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1. 10 Things You Should Know About Abu Dhabi and Energy
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2. Cali Air Regulators Seek Emissions Waiver, Again
10 Things You Should Know About Abu Dhabi and Energy
Josie Garthwaite
Needless to say, that would be a huge leap for the oil-rich gulf states, which you’d expect to be among the last regions to push for alternatives to fossil fuels. IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauri had this to say about the target, as reported by Time: “It clearly shows that a country that has no immediate economic need to diversify its energy production is willing and able to do so.” This week’s summit offers a glimpse of the future energy economy. If you read nothing else about Abu Dhabi and the first few days of WFES, don’t miss these 10 things:
DISPATCHES FROM THE SUMMIT: Triumph of Tech: Masdar City and the WFES show the triumph of what Time calls techno-environmentalism over the crunchy nature-lovers’ version of the green movement.
Buckingham Royals in the Gulf: The Guardian reports that Prince Charles has actively encouraged Abu Dhabi’s push for renewables behind the scenes, even inviting Masdar executives to Buckingham Palace last year.
Energy Demand to Swell 50% by 2030: “Alternative Energy is a long-term theme," the chief of alternative energy research for Credit Suisse told summit-goers. "Driven by rising energy costs and regulatory mandates in many countries, it is rapidly gaining share in the global energy supply.” Credit Suisse anticipates worldwide energy demand will increase by 50 percent by 2030, and according to Greenbang, wind and solar could meet 25 percent of that demand.
Masdar Reconsiders London Array: Masdar officials said on Monday they’re reviewing the economic viability of its London Array offshore wind farm project (backstory on the project follows below). Then again, Masdar and partner E.ON are playing down doubts about the venture.
Suntech to Supply Panels for Masdar City: Masdar named China’s Suntech Power Holdings Sunday as the second company selected to provide 5 megawatts worth of solar panels for Abu Dhabi’s renewable-powered utopia, “Masdar City,” Greentech Media reports. First Solar revealed three days earlier that it had snagged the other 5-megawatt contract for the project’s first solar farm.
Solar Could Power 100% of Gulf in Daytime: Oil-rich Gulf Arab states remain slow in adopting abundant solar power, according to Stefan Muller, managing director of the Asia Pacific region for German solar and wind company Conergy. He told AFP at WFES, “These countries can produce all their day-time energy needs from solar power.”
THE BACKSTORY Deep Pockets: In Silicon Valley, creating a thin-film solar startup requires a thorough business plan, years of testing and countless meetings to raise a few million dollars. But if you're an oil-rich emirate like Abu Dhabi, you can buy outright virtually everything you need to make your own thin-film solar company. Last year the Masdar Initiative invested $2 billion to create Masdar PV, a thin-film solar manufacturing company. The first step? Purchase two turn-key solar module fabrication lines from Applied Materials for $600 million. The grand scheme? Hit a production capacity of 1 gigawatt by 2014 and eventually make the country a net exporter of PV cells — ensuring deep pockets for a post-oil world.
Not Just About Desert Solar: The sunbaked desert offers a wealth of energy opportunities — but Abu Dhabi’s Masdra isn’t stopping there. The multibillion-dollar clean technology initiative last year took a 20 percent stake in the London Array, the world's largest planned offshore wind farm. The agreement (with German energy giant E.ON) came as part of longer-term joint venture, through which the two companies plan to collaborate on a variety of cleantech projects, including carbon credit-generating Joint Implementation (JI) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.
The GE Factor: Connecticut-based conglomerate GE has been working with Mubadala, the investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government, for more than four years. They jointly manage the Mubadala Infrastructure Partners fund, and GE is an anchor partner in the Masdar initiative. The company put $50 million into Masdar's second cleantech fund last summer, with plans to establish Masdar City as a hub for clean energy technology — and go global. “When I think about water desalination, solar energy,” GE chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt told Cleantech Group, “there’s no shortage of investments that we can make.”
The R&D Problem: Abu Dhabi still lacks the research and development infrastructure and human talent to fuel its own cleantech industry. The government, with support from MIT, founded the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology to fix that. But until the program bears fruit, top dollar will get paid out to western firms for precious cleantech IP.
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Cali Air Regulators Seek Emissions Waiver, Again
Josie Garthwaite - Policy
A letter sent today by California air pollution controllers to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson could mark the beginning of the end of federal interference with the state’s push to enforce tighter tailpipe emissions standards. Signed by Air Resources Board (ARB) chairman Mary Nichols, the letter asks the newly appointed Jackson to reconsider the agency’s March 2008 denial of a waiver granting California authority to curb greenhouse gas emissions by way of vehicle standards. (You can download the full letter here.)
EPA, under the former administration, ruled that the Clean Air Act — which gives California power to create its own vehicle emission standards, and other states the option to adopt either federal or California standards — limits California to restricting pollutants with local and regional impacts. In other words, no global warming funny business.
In her confirmation hearing, Jackson vowed to put science first — and this may be her first test. As the New York Times reports, Jackson evaded Senators questions about whether she would immediately approve the California waiver, pledging only a speedy review of the issue.
If Jackson’s EPA gives the nod, California and 16 other states would begin enforcing the standards beginning with 2009 model-year vehicles. Of course, this could present some challenges for automakers that have already entered production. But Nichols argues that because all manufacturers’ fleets would be within average greenhouse gas emission limits for 2009, the EPA should go ahead and grant the waiver and let automakers start worrying about compliance for 2010.
“We feel strongly that under its new leadership, EPA will recognize that the decision made by the former administrator to deny California the waiver to enforce our clean car law was flawed, factually and legally, in fundamental ways," Nichols said in a release this afternoon. Mr. President and appointees: Your move.
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