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Green Notes - 06 Aug 08

By Chinthana ⋅ August 6, 2008 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

• The head of a group founded by Al Gore told lawmakers on Thursday that the former vice president’s goal of generating all U.S. electricity from clean, renewable sources within 10 years is ambitious but attainable. “Many Americans have a hard time thinking about our energy future, largely because their energy present is so challenging,” said Cathy Zoi, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection.
• Pristine temperate forest stores three times more carbon than currently estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and 60% more than plantation forests, according to research in Australia. “In Australia and probably globally, the carbon carrying capacity of natural forests is underestimated and therefore misrepresented in economic valuations and in policy options,” said the scientists in their report released on Tuesday. Green carbon occurs in natural forests, brown carbon is found in industrialized forests or plantations, grey carbon in fossil fuels and blue carbon in oceans.
• Vulcan Power, a company with one of the larger geothermal project portfolios, says it has received an investment of $145 million from Boston-based private equity firm Denham Capital. Vulcan says in the release it will use the funds to build out geothermal sites it says could generate a whopping 900 MW to 2 GW of steam power. Geothermal energy involves drilling for heated water reservoirs, which
  produce steam that can be used as a clean alternative to fossil fuels burned to generate electricity. This process avoids the production of emissions including carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. Geothermal reservoirs are replenished by re-injecting condensed water back into the reservoir establishing a long-term renewable energy resource. Steve Munson, president and CEO of Vulcan, said: “This investment by Denham allows the company to move forward aggressively with our business plan of developing steam resources and power projects, and supporting existing long-term power purchase agreements. With the strength and energy sector knowledge of our investors, Denham and Merrill Lynch, we stand to become one of the premier independent green energy companies.“
• San Francisco has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent from 1990 levels and is on track to meet its goal of a 20 percent reduction in four years, Mayor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Total emissions in the city dropped by 5 percent between 1990 and 2005 and by 8 percent since 2000, which was the worst year on record, according to a study by the city’s Department of the Environment.
  Related: Strict Green Standards Imposed On SF Construction
  SF Mayor Signs Tough Green-Building Bill