I’m going to take a break from George W today. I need something positive to talk about. We all know the U.S. economy has slowed down. Unemployment is up, inflation is up, the stock market is down, earnings are down, and the pace of venture capital investment has slowed dramatically. We’ve seen dramatically fewer technology IPOs this year, and even the once “immune” technology sector is seeing the effects of the ailing economy.
One area bucking this trend is green technology. A United Nations report indicates over $148 billion was invested into alternative energy last year, up a whopping 60 percent from the $92.6 billion spent in 2006. The report describes this as a “green energy gold rush”. Wind energy led with $50 billion in investments, but solar was the largest gainer with a 90 percent rise, totaling $28 billion in investments. Even high profile venture capital firms such as Kleiner Perkins have established funds and partner areas earmarked for green investments.
What’s great is that this appears to be a global trend led by Europe, which as we all know is far more advanced from clean tech and alternative energy perspectives than the rest of the world. There appears to be strong and growing interest in emerging countries such as Brazil, China, and India as well, as these countries recognize their growth and development will soon be hindered by their consumption and dependence on foreign energy. In case you’re wondering, not only do we pollute the most in the U.S. (on both an absolute and per capita basis), but we are one of the worst, least advanced clean tech, developed countries in the world.
It was only a matter of time before this happened. Planet Green, the first and only (so far) 24-hour channel devoted to eco-friendliness just launched. Planet Green is part of the parent company that own the Discovery Channel, which I admit is one of my favorite channels. I never thought non-fiction television could be so compelling – and I’m not talking about “reality TV” folks.
Planet Green offers both television and online content focused around all things green. This includes not only tips and suggestions to help make your life more green, but also the latest green technology, how others are going green, and how you can detoxify your home and your lifestyle. As Planet Green says, it, along with TreeHugger.com, is helping to energize and move the green conversation into the spotlight.
There is a handy channel finder for you to located the channel it’s on in your area and with your particular subscriber. It’s even offered in HD quality if you want to be really blown away by green! They appear to have some great programming that I can’t wait to start watching.
A new Solar Incentive Program recently passed in San Francisco. So if you live in the area, and you’re thinking about getting some solar panels, you may be able to take advantage of some financial incentives.
According to one of our favorite blogs, Inhabitat:
An annual budget of $3 million dollars will help create incentives for individuals and businesses to install solar photovoltaics systems with a $3,000 to $6,000 rebate available to individuals and a $10,000 rebate for businesses.
This site also has some good FAQs if you are seriously considering installing solar panels.
I lived in Chicago circa 1993-2004, during which most of this time I lived near Lincoln Park (Lakeview to be exact). I worked in downtown Chicago and would hop on the 151 (bus) everyday. I had my ups and downs with the 151 - it safely brought me to 333 East Wacker and back without fail, but was crowded and downright gross in the heat of the summer (picture your face being smashed into someone’s armpit when the bus lurched to a stop.) Yum. Regardless, I loved the freedom public transportation afforded me. The fact that I only used my car on the weekends is a total 180 from my life today, where I basically drive everywhere and everyday (public transportation in Mountain View, CA is sorely lacking in comparison). Anyway, there are other things I miss about Chicago - the food, the summer festivals, Ravinia, etc. I can go on and on.
Well here’s one more reason why Chicago is a great city: Mayor Daley. Regardless of your political party affiliation, you have to admit that he’s doing a pretty good job of making Chicago one of, if not the greenest cities in the US today. Here are just a few examples:
- Chicago’s City Hall is the country’s first rooftop garden on a municipal building - Check out the Featured Projects link on this website
- The Green Alley Project where alleys are retrofitted with environmentally sustainable road-building materials (there’s a lot more interesting information about this project here)
- Museums (all of them) have been converted to partially run on solar power
- All new public buildings to achieve at least LEED Silver status
Check out this cool PDF which shares more info on some of the other big green projects Chicago has completed.
Okay, Google hasn’t really unlocked the genetic secret to grow solar trees (I’m sure they will soon), but their solar installation is really like a solar forest. In a previous post, I wrote about how Google gave its employees a lift with the Google Shuttle Program. The program brings hundreds of workers to and from its offices each day, and in the process, removes hundreds of cars from the roads.
I recently discovered another great Google initiative, the Google Solar Project, which “went live” last year. In October 2006, Google announced an initiative to install over 9,200 solar panels in its Mountain View campus, nicknamed the “Googleplex”. The solar panels are installed everywhere from the top of their buildings to their parking lots. In fact, one great side benefit of the solar arrays is that a huge amount of covered parking was produced. I wonder how much energy is saved for employees who don’t have to use their air conditioning because their cars were not baking under the sun all day?
Google’s solar array went live last year and produces an estimated 1.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 1,000 homes. The undertaking was immense and is one of the largest corporate installations at the time (and it is still one of the largest corporate installations). To understand the scale of electricity produced, the panels are expected to offset approximately 30% of Google’s peak electricity consumption at those buildings. Although the return on investment is estimated to be between 5 – 10 years, Google undertook this project to help fulfill its role as a responsible corporate citizen, something more companies and people should aim to do. Not only is Google saving electricity, but they are also saving money and using this as a working lab to demonstrate the feasibility of large solar installations.
Although installing a solar array can be fairly expensive and not an option for many people, it’s great to see companies like Google stepping up to do its part. Many other companies have already installed solar arrays, and many more are beginning to do so. I do have one question. Who gets the fun job of cleaning all these solar panels?
