Sac Bee recap of the Clean Energy Showcase!

Business - 'Green' energy firms get tips on how to help industry grow - sacbee.com

'Green' energy firms get tips on how to help industry grow

By Clint Swett - Bee Staff Writer

Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, October 12, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D4

While the Sacramento region has many basic ingredients to become a hub for the "green" energy movement, success will depend upon expanding access to investment capital, streamlining government regulations and mustering broad government support, industry veterans told attendees at a Davis conference Thursday.

A procession of speakers at the Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase on the UC Davis campus praised the region's exuberant entrepreneurs and their collaboration with researchers at local universities. It's estimated that roughly 80 regional companies are now focusing on clean energy products.

The public, increasingly aware of global warming issues, is ready to embrace and pay for solutions to environmental problems, experts told 300 attendees. Now it's up to local governments and businesses to adopt the technology fostered in the area, said Ben Finkelor, program manager of the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center, which focuses on bringing energy technologies to the marketplace.
Still, there is some progress along those lines. Rocklin, Loomis and Roseville have adopted resolutions committing their city governments to increasing the use of green energy products.

Local venture capital firms have made significant investments in the region's green technology companies. Folsom-based Velocity Venture Capital, for instance, has partnered in funding three local companies to the tune of $7 million in the past year, said Jack Crawford Jr., a general partner in the investment firm.

"It takes a lot of money for research and development and a lot more for demonstration projects and implementation," said Dennis Schuetzle, president of the Renewable Energy Institute International in Roseville.

"We trail the Bay Area in how much funding is available," said Jacob Jorgensen, a Velocity Ventures partner, who estimated that Sacramento VCs have only about 5 percent of the capital that their Bay Area brethren receive. "Success begets success. You have to start small and work toward building companies here."

Even as entrepreneurs chase capital, they must also attempt to persuade regulators to give new ideas a try. In the building industry particularly, business owners say, the rules have not kept up with advances in green tech construction.

"Anytime we do anything new in the construction process, it's a challenge," said Jim Bayless, president of Roseville-based Treasure Homes, which specializes in building solar-equipped homes. "Regulatory bodies and inspectors tend to be resistant to change."

Tom Tenge, a sales executive with office developer Business Central, estimated that his new project in El Dorado Hills will take a month longer to get approval than it normally would because of energy-saving features.

"Anytime you are outside the box, it takes more time," he said. "And we're always outside the box."

Tenge also noted that lenders are often reluctant to finance the extra costs that a green project might entail. In his latest project, for instance, he said some modest energy-saving features will add about $1 million to the $18 million price tag.

"While (lenders) say they are thinking about green, this is the green they are really thinking about," he said, holding up a dollar bill.

Still, the speakers said the region enjoys some significant advantages in its efforts to become Green Acres to the Bay Area's Silicon Valley:

• The University of California, Davis, and California State University, Sacramento, provide significant intellectual and research horsepower.

• As the state capital, Sacramento is at the center of major policy initiatives to combat global warming.

• Green tech encompasses a broad variety of industries, ranging from agriculture to construction to computer technology -- all areas well-represented in the region.

• And finally, there is little hope that the price of traditional energy sources, such as fossil fuel, will decline significantly, meaning alternative energy has a bright future.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Clint Swett can be reached at (916) 321-1976 or cswett@sacbee.com.

The Bee issues a call to arms to attract green businesses!

The Sacramento Bee issues a strong call to action for area businesses and governments to step up efforts to make the area more attractive to green businesses.

Why is this here? We worked with the Bee editorial board to help them understand the issue and help raise awareness of the Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase on October 11 at UC Davis. Not registered yet? Go to the event and register onsite!

Editorial: Is our region ready to be a clean-tech mecca?

Local actions will determine whether companies want to make their home here

Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B6

Print | E-Mail | Comments (0) | Digg it | del.icio.us

Unless you are awakening from a Rip Van Winkle nap, you've probably noticed that the hottest field of California business is the so-called "clean-tech" sector.

Clean tech is a catchall term for small and large businesses devoted to alternative power, energy efficiency, green building products and environmental technologies. In the first quarter of this year, U.S. venture capitalists invested $264 million in 23 clean-tech deals, with much of that capital flowing to and from California businesses -- for obvious reasons.

More than any other state, California has passed laws to encourage sustainable energy and development practices. The state's global warming law, its renewable energy standard and its solar initiatives are just some of the measures driving entrepreneurs to innovate and market new practices and products.

Full article here.

Could be big!

I think these guys should come to the Clean Energy Showcase on 10/11 in Davis!

