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1. Nova Scotia Getting Independent Energy Efficiency Agency
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2. Daily Sprout
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3. BAKE FOR A CHANGE 2008: Gingerbread House Competition
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4. The Problem With Cleantech VC Investing
Nova Scotia Getting Independent Energy Efficiency Agency
David Ehrlich - Big Green
Energy efficiency could get a boost in Eastern Canada with the creation of an independent agency in Nova Scotia tasked with overseeing programs aimed at cutting electricity consumption and reducing peak demand. Those programs are currently the responsibility of Conserve Nova Scotia, created in 2006 as part of the province’s Department of Energy.
The bulk of electricity in the region comes from Nova Scotia Power, part of the publicly traded Emera, which provides more than 95 percent of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the province.
The move to an independent, non-profit agency could help cut through the bureaucracy that’s normally associated with a government-run agency, and is expected to encourage more competitive and innovative solutions, according to a report from Dalhousie University that recommended the creation of the new group. Nova Scotia will become the first province in the country to have an arm’s-length administrator for energy conservation programs, Cheryl Ratchford of the Ecology Action Centre, an environmental activist group, told the Chronicle Herald.
The agency, likely to be called the Nova Scotia Electricity Efficiency Agency, will focus on electricity generation and use, but there is the possibility that it could end up becoming a one-stop shop for the administration of other efficiency measures. The report from Dalhouse, submitted to the provincial government earlier this year, said that it could be cost-effective in the long term to have the agency handle overall energy efficiency. For now, energy efficiency and conservation programs for fuels such as home heating oil and wood will continue to be delivered by Conserve Nova Scotia.
Earlier this year, Conserve Nova Scotia announced a deal to help residential building owners invest in energy efficiency via the kind of program that would fall under the new agency’s oversight. The program offers rebates for the use of energy-efficient lighting, Energy Star-qualified washing machines, and other devices.
Energy efficiency can involve a broad range of technologies and conservation programs in green building, industrial applications, vehicle technology and more. It received attention in the U.S. just last week when President-elect Barack Obama called for an effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient.
The U.S. has a leg up on independent agencies for energy efficiency, with the Dalhousie report pointing out that agencies have already been set up in Vermont and Oregon; Efficiency Vermont was created in 2000 and the Energy Trust of Oregon was formed in 2002.
Nova Scotia’s new agency will be controlled by a board of directors, with oversight from the province’s Utility and Review Board. Costs will be covered by electricity users in the region, which could ruffle the feathers of the province’s biggest power users.
The Chronicle Herald notes that in the past, pulp and paper companies NewPage Group and AbitibiBowater, both of which have paper mills in the region, have pushed for taxpayers to fund a new energy efficiency agency. But as the Dalhousie report points out, electricity users also have the most to gain from efficiency investments, in the form of lower electricity bills.
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Daily Sprout
Josie Garthwaite - Misc
EU Strikes Deal for Weakened “20-20-20″ Climate Package: EU leaders made concessions to polluting companies and countries to win a consensus on reducing emissions by 20 percent by 2020. As an environmental advocate from WWF put it, “A flagship EU policy now has no pilot, a mutinous crew, and numerous holes in its fuselage.”– NYT’s Green Inc.
Big Three Bailout Rejection = Big Blow to OPEC: Senate Republicans’ balking at the planned auto industry bailout has poured “more fuel on the pyre of collapsing demand” for oil. — WSJ’s Environmental Capital
Tech Companies Leading Pack on Climate Change Governance: IBM and Dell rank among companies earning top marks for actively addressing the risks and capitalizing on the opportunities of climate change in a new report from the nonprofit Ceres. — GreenBiz
$186M for Renewable Energy in South Korea: South Korea’s government plans to invest $186 million in clean energy development projects by LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, Samsung SDI, and other firms in an effort to boost economic growth. — Clean Edge
Plug-in EVs in Intel’s Future?: Former Intel chairman Andrew Grove is pushing the microprocessor-maker to consider manufacturing advanced batteries for plug-in electric cars. — Wall Street Journal
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BAKE FOR A CHANGE 2008: Gingerbread House Competition
Olivia Chen - Announcements
‘Tis the season for gum drops and frosting, which is why we are happy to announce the Bake For A Change Gingerbread House Competition. Challenging participants to concoct the eco-friendliest house with all the sustainable fixins’, organizers Terry* Project hopes to engage both design professionals and onlookers in a discussion about environmental issues that surround residential homes. To enter the contest, Terry* simply asks you to bake and construct a gingerbread house with “green” mindedness. Entrants will be judged both on its sustainability factor as well as its construction and appeal. The deadline for all entries is December 31, 2008.
READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >
The Problem With Cleantech VC Investing
Katie Fehrenbacher - Startups
There’s a problem with cleantech venture investing, according to the folks at cleantech VC firm @Ventures, who put together this slide presentation. They point out there’s been almost no exits. And few failures, too, so basically there’s little to help gauge the market. While I would somewhat argue with the lack of failures part (first-gen biofuels have seen some large failures, including the bankruptcy of VeraSun, the crash of the ethanol market and the stumbling of Imperium), it’s true that there’s been a lack of information to help guide VCs on what works and what doesn’t, as cleantech startups generally take longer to mature.
So with little direction, the result is: Here come the lemmings. It’s the same thing across all of venture investing; the herd mentality often sways funding trends. But as @Ventures notes, in cleantech there’s too much focus on industries like solar, biofuels and transportation; too much concentration on later-stage investments; and as money gets stuffed into states like California and New England, large parts of the country of being virtually ignored.
So what’s the answer? @Ventures says that overall, there should be fewer funds investing in the space. (Perhaps true, but very convenient coming from a firm that has its own skin in the game). Specifically there should be fewer funds focused on later-stage, larger deals, and instead more of the smaller funds doing similarly smaller investments in innovative areas outside of the standard solar and biofuels. And bring on the early-stage seed/angels that can be “scouts” to help guide the generalists in the official rounds. Who’s the Ram Shriram of cleantech? (I always thought Sunil Paul) . Just remember, readers, that @Ventures has invested in solar startup Advent Solar, biofuel startups Cobalt Biofuels and Propel Biofuels, and many others.
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