Top Stories
"UK sustainable consulting market to hit $1bn
this year"—reliability high.
A report by Verdantix, UK Sustainable Business Consulting Spend
2010-2013, "suggests the green consultancy market will experience a
boom over the next three years, expanding 60 per cent to be worth
$1.6bn by 2013." More highlights. See BusinessGreen.
Access the report here
(registration required).
"Offshore Wind a U.S. Job Boon if Capital
Costs Don't Erode Potential -- DOE"—reliability high.
ClimateWire reports on a new DOE study: "In a 240-page study of the
potential and barriers for building 54 gigawatts' worth of offshore
wind capacity, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates
that doing so means the creation of at least 43,000 permanent jobs.
Potential exists for $200 billion in economic activity, and government
analysts predict 20 jobs would be created for every megawatt produced
off of U.S. shores." More highlights. See The
New York Times from ClimateWire. PDF of report here. [Report says
offshore wind could allow U.S. to get 20% of its electricity from wind
by 2030.]
"Asia-Pacific firms worried over carbon laws:
survey"—reliability high.
A survey by Standard & Poor's and carbon analytics firm RepuTex
found that "Asia-Pacific firms are worried that tougher laws on
greenhouse gas emissions will hit financial performance and
uncertainties on the issue are already limiting their ability to raise
capital," according to this Reuters story. "The study found 41 percent
of the respondents reported that to a degree they were already feeling
the impact of carbon regulations on their fund-raising activity." Some
firms were beginning to explore opportunities "to turn financial risks
associated with greenhouse gas emission laws into opportunities to gain
a competitive advantage". More highlights of report. From Reuters.
Access, I think, here
(registration required).
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
"Abu Dhabi's Green Energy Showpiece City
Won't Be Carbon Neutral at First"—reliability high.
Bloomberg reports: "Masdar, the Abu Dhabi government- backed renewable
energy company, abandoned plans for Masdar City to be carbon-neutral
from the start and delayed the city’s first phase by two years to
2015." It quotes an email from the company as saying, "While still
aiming to eventually be powered 100 percent by renewable energy, Masdar
City will no longer rely solely on on-site clean energy sources. The
purchase of renewable energy from off-site locations may also be
utilized as energy demands increase over the project’s lifetime." From Bloomberg.
[Prestige project
falls prey to economic reality. Then again, why build it if it
doesn't make economic sense?]
"U.S. ethanol shoots up on surprise corn
shortfall"—reliability high.
U.S. ethanol futures prices rose sharply after "The U.S. Department of
Agriculture forecast a surprisingly small 12.664 billion-bushel U.S.
corn crop this year -- 4 percent smaller than the record forecast a
month ago -- and the tightest corn supply in 15 years." See Reuters
article. [Since
gasoline
blenders can adjust ethanol content if prices rise, the real squeeze
will be on ethanol producers who may not be able to pass on all of
their higher costs. Higher corn prices will also affect meat and dairy
costs leading to higher prices in future years.]
"Worldwise Transforms Wal-Mart Recyclable
Waste into Pet Products"—reliability high.
A company called "Worldwise plans to recycle the following Wal-Mart
materials into its products:
–Plastic bottles are being recycled into dog beds
–Plastic hangers are being turned into cat litter pans, scoops, and
scratchers
–Plastic bags are being converted into cat littler liners
–Corrugated cardboard is being processed into cat scratchers"
This is part of Wal-Mart's plan to eliminate landfill waste from its
U.S. stores and Sam’s Club locations by 2025, and Worldwise's Full
Circle program "to create a closed loop system that uses customer
recyclables in the manufacturing process for new products." From Environmental
Leader. [Clever
two-way supply chain locks in customers?]
"Economy Sandbags Plans for Nuclear Reactors"—reliability
high.
The economic slump has put plans for new U.S. nuclear plants on ice,
as power prices have fallen due to reduced energy demand, carbon
pricing has died in Congress, and loans have become hard to get. The
latest casualty is a proposed reactor in Maryland planned by
Constellation Energy. Negotiations on a federal loan guarantee broke
down when "the Energy Department argued that Constellation’s project is
so risky that the company must pay a high fee or provide other
assurances of repayment if it wants the taxpayers to guarantee its
construction loans. Constellation said the government’s demand was
'unreasonably burdensome.' " More on the nuclear industry. See The
New York Times. [Nuclear just can't
make the sums work out favorably in today's economic climate. Other
sources of electricity, particularly natural gas, are cheaper and less
risky financially. Also, Constellation's reactor design was one that
has experienced massive cost overruns in
its first project in Finland.]
"Green investors not waiting on U.N. climate
talks"—reliability high.
Richard Nourse, managing partner of renewable energy investment fund
Novusmodus, told Rueters that uncertainty about UN climate talks did
not affect his investment strategy. "Nothing I am investing in makes me
worry about any of those kind of conversations. If I waited around for
what happens there I would never make an investment. You have to invest
on what is there now, not on what you anticipate the legislation to
be." More comments from Nourse on green investment strategy. From Reuters.
