Tag Archives: Green Jobs

California Governor Jerry Brown Last Years' Intersolar Keynote

Intersolar Returning to San Francisco: Strengthens Partnership with CALSEIA

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Intersolar Flags 0904 rdax 100 rdax 100 300x225 Intersolar Returning to San Francisco: Strengthens Partnership with CALSEIASAN FRANCISCO, June 09, 2014 – Intersolar North America, the most well attended industry exhibition and conference in North America for solar professionals to exchange information and develop business opportunities, announced today it has formed a new, long-term agreement with valued partner California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA). Together, the partners will work to strengthen supportive solar policies in California, and further the state’s solar market through joint campaigns and programs.

Intersolar North America is celebrating its seventh year as the premier venue for the solar business in California and the entire United States. The success of the exhibition and conference can be attributed, in part, to the high quality programs developed by Intersolar and its industry partners. CALSEIA’s expertise, as one of the nation’s oldest solar energy associations located in the heart of the largest solar U.S. market, has played a critical role. With more than 4.1 GW, California ranks first in the country in installed solar capacity, and is home to more than 1,670 solar companies, employing 43,700 solar professionals. “Intersolar North America is California’s premier solar conference and trade show,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of CALSEIA, “it is an excellent opportunity to stay abreast of market developments and trends while making important business connections and networking. From the workshops to the networking events, Intersolar North America is the place to be for the U.S. solar industry.”

“Intersolar supports the North American solar industry yesterday, today and tomorrow,” said Markus Elsässer, CEO of Solar Promotion International GmbH, an organizer of Intersolar North America. “We began our event in California with the primary goal of providing the U.S. solar industry with an exhibition platform that would further the market by bringing together key national and international players, and showcase the latest products and technology innovations. We developed educational workshops, conference sessions and networking events to connect industry advocates. Our commitment to hosting Intersolar North America in the U.S.’s largest solar market, and our continued collaboration with CALSEIA and co-organizer SEMI speaks to that mission.”

Intersolar and CALSEIA have historically collaborated on portions of the Intersolar North America conference agenda, special exhibition programs and networking events, including the popular Solar Summerfest. Solar Summerfest, hosted by CALSEIA and Intersolar, is the premiere networking event for approximately 2,000 attendees that include Intersolar North America exhibitors, visitors and conference attendees. Intersolar proudly supports the Solar Summerfest, a 100 percent fundraiser benefiting CALSEIA’s activities to strengthen the Californian solar industry. Tickets for the Solar Summerfest are available for purchase online. Intersolar runs July 8-10 in San Francisco.

Climate Change Inaction Risky Business

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New York, June 24 – The American economy could face significant and widespread disruptions from climate change unless U.S. businesses and policymakers take immediate action to reduce climate risk, according to a new report released today. The report, “Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States,” summarizes findings of an independent assessment of the impact of climate change at the county, state, and regional level, and shows that communities, industries, and properties across the U.S. face profound risks from climate change. The findings also show that the most severe risks can still be avoided through early investments in resilience, and through immediate action to reduce the pollution that causes global warming.

HenryCisnerosLibraryHIGHRES 200x300 Climate Change Inaction Risky Business Risky Committee Member Henry Cisneros

The Risky Business report shows that two of the primary impacts of climate change—extreme heat and sea level rise—will disproportionately affect certain regions of the U.S., and pose highly variable risks across the nation. In the U.S. Gulf Coast, Northeast, and Southeast, for example, sea level rise and increased damage from storm surge are likely to lead to an additional $2 to $3.5 billion in property losses each year by 2030, with escalating costs in future decades. In interior states in the Midwest and Southwest, extreme heat will threaten human health, reduce labor productivity and strain electricity grids.

Conversely, in northern latitudes such as North Dakota and Montana, winter temperatures will likely rise, reducing frost events and cold-related deaths, and lengthening the growing season for some crops.

The report is a product of The Risky Business Project, a joint, non-partisan initiative of former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Mayor of New York City from 2002-2013 Michael R. Bloomberg, and Thomas P. Steyer, former Senior Managing Member of Farallon Capital Management. They were joined by members of a high-level “Risk Committee” who helped scope the research and reviewed the research findings.

 

The Politics Of Solar Power

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Opinion: All Solar Wants is a Level Playing Field – Justin Pentelute.
Fine for now, but we have to focus on a major point:  continuing national and state institutional support of solar is essential.  It needs to be a broad, long-term priority.  In a political climate that is partisan and contentious, support for energy innovation sometimes gets lost in the ether.  That’s a mistake. 

In this same category, I am disappointed in the actions of some state legislatures and utility regulatory commissions.  Some have acted with disturbing inconsistency, setting helpful programs in place that foster solar installations and then pulling the plug on them before the benefits have really taken hold.  What’s equally disturbing is what I call “the race to unviability,” where programs are put in place to imminently fail and be canceled.  It seems unfair for homeowners’ access to affordable solar electricity to depend on the state in which the home happens to be built and the all-powerful utility company that provides their electricity. This is a countrywide priority and we should deal with it that way.

