998 and 2010, growing from 432 facilities to more than 2000. Indeed, environmental campaigners Greenpeace estimate that cloud computing worldwide demanded 662 TWh of electricity in 2007, more than the power consumed by India or Germany.

As a result, there is a growing move to make data centres more efficient. In this respect the cloud has certain advantages over on-site servers as these must be equipped for peak data usage — heavy hits on a retail website during a new product launch, for example. The rest of the time on that site, web traffic plateaus and the built-in capacity of the servers goes to waste. Open data centres, on the other hand, can redistribute that excess capacity to other clients, using already highly efficient servers.

Earlier this year, Hewlett-Packard released its design of a modular data centre that it called the world’s most efficient. Google has made the same claim of its centres over the years. And Facebook recently launched the Open Compute Project, a collaborative effort to boost data centre efficiency.

Environmentally Friendly?

But while efficiency is improving, a recent Greenpeace report says this is overlooking a major variable: the energy source. Companies are relying on healthy efficiency ratings, the report says, to ‘communicate externally that their data centres are "green" and sustainable without accounting for the full environmental picture’. Though internal efficiency is a worthy goal, the report says, energy savings are superficial if the data centre is powered with a non-renewable source.

According to this report, titled: How dirty is your data? A look at the energy choices that power cloud computing, the data centres that power cloud computing account for about 2 percent of global energy demand and are growing their energy consumption at a rate of about 12 percent per year. What’s more damning, says Greenpeace, is that most of the energy consumed (50-80 percent) comes from coal and nuclear energy rather than renewable sources.

Greenpeace analysed the cloud performance of 10 leading tech companies: Apple, Facebook, IBM, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo!, HP and Akamai. Of these, Apple scored the lowest while Akamai and Yahoo! were ranked as the most environment-friendly, or, rather, the least environment-damaging.

With 26,000 subscribers and a global readership in over 170 countries around the world, Renewable Energy World Magazine is targeted at those who make growth happen in renewable industries. Covering policy, technology, finance, markets and more, Renewable Energy World magazine covers all technologies and all markets. Published six times per year, a special Directory of Suppliers Issue is published in July/August which is distributed year round at key renewable energy events worldwide.

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Green machine: Saint-Gobain NOVA innovation competition taps North American startups

Saint-Gobain, has joined co-present the world's largest construction companies of the materials chapter (USGBC-NCC) to the company NOVA innovation competition with the U.S. Green Building Council - Northern California. Competition rewards start Greentech and innovations in sustainable products, new materials, highly efficient solutions, clean technology and renewable energy sources with cash prizes and access to partnership opportunities with Saint-Gobain offers Cleantech companies around the world.
The deadline to submit entry is 30 June; Finalists win the chance their innovative companies the top management team of Saint-Gobain in a live speed dating format to the 2012 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in San Francisco on November 15 pitch.

NOVA identifies external car, the international group of Saint-Gobain analysts, and evaluates start up companies for partnerships with Saint-Gobain believes companies, there is a thriving entrepreneurial community in the United States and Canada, and exceptional contributions to the NOVA innovation competition 2012 expected as it for the first time in North America is hosted.
John Crowe, President and CEO of which Saint-Gobain Corporation and member of the NOVA said: "we have a responsibility maintain for start-ups, which otherwise would have had no access to bring to their innovation, be it sustainable building solutions or technologies for renewable energy on the civilian market."

At Greenbuild NOVA external venturing awards a winner of the first place with $50,000 and second and third place winners with $25,000 and $10,000 or. Winner also works with NOVA, a variety of partnerships with the company such as licensing, manufacturing or commercial agreements to explore equity participation or joint venture.

Rakesh Kapoor, Director, Saint-Gobain Northboro R & D Center and NOVA external car, says that companies that provide missing for growth but gain the ability to market the most advantages of the NOVA innovation competition.
"Since 2006, we in dozens of promising startups in the United States and in Europe, with a select few rises to above the competition innovation invested", Kapoor said. He adds that the award-winning companies thrive with access to the global market through Saint-Gobain established distribution channels and above all the support, resources and expertise that innovation comes from nearly 350-year history of the company of construction of materials.

The 2012 NOVA innovation competition come the extensive list of progressive companies that has evaluated external car NOVA since 2006, participants and winners will be part of an elite group of more than 40 existing partnerships.
Earlier in this spring on the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco, announced Saint-Gobain it the innovation competition with USGBC-NCC co-present would. Sheeraz Haji, CEO of Cleantech Group, said the i3 platform creators and producers of Cleantech Forum innovation competition emerging companies would provide the power of a global partnership to unlock new markets, increasing their brand and to validate their technology.

