by Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz

Conventional approaches to renewable energy are falling short. The key is to shift the focus from developing individual technologies to creating whole new systems.   What will it take to transition from a fossil-fuel economy to a “clean-tech” economy powered by renewable energy? Silicon Valley is teeming with new projects in this field, and bold policy proposals are flying around inside the Beltway. The Obama administration has pledged more than $100 billion for sustainable technologies; China plans to spend $200 billion, and the G-20 industrialized nations some $400 billion. Venture capitalists around the world have pumped in excess of $20 billion into clean-tech companies since 2005.

So far, the bulk of investment has been in companies using conventional business models in an effort to fit clean technologies into existing systems. Sadly, history shows that this rarely works. Start-ups predictably struggle when competing head-on against incumbents in established markets. Disruptive market forces could over many years enable clean technologies to supplant fossil fuels the way the PC replaced the mainframe. ( See the sidebar “An Evolutionary Approach to Clean-Tech Adoption.”) But we won’t have to wait that long if we can deliberately effect a wholesale shift in our energy infrastructure.

An Evolutionary Approach to Clean-Tech Adoption

To be sure, this is an ambitious goal that requires thinking on a grand scale. The key, we believe, is to understand that in a major infrastructural shift, technologies don’t replace other technologies. Rather, systems replace systems.

Read the entire article

Via: GLOBE-Net (November 17, 2008)

Canada’s oil and gas extraction industry spent $2.8 billion to protect the environment in 2006, more than any other industry, says a new publication by Statistics Canada.

The industry’s expenditures accounted for nearly one-third of the $8.6 billion outlay by businesses operating in Canada for both operating expenses and capital investment in environmental protection. This amount represents all expenditures made in response to environmental regulations, conventions and voluntary agreements.

Industry spending on waste management and sewerage services and pollution abatement and control activities represented almost half of the overall total.

These results followed a long-standing trend in which the largest share of environmental protection expenditures was made to deal with pollutants after they were created.

Provincially, Alberta businesses invested the most in facilities and equipment to protect the environment, again surpassing Ontario, the largest spender up until 2002.

Alberta’s lead position in capital spending on environmental protection was due mainly to high expenditures by the oil and gas extraction industry.

Put in perspective, for every $100 invested by the oil and gas extraction industry, $4 was invested in environmental protection.

Capital investments by Canadian oil and gas producers, most of which operate in Alberta, totaled over $1.7 billion in 2006. This investment occurred in areas such as pollution abatement and control, waste management, pollution prevention, and reclamation and decommissioning.

The oil and gas extraction industry also reported the highest operating expenses ($1.1 billion). This amount went mainly for reclamation and decommissioning, waste management and sewerage services and pollution abatement and control processes.

About $20 out of every $100 invested by the petroleum and coal products industry was for environmental protection, as that industry continued to upgrade refineries to meet new sulphur regulations.

Combined, the oil and gas extraction and petroleum and coal products industries accounted for almost two-thirds of total capital investment for environmental protection.

The industry spent nearly two billion dollars in 2006 on technologies that improve energy efficiency or reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Compared with industry spending on environmental protection, this amount represents a broader set of expenditures. It reflects a motivation by industry to adopt energy-related environmental technologies that exceed responses to environmental regulations, conventions or voluntary agreements.

The oil and gas extraction industry led the way with expenditures of $495.4 million on alternative energy and energy reduction technologies. Most of this amount, $472.9 million, was directed at capital projects.

The electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry spent a similar amount. However, it directed less to capital projects ($155.4 million) and more to operating expenses ($337.8 million).

Industry spending was directed to technologies such as cogeneration, waste energy recovery, solar energy and energy management systems.

November 5, 2009

Climate-friendly policies not only reduce greenhouse emissions and bring environmental benefits; they also boost and diversify the economy, a recent report scoring some 100 climate policies from G20 countries reveals.

The report carried out by Ecofys and Germanwatch for WWF and E3G evaluates climate policies of countries accounting for around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions, identifying best and worst examples and lessons learned. As G20 Finance Ministers prepare to meet in St. Andrews, UK, on 6-7 November, WWF urges this group to take the steps required now to ensure that the next major wave of infrastructure investment is green. That includes concrete proposals on climate finance to help developing countries build low carbon economies and adapt to climate change, as mandated by the Pittsburgh Summit of G20 Leaders in September.

The top places in the report were given to an “Efficiency in buildings” programme implemented by the German government and a “Feed-in tariff for renewable electricity” initiative, also in Germany. The latter guarantees a producer of renewable energy a fixed feed-in tariff for 20 years. Germany’s buildings programme reduces emissions, creates jobs in the construction sector, and offers broad scope for replication in others countries.

A Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Mexico has shown that green solutions have strong potential to increase comfort and quality of life – important considerations for fast-growing, emerging economies.