Think of the societal good that comes from continued development and implementation of solar electricity.  There would be less carbon in the atmosphere if our electric utilities can build fewer new fossil-fuel power plants.  That could happen because solar electric can supplement power-grid electricity generated by these plants.  Moreover, solar electricity often feeds into the grid when its output exceeds its need in residential and other applications.  That’s a plus because not many electric utilities today are anxious to build expensive new generating plants…Read on>

Van Jones On Green Energy Distortions>

Garden State Gets Greener With More Solar Energy

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20120723Solar103 small Garden State Gets Greener With More Solar EnergyNew Jersey continues its environmental leadership along with other states like California and Arizona to create more green jobs and cut pollution. Yesterday Matt Elliott, Environment NewNew Jersey Scenic 290x275 Garden State Gets Greener With More Solar Energy Jersey’s Clean Energy Advocate, wrote “We applaud the Legislature and the governor for supporting a bill to help New Jersey continue to be the nation’s solar leader.  We are pleased that the measure passed both houses of the Legislature with overwhelming bi-partisan support, reflecting the people of New Jersey’s strong support for clean, renewable energy, regardless of party affiliation. And we applaud Governor Christie for signing the bill into law today.

“Because of forward-thinking policies passed by the Legislature and Republican and Democratic governors alike over the years, New Jersey is one of the nation’s leaders on solar power.  This bill continues that positive momentum.  Currently, we have more solar per square mile than any other state in the nation, with nearly 16,000 solar installations on homes and businesses across the state.  As a result, solar is cutting harmful air pollution, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, keeping more of our energy dollars here at home, and creating thousands of local jobs.

“The recent boom in solar development demonstrates that our state’s potential is much greater than previously anticipated.  Moving forward, longer-term state policy must keep up with that potential.  We should be increasing the state’s overall clean energy requirements and ensuring more of our clean energy goals are carved out for solar specifically.  In the short term, however, this bill will ensure that New Jersey continues to be a solar leader.  Without a doubt, today is a good day for solar in New Jersey.”

Monsanto Sued

Intersolar Rises And Shines

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christieMcCarthy 165x300 Intersolar Rises And ShinesInnovation and collaboration were familiar themes at this years Intersolar North America. Intersolar Intersolar Rises And Shinesa premier solar industry exhibition and conference for solar professionals to exchange information and develop business opportunities in the U.S. returned to San Francisco to mark its fifth year in the heart of the largest solar market in the United States. San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee delivered remarks for the conference alongside directors of the worlds-leading research institutions during the conference’s official opening on July 10 in the Intercontinental Hotel. While welcoming the conference to San Francisco, Mayor Lee also reminded the conference about the California senate’s ground breaking decision to begin financing high speed rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

SunShot Director Ramamoorthy Ramesh welcomed participation in new national initiatives such as solar “Plug and Play.” Reflecting renewed  global collaboration and innovation, Dr. Dan Arvizu, director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); Dr. Michio Kondo, director of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan; and Prof. Dr. Eicke Weber, director of the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems (FhG ISE) in Germany signed of a Memorandum of Understanding to form a Global Alliance of Solar Energy Research Institutes (GA-SERI). Over 850 exhibitors  from over 25 countries are at the show.

Singer, songwriter and Sessions Solar marketing executive Christie McCarthy welcomed attendees of the Intersolar Awards Ceremony, a sort of Academy Awards for Solar Projects in the US with her very engaging song” Rise and Shine.” Wednesday evening will feature Solar Battle of the Bands Round 2 where industry musicians such as Sungevity’s Killa Watts and SolarCity’s Soulmetrics will compete for your vote.

California Senate Approves High Speed Rail Funding

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2012 07 06T163347Z 1459550741 TM3E8760Y6H01 RTRMADP 3 CALIFORNIA HIGHSPEEDRAIL 300x169 California Senate Approves High Speed Rail FundingLawmakers in California approved billions of dollars Friday AxKBDB8CEAEVFvA 225x300 California Senate Approves High Speed Rail Fundingin construction financing for the initial segment of the nation’s first dedicated high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. Governor Jerry Brown said, “In 2008, California voters decided to create jobs and modernize our state’s rail transportation system with a major investment in high-speed rail and key local projects in Northern and Southern California. The Legislature took bold action today that gets Californians back to work and puts California out in front once again.

The Obama administration has been advocating for renewable energy and clean transportation alternatives view the approval as a major political victory for Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown who has promoted bullet trains as job generators and clean transportation alternatives.The bill authorizes the state to begin selling $4.5 billion in voter-approved bonds that includes $2.6 billion to build an initial 130-mile stretch of the high-speed rail line in the Central Valley. That will allow the state to collect another $3.2 billion in federal funding that could have been rescinded if lawmakers failed to act Friday.

California High-Speed Rail Authority Board Chair Dan Richard issued the following statement regarding the Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 1029 which appropriates federal grant funds and Prop 1A funds for California High-Speed Rail:“Today’s vote to commence high-speed rail construction, like all major public policy decisions, is the result of hard work and collaborative effort.  Credit must go to Governor Brown whose courage and steadfast leadership has improved the High-Speed Rail Authority’s plans and operations,” said California High-Speed Rail Authority Chair Dan Richard. “We also express deep gratitude to Assembly Speaker John Perez and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg for passing this measure through their houses. The Legislature’s action sets in motion a Statewide Rail Modernization Plan for California. Not only will California be the first state in the nation to build a high-speed rail system to connect our urban centers, we will also modernize and improve rail systems at the local and regional level. This plan will improve mobility for commuters and travelers alike, reduce emissions, and put thousands of people to work while enhancing our economic competitiveness,” said Richard.

Invisible T-shirt Breakthrough for Eco-Fashion