Sheeraz also said: "this goes well beyond the provision of funds landmark competition and instead supports young companies establish to prove themselves on the global market, to maintain their business models and their customer base."

To learn more about the NOVA innovation competition, a start-up recommend or apply via the online form, please visit www.saint-gobain.com/innovationcompetition2012 before the 30 June 2012.

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Transportation Department Awards $13.1 Million for Green Transit

The U.S. Department of Transportation on April 2 awarded $13.1 million to fund 11 innovative research and demonstration projects under the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) National Fuel Cell Bus Program. The program advances hydrogen fuel cell power for transit buses and is designed to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and promote cleaner air.

The funds are shared by three consortia: Calstart in Pasadena, California; the Center for Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta, Georgia; and the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium in Boston, Massachusetts. The projects will directly impact organizations and municipalities in seven states, including California, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina. All three consortia will engage in work to develop various fuel cell components, test U.S.-made buses under real-world conditions powered by fuel cells, and conduct educational outreach.

According to DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the FTA, every fuel cell-powered bus put into service in the United States could reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by 100 tons annually and eliminate the need for 9,000 gallons of fuel every year over the life of the vehicle. For buses currently running on diesel fuel, that translates into a savings of more than $37,000 per year, per vehicle. See the Transportation Department press release and the project descriptions .

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Pink Green: how to ignite the second electric revolution

The electronics industry is to build good things. This is how it solves problems. Is there a danger of blackouts? Develop a new natural gas-fired plant. Concerned about climate change? Wind and solar to build. Does electricity cost too much? How to install a transmission line import cheaper makes.

But build-solution provides only half of the equation in the new world of the smart grid. The other half, the part that is to solve-without building the industry, stumps.

Tried smart-grid rather than add more power, maximum efficiency of the system by changing the way we consume electricity to rings.  But it turns out, try to direct human energy makes cat behavior look easy drive. Pay attention to people of their energy consumption experiment utilities and private companies with tantalizing gadgets and social motivations.  So far, success is minimal.  Thomas Edison's light bulb is want none of us for the last 100 years so a complete success, to turn it off.

So what will it take?

Pink, best-selling author of the Edison Foundation saw recently outside the industry for some answers, inviting Dan of "drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us" last month makes people speak 2.0 Conference in Washington, D.C.

Consumer motivation has become a common Conference theme. But pink presentation was different. He resigned and took a broader view and asked: how we motivate people who try to motivate the consumers? Pink calls this "Science like people do extraordinary things."

Energy creative thinkers need to ignite the "second electric revolution", Rosa bust of their intellectual silos. But smart grid a particularly difficult problem for them is because the industry is trying to invent devices, not ask consumers.  The grid needs to use the gadgets and consumer.  But consumers would think rather you to their next iTunes download, or where to buy the tastiest strawberries. How to get want consumers a smart plug or only so much energy display home?  Some in the industry say that smart-grid is doomed to fail, because it need not demand of private households, but the energy industry is born.

Pink has a different view. He asked the audience to raise their hands if they have an iPad. Half have. Then, he asked how many of them knew that she needed one two years ago. Only a hand went.

Apple's genius lines in it; his ability, which give it not knowing world lacked. Can the energy industry with smart grid? It must first recognize that this is more likely to find a skill in artists as engineers. "I think that the cognitive skills of the artist are today the most important cognitive skills in the economy," said Rosa. "We need scientists who think like artists and artists who think like scientists."

Also have the electrical industry to rethink the kind and way creative employees. "It turns out much of our intuition about motivation are not quite right," according to pink. In fact, it is downright "Newtonian" to assume that "If you reward a behavior, you get more of it, and if you punish behavior less thereof."

So, forget the great bonus for the ingenious idea.  While people must be paid reasonably well, great bonuses motivate only them, short-term goals, how the amount of quota to achieve. "Igniting the second electric revolution is not easy, is not in the short term, but is complex and in the long term", he said.

So, it gets what creative thinkers move? Leisure, such as Rosa it tells. He cited studies and examples of artists who reach their best work without a Commission and inventor working Nobel front of the clock.  The economy starts to catch on this idea, and some offer a regular day as their inventors and encourages problem-solver will stop their required tasks and work only on something that interests them. Many of these free hours have produced some amazing results, were able to reach the company otherwise.

