Energy Secretary Steven Chu, often described at the “smartest man in the room” in the Obama administration, urged Congress to pass a comprehensive climate and energy bill. Speaking this week at a conference at Stanford University, Chu warned that failure to seriously tackle climate change could limit the nation’s ability to be a leader in the green-energy technologies of tomorrow.

He warned:

The future prosperity of the United States is at risk. I think we will lose (and) end up purchasing equipment from abroad.

Along with an overhaul of the country’s healthcare system, the Obama administration has made clean energy-  and specifically, ensuring that it beats China as the world’s leading green power – one of its top priorities. The country that wins the clean energy race will lead the 21st century, President  Obama often repeats.

But much like the healthcare debate (at least until recently), on the Senate side, the energy and climate change discussion has been paralyzed by ongoing debates about the validity of carbon pricing and yes, (hard to believe) whether human-made climate change is real. The House overcame those divisions this summer, approving its energy and climate change bill in a largely partisan vote.

Taking a cue from Secretary Chu’s stark warning this week Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and his co-sponsors — Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — took steps to revive their stalled climate change and energy bill, as they met with Senators from carbon-dependent states at a White House mini-summit headed by President Obama. The day before, Kerry also met with key industry groups, including the powerful American Petroleum Institute, which has been lukewarm about cap-and-trade, despite strong support from key member companies and industries.

Is an acquisition in the making in the wind sector? It’s certainly looking that way following this week’s resignation of Doug Pertz, CEO of California wind turbine maker Clipper Windpower, and his replacement with United Technologies (UTC) executive Mauricio Quintana. The corporate reshuffle could pave the way for UTC to take a majority stake in the turbine company, of which it already controls a 49.5 percent stake.

German solar cell maker Q-Cells also showed CEO Anton Milner the door this week. Milner, one of the company’s co-founders, was forced out after the company reported steep financial losses of €1.36 billion ($1.84 billion / £896 million). Taking over the top slot is Chief Financial Officer Nedim Cen, who joined the company from the restructuring consultants Alvarez & Marshal on an interim basis in June 2009.

SunPower, the San Jose, Calif. solar panel maker, scored a big contract this week to supply up to 200 megawatts of solar panels to be installed on rooftops of commercial buildings across the service area of power utility, Southern California Edison (SCE). This is one of the Southern California’s more innovative projects, which at full capacity, will generate some 500 megawatts of sun-powered electricity. Indeed, rather than building large utility-scale plants, SCE has opted to use existing space (building rooftops) and distribute power locally, which voids the needs for cumbersome, long transmission lines.

Competitor First Solar signed a large power purchase agreement with SCE and Pacific Gas and Electric for the 550-megawatt output of its Desert Sunlight photovoltaic solar project. The contract effectively preps the power plant for a potential sale by First Solar, which as a strategy has bought projects to ensure a market for its PV panels; it then sells them once the projects are close to completion.

This week GER also caught up with long-time green financier Andrew de Pass of cleantech-focused investment bank Greentech Capital Advisors. Since its launch in July the New York-based firm has scored a number of advisory marLink to original post

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