Yesterday I travelled into rural Devon to meet with James Lovelock, the renowned author and scientist. James is the originator of the Gaia hypothesis, which proposes that the biosphere and the physical components of the Earth (atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere) are closely integrated to form a complex interacting system that maintains the climatic and biogeochemical conditions on Earth in a preferred homeostasis.

James has written much about climate change and his latest book, “The Vanishing Face of Gaia“, puts forward a very different agenda for the world than that being discussed globally today. read more >>
 

Can we find a clean, planet-friendly fuel to power our cars? Electric cars will take a decade, at least, to have a majorimpact on climate change, while corn ethanol has a slew of well-documented problems. Investors and the government are increasingly focused on so-called next-generation biofuels, which turn sustainable feedstocks (not food-stocks) into transportation fuels.

Dozens and perhaps hundreds of companies are frantically searching for the perfect biofuel. One is Qteros, a Massachusetts-based startup, spun off from Umass-Amherst, that has discovered and refined a microbe called the Q Microbe that turns biomass—switchgrass, wood chips, grass, corn stover or even municipal liquid waste—into ethanol. Qteros’s CEO is Dr. William Frey, former global director of biofuels at Dupont, who recently told a reporter that the company is “basically trying to become the Microsoft of energy.

Since Qteros was formed in 2006, the company has raised about $30 million from venture capital firms, big companies, individuals and, yes, taxpayers like you. The investors include Battery Ventures, BP, Camros Capital, Long River Ventures, the Quantum Group of Funds (advised by George ... read more >>
 

Now that the Waxman-Markey Bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009--all 1428 pages of it--has been narrowly passed by the House of Representatives, its fate rests in the hands of the US Senate, a body that has spurned a long series of cap & trade bills. The Senate's rules will require a much larger plurality just to bring such a bill to a vote, and that doesn't look easy, despite the belated resolution of the Minnesota race. The situation is further complicated by the existence of the Senate's own recently-drafted energy legislation, the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 (ACELA) from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chaired by Senator Bingaman (D-NM). Although lacking a counterpart to Waxman-Markey's cap & trade provisions, ACELA seems in many respects the better bill, promoting both renewable energy and the sources that supply 92.5% of our current energy needs and are likely to dominate our energy diet for many years: fossil fuels and nuclear power. This broader scope will be crucial, if our goals extend beyond reducing emissions to include shoring up energy security and fostering net job creation, not just "green jobs."

The . ... read more >>
 

Find out just how BIG an idiot I really am: The U.S. House of Representatives voted on June 26, 2009 to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act, commonly known as the Waxman-Markey Bill. While, as of this posting, it has yet to pass the Senate, the bill promises... read more >>
 

read more >>
 

PriceWaterhouseCoopers has come out with a handy chart for Canadian companies that are looking to “go green” but are also unaware of the incentives that are offered by the federal government and the provinces.  It has created charts for federal incentives, and also charts for incentives offered by different provinces... read more >>
 

Join ACE this July 4 as we break up with oil!




Declare your independence from fossil fuels and sign The Declaration. read more >>
 

In his latest Herald column, the normally estimable Ralph Surette drinks the feed-in tariff Kool-Aid. Moneyquote:

Check out how they’re doing it in Ontario and other out-front jurisdictions, where “feed-in” laws or “standard offer contracts” are in effect - in which the utility is required to take power produced by entrepreneurs at a fixed rate, no haggling. Wherever it’s been tried, there’s been an explosion of energy entrepreneurship and new jobs...

read more >>