Al Gore: Our next power grid will be like the Net.—reliability high.
In a recent speech Al Gore "made comparisons to how the advent of the so-called smart grid will enable the kind of solutions and business innovation that the Internet brought during the 1990s. 'The analogy to the Internet is quite an exact one. Not completely exact, but it's very relevant for lots of reasons. We are moving inexorably toward a widely distributed energy generation and storage model. We are still locked into the old centralized energy generation model,' Gore said. 'The rapid development of new generations of new smart storage systems are going to make a tremendous difference in connection with the smart grids.' " From CNET News.

America, China and climate change.—reliability high.
President Obama and Danish prime minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, have admitted the obvious--there is no chance of finalizing a new global climate treaty at the upcoming meetings in Copenhagen. Article discusses the reasons why, and covers recent Obama/Hu agreements. "they announced a raft of practical measures on energy—both its production and its use. Some were more aspirational than operational. But they may show the way forward, by focusing on concrete measures to be taken today rather than distant goals." Agreements include a "Sino-American clean-energy research centre and an electric-vehicles initiative. They also include a plan to increase energy efficiency, especially in buildings" and a "promise, to work together on 'cleaner coal' [and] to co-operate on extracting natural gas from shale." "The interplay between international negotiations and the Senate’s deliberations is delicate. Senators are unwilling to vote for caps in America without a commitment from China, China is unwilling to make one without an ambitious target for cuts from America, and the administration is unwilling to antagonise the Senate by seeming to cave in to foreign pressure. But there are ways round the impasse." From The Economist.

Green Buildings Do Double Duty: Reduce Energy Use, Lower Financial Risk.—reliability high.
A KPMG "study finds that energy consumption in buildings can be cut by 30 to 50 percent and still produce a positive return on investments. Plus, real estate groups can get a business boost from green buildings by attracting the best deals, strategic investors, and marquee anchor tenants, according to the report." "study cites several benefits to a 'green' building. These include easier facility zoning and permitting, reduced tax burdens, and potentially lower insurance premiums." See Environmental Leader. KPMG press release here.

Study: Asia Surging in Clean-Tech Manufacturing.—reliability medium.
"If the United States government does not invest more money in clean technology, it risks losing out to China, South Korea and Japan, according to a new study from two American policy institutes. Over the next five years, those three countries will together spend $509 billion in clean technology through 2013, compared with $172 billion by the United States" See New York Times Green Inc. blog. Access the report here.