China’s programme of targets for the 1000 most energy-intensive enterprises led to permanent improvements in energy management and efficiency in these companies. “This report shows that governments which implement green and climate friendly solutions will win and take a leadership position in the world,” Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative said. “Governments which don’t invest in low carbon solutions will lose in the end and their voters will turn away from them,” he said. “We call on the G20 to come up with a strategy to drive investment in the green economy. Not investing in low carbon solutions nowadays is simply short-sighted.”

The report also exposes a number of bad policies, very often in the same countries where the good policies were implemented, which both fail to deliver economic benefits and block the way to a low carbon future. These include measures such as subsidizing of local mining, preferential treatment of energy-intensive industries and lack of comprehensive water management.

Nick Mabey, CEO of E3G, said: “G20 leaders agreed at Pittsburgh to a framework for strong, sustainable and balanced growth. That commitment will be in vain unless it is backed by concrete investments in a low carbon recovery. One-off green stimulus packages aren’t enough. What investors are looking for is long-term, legal and loud policy signals that governments are serious about the low carbon transition. Copenhagen is the place to start.”

WWF estimates that industrialized governments will need to provide financing in the order of US$160 billion for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, especially to those most vulnerable to climate change.

To download the full report: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/scorecards_2009_11_02_online_version_final.pdf

To download a briefing note: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/e3g_wwf_scorecards_ii_briefing_note_nov_2009.pdf

Source:  Water Canada (Formerly Canadian Water Treatment)

An October 27th article in the New York Times consults XPV Capital’s David Henderson (click here for “Opportunity Knocks”) and Alan McMillan of Omazo Ventures, a technology incubator firm also based in Toronto, and chairman of BX Jishu, a Chinese clean-technology distributor.

From the “China’s Water Needs Create Opportunities” article:

The staggering economic growth in China has come at a heavy cost, paid in severe contamination of the country’s air, soil and water. But now the Chinese government is aggressively pursuing more stringent environmental regulation, with a particular focus on water distribution and wastewater treatment.

“Recent stimulus spending has opened up the Chinese market to green initiatives. And Canadian companies are responding to the call for advanced water treatment and reuse technology,” reads the article.

Canada has a strong track record for innovation and investment in clean water technology and already has a foot in the Chinese market. “Canadian companies like [Trojan Technologies] that are world leaders in ultraviolet technology have benefited a lot of the emerging companies looking to enter China,” said Henderson.

Omazo, through BX Jishu, distributes in China equipment manufactured by UV Pure Technologies, also of Toronto, that purifies water using ultraviolet light. The company is bringing clean water to China’s hotel industry. “We see the hotel industry as being one of the first to demand clean water. Hotels have extreme water needs for their pools, restaurants, showers,” says McMillan. “And the people who stay in them have high expectations.”

An October 25th article in the Vancouver Sun, however, says that industry insiders believe that Canada is falling behind in the global clean tech market. At a recent event, Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt declared Canada a global leader, but a follow-up panel “politely scolded the federal government for failing to make cleantech a strategic priority.”

Read McMillan’s article from CWT’s September/October 2009 issue here. In similar news, Guelph, Ontario-based ENPAR Technologies Inc. recently entered an Asian joint venture, and Quebec’s BioSpec Global Solutions, a company that develops rapid, onsite monitoring of microbial contamination in drinking water, recently announced they’re applying for Eurasian patents in anticipation of entry China.

After all [David Silverman's] posting about what makes for bad business writing, what is his advice for writing well?

1. Call to action. The number one thing that separates a memo, report, or PowerPoint from A Tale of Two Cities is a call to action. A novel is to be enjoyed. Business writing is intended to get the audience to do something: invest in a popcorn factory, fill out a kidney donor form, or flee the building in an orderly manner.

Questions to ask: Does my email ask the reader to do anything? If not, why am I sending it?

2. Say it up front. M. Night Shyamalan is paid to surprise folks. We are paid to not surprise our boss. Whatever the purpose of your missive, say it in the first line. Mystery and story are great ways to entertain and teach, so unless you’re looking for a job doing that, spit out why you’re writing up front.

Questions to ask: Can the reader tell from the subject line and first sentence what I’m writing about without going further? If not, why are you insisting that they guess?

3. Assume nothing. Does the reader need to know that the project won’t succeed if the subway workers strike, that everything depends on a category 5 hurricane not happening in the next 100 years, or that if Lehman goes under the entire firm will implode? Let the reader know what thinking has gone on behind the scenes. And when following up, don’t assume everyone remembers everything you’ve said. If you’ve got any worries that an acronym, term, or reference is going to elicit a confused moment, just explain it.

Questions to ask: Am I relying on what the audience knows or what I think they ought to know? Am I hiding anything from the reader unintentionally? If so, why do I want to surprise them later on?

4. Do the thinking. How many times have you gotten an email that says, “What are your thoughts?” followed by a forwarded chain of messages. That’s the writer saying, “I can’t be bothered to explain my reasoning or what I want you to focus on.” When you write, make sure you’ve explained what you’re thinking and what you want the reader to spend time on.