"Complex industries, such as the complex ecosystems require their, this kind of complex, silo-busting thinking." You will it not by an elaborate system of incentives, but by adjusting of talented employees and getting out of the way to get, "he said."

Perhaps, if Rosa is true, and the electrical industry is monitored, he'll be able ask public in a few years as have many device some amazing energy-saving, which has designed yet nobody, and fly many hands in the air. Maybe then will the light bulb as we know it, eventually to be replaced.

ELISA is a long-time energy writer, whose working can be found at RealEnergyWriters.com

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Austin Using Green Innovation to Beat the Utility Blues

Sewage treatment has always been a dirty business, dating back to the frontier days when "waste management" meant the guy who followed after the horses with a bucket and shovel. However, thanks to modern technology, there are ways to turn some of the treatment processes into clean energy that can power public infrastructure facilities.

The Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant in Austin, Texas, located on 1,200 acres of land along the Colorado River, is a national model for innovative approaches to improve the environment, such as reducing waste, producing compost, and protecting ecosystems. Each year, thousands of tons of biosolids, the nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from the treatment of sewage sludge, are anaerobically digested and composted with Austin's yard trimmings into an EPA-certified soil conditioner called "Dillo Dirt" (as in armadillo). This popular product is sold to commercial vendors for sale and use in public landscaping projects across the city. Demand for "Dillo Dirt" often exceeds available supply.

During the 1980s, an initial effort to improve energy efficiency at the plant started when two 400-kW converted diesel generators were installed. The generators were fueled by a mixture of digester biogas from the site and diesel fuel. This worked fairly well, but after 20± years the old generators are no longer serviceable or repairable, and in recent years the gas has had to be flared. Austin decided to use $1.2 million of its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to replace the old equipment with modern "biogas-rated" generation equipment. Read the full story on DOE's Energy Blog.

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Potentially huge boost for jobs as Sunderland enters race to host of the world first Green Investment Bank

SUND rural City Council gave up hosting the bidding process to the new Green Investment Bank.

She has started, the self assessment in response to the Department for business, innovation and skills call for cities to host of a new Bank, an initial £ 3 invests in renewable energy and other sustainable industry across the UK will see.

Sunderland is template with a view to the Green Investment Bank the primary driver for UK green jobs are included.

Introduction the bid today, City Council leader, Councillor Paul Watson said: "we are a low risk, low-carbon, high impact offer."

"We have the leading manufacturers of electric vehicles in the Nissan, to maximize the best broadband in the UK the potential developed the expertise in submarine technology - important for the future of the offshore wind industry communication and our port for international investment."

"There are great opportunities in green industries, in the Northeast and across the UK."

"It is clear that it is it can have the focus of a bidding process without Sunderland."

Chairman of the Conservative Group countries Robert Oliver, said: "the Sunderland bid to host of the Green Investment Bank supports cross party."

"We have the ideal conditions for most efficient use of public funds and provide stability for companies and private individuals investing and are located in the city." Sunderland is fast becoming a carbon hub and as such is the ideal place for the Bank.

CEO Dave Smith added: "we have the development of Green Investment Bank followed with great interest in the face of our growing profile in the field of sustainability throughout the city."

"It is clear that in addition to the local industry of CO2 by the local enterprise zone drive, we can meet and indeed far beyond the criteria established by the Government."

"We have a vision of the Bank and our own sustainable investment plans is created by thousands of new green jobs."

Sunderland City Council is its final bid complaint at the Department for business innovation and skills present prior to the January 30 date.

Fueling the Navy green fleet with advanced biofuels

Of oil, energy plays a central role in almost everything, what does the U.S. military fuel nozzles and vehicles to supply battery packs, infantry. It is essential that energy sources maintain the military are subject to the whims of the outer Nations by this dependency. Another option for fuel are increasingly as important produces renewable energy sources as solar play in this effort, advanced biofuels in Germany.

The latest milestone in this effort to our energy supplies to secure is the December 5 announcement that the defense of Logistics Agency has signed 450,000 gallons of domestic purchase extended drop in bio-fuel for the Navy. This agreement builds from a new partnership between the Navy, DOE and the Department of agriculture investing to advanced biofuels for military and commercial transport - up to $ 510 million and it represents, the largest purchase ever undertaken of bio-fuels by the Government.

By 2016, the Navy, a large green plans fleet powered to provide alternative fuels. Advanced biofuels, which help fuel would be the proposed Navy ships and aircraft from a variety of biomass ingredients in some regions of the country.

