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Simple Gifts: Holidays at The White House 2010

President Obama's World AIDS Day Message

$500 Billion Global Fossil Fuel Subsidies Main Barrier To Renewable Energy

In addition to all that is involved in launching the world's first green-energy body, the organisation's new head has placed a priority on producing a map of the world's solar and wind resources.

Adnan Amin, the Kenyan economist who stepped in last month to take over as interim director general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), for the first time yesterday outlined some of his plans for the position. Mr Amin spoke at a meeting of journalists organised by the German Federal Foreign Office in cooperation with the Ecologic Institute, a non-profit research institute with offices in Germany, Austria, Belgium and the US.

Mr Amin took over from Helene Pelose, who had been heading the Abu Dhabi-based organisation for about a year when she stepped down in late October.

Since then he has met with a high-ranking official at the World Meteorological Organisation, which owns records with a century's worth of data on wind velocity and solar radiation levels around the world.

Summarising this information in a map that could be disseminated to countries would clarify their renewable energy potential and hopefully help them develop green ideas in a more efficient and rapid manner, Mr Amin said.

He said Irena would not implement renewable energy projects, but rather "provide the space for all the stakeholders to come to the table" to discuss energy transformation. About 60 per cent of greenhouse emissions came from the energy sector.

Irena chief wants to map energy

Ernst & Young: China leads the way in renewables

China has surpassed the United States to be the global leader in renewables, according to Ernst & Young's latest renewable energy country attractiveness indices,consisting of 30 countries Tuesday.

The United States, which topped the indices between November 2006 and May 2010, is now five points behind China, said Ernst & Young.
The continued repercussions of the global financial crisis, low gas prices and the uncertain medium-to-long term policy environment have prompted a one point fall this quarter in the US, while China rose two.

Since it was listed in index in September, China has opened up a gap from other markets. Cleantech, including renewable energy, may be a significant part of the country's future economic growth, said Ringo Choi, Cleantech Leader for Greater China, Ernst & Young.

Ernst & Young: China leads the way in renewables - GlobalTimes

Coping with Climate Change, with Kofi Annan

Govt India incentivises electric vehicles; industry hopes 100% jump

The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles today said it expects electric two-wheeler market to witness 100 per cent growth following a Rs 95-crore incentive package for the remaining part of the 11th Plan. As per a scheme approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the government will provide financial incentive for each electric vehicle sold in India during the remaining part of the 11th Plan-- 2010-11 and 2011-12.

The scheme, effective from November 11, envisages incentives of up to 20 per cent on ex-factory prices of the vehicles, subject to a maximum limit. The cap on the incentive will be Rs 4,000 for low speed electric two-wheelers, Rs 5,000 for high speed electric two- wheelers, Rs 60,000 for seven seater three-wheeler and Rs one lakh for an electric car.

Govt incentivises electric vehicles; industry hopes 100% jump - Yahoo! India News

Al Gore admits supporting corn ethanol subsidies was a mistake

Former Vice President and presidential candidate Al Gore has changed his stance concerning ethanol. As vice president, Gore created subsidies for corn-based ethanol. The move, it turns out, was aimed more towards garnering votes for his upcoming presidential run than doing what's best for the environment. At a recent green energy conference in Athens, Greece, Gore said:

It is not a good policy to have these massive subsidies for first-generation ethanol. One of the reasons I made that mistake is that I paid particular attention to the farmers in my home state of Tennessee and I had a certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa because I was about to run for president.
The process to turn corn to ethanol – i.e., first-generation ethanol – is pretty inefficient, using tons of water with only modest energy returns. In 2008, the bio-fuel industry got flak for larger and larger quantities of the corn crops being used to create ethanol resulting in a rise in food prices. Even with his admission that he was more about the votes than the science in the ethanol debate, he has not completely abandoned the biofuel. He now favors what is called second-generation ethanol, which uses farm waste and switchgrass instead of corn to produce the fuel.

Al Gore admits supporting corn ethanol subsidies was a mistake — Autoblog Green