Questions to ask: Is my email giving my opinion and options for the reader to respond to? If not, why am I making them try to read my mind?

The world has a new largest offshore wind farm: The 209 MW Horns Rev 2 project, located 30 kilometers off the west coast of Jutland in the North Sea, was inaugurated today by Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik. Constructed by DONG Energy, the project consists of 91 Siemens turbines and is expected to produce about 800 GWh of electricity per year — enough for 200,000 households.

In addition to the being the current record-holder for offshore capacity, Horns Rev 2 is the first offshore wind farm to be manned year-round by up to 24 workers on an offshore maintenance platform, dubbed Poseidon.

DONG Energy chairman of the board Fritz Schur touted his company’s offshore wind power prowess:

In many ways the establishment of Horns Rev 2 is a final test piece for DONG Energy. Half of the world’s current offshore wind power capacity was constructed by us. This inauguration of the world’s largest offshore wind farm underlines that DONG Energy is among the frontrunners in the field.

Though it will be able to bask in the number one spot for some while, there are a number of other larger offshore wind farms in planning and construction, including the now-slightly-downsized London Array — of which DONG is a backer — scheduled to come online in a few years.

More: DONG Energy – Horns Rev 2

Offshore Wind Power
The 1 GW London Array Offshore Wind Farm (Again) Moving Forward
Offshore Wind Power in Great Lakes Touted as Untapped Resource
Rule Britannia: UK is Now World’s #1 Offshore Wind Power Producer

November 2, 2009
Province of Manitoba

Manitoba has taken another step forward as a leader in support of the biofuels industry by becoming the first jurisdiction in the country to implement a biodiesel mandate, Premier Greg Selinger said today at Speedway International, a Manitoba biodiesel processing facility.   

 “This mandate is one of the building blocks of our clean energy plan, an important climate-change initiative that will see the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions in Manitoba,” said Selinger. “As a result of the two per cent biodiesel blend with diesel, it is expected greenhouse-gas emissions will be reduced by 56,000 tonnes or the equivalent of removing more than 11,000 cars from the road annually.”  

“Biodiesel is better for the environment as it has fewer emissions than regular diesel and will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Royce Rostecki, president of Speedway International. “The potential market for biodiesel is significant.”  

Biodiesel is a safe, non-toxic, renewable and clean-burning fuel made from a variety of sources such as oilseed, animal fats from rendering facilities and used restaurant oils and grease.  It is biodegradable in water, produces fewer emissions and has a more pleasant odour than petroleum diesel.  

Selinger also said the province will provide greater support for local biodiesel production by replacing the current fuel tax exemption with a 14-cent-per-litre, five-year production grant for biodiesel produced in Manitoba. He said the grant keeps Manitoba competitive with incentives offered in other North American jurisdictions.  

Selinger noted that biodiesel is already being used in Manitoba by some vehicle fleets, such as Manitoba Hydro, Winnipeg School Division and Canada Safeway using this biofuel to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions. It is expected biodiesel will be widely available to consumers by summer 2010.  

“We know biodiesel is a proven renewable and clean-burning fuel source,” said John Graham, public affairs manager, Canada Safeway.  “Safeway supports Manitoba’s biodiesel initiative and is already using biodiesel in our fleets.”   

 Today’s announcement builds on a previously announced regulation in 2008 requiring the licensing of biodiesel manufacturers and the adoption of fuel quality standards which ensures the integrity of the province’s fuel supply, said Selinger.  

For more information on biodiesel visit www.gov.mb.ca/stem/energy/biofuels/biodiesel/.

EDC’s forecast, released this morning, contains sectoral and regional outlooks that will be of interest to sector and geographic groups and posts and is available at the following link: http://www.edc.ca/gef             

EDC projects that Canadian exports will grow by 6% in 2010 after a 23% contraction in 2009. For Canadian GDP, EDC’s forecast remains at the lower end of the range, projecting 1.9% GDP growth in Canada in 2010, versus the Canadian banks that average at 2.5% and the Bank of Canada at 3%.

The Clean Energy Portal is a repository of information related to Canadian climate change mitigation expertise and relevant Canadian or international organizations, initiatives and events. It lists activities, directories, products, international projects, financing from all CleanTech sub-sectors.  

http://www.cleanenergy.gc.ca/tech_dict/index_e.asp

The enhanced Canada Business Network website came on line on October 19th. The site includes export related information for Canadian businesses as well as a search engine for Canadian companies looking for grants and financing.

This funding search engine has drop-down menus including,

 ”Purpose of financing” (one option is “To export my products or services”),

“Your Industry” (where you can make one or more selections based on NAICS codes). 

 Should be very useful when looking for sector-specific funding options for Canadian clients.  

The October 19th news release “Canada Business Network enhanced website to offer better service to businesses” can be found here.