So, what's behind the rise of biofuels? There was considerable progress in the pursuit of a better recipe for bio-fuels in large part. Instead of the processing of raw materials, which could otherwise be used for food, the next-generation fuels can be produced from a variety of ingredients including dedicated energy crops such as switchgrass, to the non-edible parts of maize plants unmarketable wood from the forest industry - resources, which otherwise would go to lose to and with them our fuel energy independence. Read the energy blog post.

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'Green' project of Adams on wind, solar energy

"Green" project in Adams, wind, solar to include EnergyBy DIANE WETZEL | Friday, 19 August 2011 4: 08 am the CDT

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The North Platte Telegraph computer science student at Adams middle school will see soon green energy in action. North Platte City Council approved this week a permit for the school to a road on the West side of the school to build 33-foot-tall wind turbine tower lamp. "It is a vertical wind turbine, which means that it can to catch wind from all directions," said Adams science teacher Steve Nicholson. "It is also quieter than the turbines, you can be seen along the highway." Last year, eighth class has computer science students in their choice for a green energy project. "If the new lamp installed I plane, back for a ceremony to invite the students, so they see their plan in action," Nicholson said.

The street light wind and solar combined, Nicholson said. "It is to bring a kind of green electricity in the school and to promote energy responsible for our students," he said. Joseph Hewgley & associates working with the school on the project. "It's a very unique piece, a transfigured light pole position,", said Ryan Stearns, LEED AP at the company. "It is itself carrying, the whole purpose for the solar panel and wind turbine for the energy supply for the light in the night." It uses no electricity and provide extra lighting on the West side of the school away. "It is a 100% green product and unique teaching materials," Stearns said. "We are working with the technology class and they had much input as part of their curriculum."


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Green wrongly be produced bio-fuels can harmful

London, July 31 (IANS) petrol and diesel with plant-based biofuels be replaced the making of this in mitigating climate change significantly, but can force or fuels could have hazardous chemicals, says new research.

The study which can predict the level of toxicity of biofuels from computer analysis, says chemist Solvejg Jorgensen at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jorgensen of the calculations also show that produced by the wrong path of synthesis to compounds such as health hazardous smog, cancer-causing particles, and toxic formaldehyde will decompose biofuels.

Research promises faster and above all, safer developing of alternatives to fossil fuels cheaper, Journal of physical chemistry A reports.

Before an assessment of the impact of a particular method of production on the environment could not be performed until the fuel is actually, made according to Copenhagen.

"There are around an almost unlimited number of different ways, on these fuels." We show that follow least dangerous way and we can do this with a series of calculations that take only days ' Jorgensen, explains.

Chemically, bio-fuels consist of extremely large molecules. As they are affected when you burn and later in the air, they Peel several different connections.

But Jorgensen was astonished to see a big difference in toxicity there depending on how the molecules put together during production. She was also up worn, of the fact that she can calculate quickly and precisely the degradation mechanisms for a bio-fuel molecule.

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California highways could green energy source

A representation of Innowattech installed piezoelectric sensors on a motorway.(Credit: Innowattech)

It may seem a little ironically might, but automotive traffic the next source of green energy. A law for a pilot program, vibration using road and convert it into energy adopted 6-1 in the California State Assembly natural resources Committee yesterday. It moves Transport Committee to the vote next week in the Assembly.

California Assemblyman Mike GATTO (D - Los Angeles) Bill first AB 306 in February.

Piezoelectric generation captures energy that generate cars, trains, or people, how they move on land and vibrations. These vibrations can be converted into energy with piezo materials surfaces and made usable. Power in roadside batteries stored power road signs and signals could or fed into a larger scale, directly into the grid.

A single lane. 6 km-long road generates electricity up to 44 megawatts a year, enough, to power 30,800 houses. And a good things about this energy strategy is the peak energy is usually with peak usage.

Israel is already piezoelectric generation on motorways and Italy has install plans, the technology in a range of the Venice Trieste motorway. Funds for this test project in Northern and Southern California would already come from existing resources by California alternative and renewable fuel and vehicle technology program.

Although a speaker familiar with the account the sensors of built said Israeli technology companies Innowattech or Michigan-based PowerLeap are inexpensive, no figures on the technology or installation costs could be given. However, a backlog $50 billion on maintenance means that it install plenty of opportunity for piezoelectric sensors without digging roads. Determine whether it is more cost effective to broken sensors before regular schedule of road maintenance replace one the pilot program objectives.

(Source: NBC LA)

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