Recycled building material maker to lease 70,000 feet in Sacramento

Sacramento Business Journal - by Melanie Turner Staff writer

Dennis McCoy | Sacramento business journal

Richard Rios, chief executive of Verde Development, peers through his recycled building blocks.

A Sacramento startup is gearing up to become the Northern California distributor for a company that makes "green" building blocks.

Verde Development Inc. expects to close in mid-October on $3 million in private equity funds. The company would use the money to lease around 70,000 square feet for a plant to manufacture the blocks for Apex Construction Systems Inc., which specializes in green construction materials.

Verde is looking at buildings in Natomas and West Sacramento.

The four-employee company is at the McClellan Technology Incubator. Plans call for 50 workers next year, once the company sets up its factory, Verde president and chief executive officer Richard Rios said.

The building blocks are made of 89 percent recycled polystyrene -- the white packing material used to pack televisions and other products, said Robert Budihas, vice president of sales and marketing for Apex in Portland, Ore.

"There's no avenue to recycle it besides putting it in landfills," Rios said of the lightweight material. "We shred it and make a building product out of it."

In the manufacturing process, polystyrene is mixed with concrete and bonding agents. The company claims the resulting blocks, which form the interior walls of custom homes and other buildings, are better insulators than wood and resistant to mold, insects and fire.

East heads West

The blocks are based on technology Apex licensed from entrepreneur Gabor Boronkay, owner of Dura Thermolith Ltd. in Budapest, Hungary. Apex holds the rights to the product worldwide, outside Hungary, Budihas said.

The 4-foot-long interlocking blocks have channels to accommodate Rebar and concrete to give walls more strength.

Apex Construction Systems was founded in 2003 and has raised $12.6 million in venture capital and angel money. DFJ Element LP of Philadelphia and Menlo Park led the funding.

Apex is not disclosing revenue or whether it's profitable.

In May, Apex opened its first full-scale factory in Phoenix. The company also just finalized an agreement to open its second U.S. manufacturing plant near San Bernardino. The California plant is expected to open as early as July, Budihas said.

A Sacramento-area plant would be the company's third.

Homes and other buildings have been constructed using Apex blocks in Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, Budihas said.

Only builders in jurisdictions where International Code Council approval is not necessary have been able to use the material, he said. The ICC is a membership association that develops codes used to construct buildings. Most U.S. cities, counties and states use codes developed by ICC.

Plans to expand Apex and Verde essentially are at a standstill until the product can get an ICC number and other state approvals. Apex expects to get its ICC certification in the next 30 days.

In Sacramento, Rios has received product from Apex's Phoenix plant, but without the proper approvals he can't distribute it to customers.

Outside the mainstream green

While consumers and green builders embrace these types of new building techniques, companies face hurdles getting projects approved by local building departments, said Scott Blunk, president of GreenBuilt Construction Inc. in Sacramento.

"It's not mainstream," he said. "You can build 50 houses, but every inspector's not going to see it. It's just going to be new to everyone."

Steve Kendrick, a principal at LPA Inc. in Roseville, said his architecture firm would consider using the blocks if Verde gets its approvals, as well as a nod by the Division of the State Architect.

"We move a little cautiously when it comes to a new product like that, whether it's Verde's or anybody's," Kendrick said. "Typically, new products like that do have trouble getting traction in the market."

A similar technology has been used to build homes in eastern Europe for decades. The early origins of Apex and its more established competitor Rastra Corp. of Scottsdale, Ariz., both are linked to eastern Europe. Other competitors include Perform Wall LLC of El Paso, Texas, and Amazon Forms One Inc. of San Antonio.

Jerry Kachlic, owner of Pyramid Installations LLC in Phoenix, has been using blended insulated concrete forms, similar to the Apex product, for about nine years. He plans to switch to building with Apex blocks exclusively.

"Their manufacturing facility is brand new, and their technology is far superior," he said, adding that the blocks are easier to install.

Rios said the cost of the block runs about 3 percent to 5 percent more than a wood-frame building, but a block-based structure has added benefits, such as fire and mold resistance.

"Based on the feedback I've received from trade shows and personal contacts in the area, this region could be a trendsetter for the rest of the state," he said.

melanieturner@bizjournals.com | 916-558-7859

State seeks clean tech ideas

There's money and interest out there. One of the big issues is called out in the article:

"California has traditionally had a hard time getting venture capital companies involved with such committees because of the numerous meetings, legal requirements and piles of paperwork associated with the government, Nichols said."

Amen. Entrepreneurs don't like bureaucracy.

State seeks clean tech ideas to back - Sacramento Business Journal:

A committee tasked with increasing renewable energy sources in California is looking for a few good clean technology projects.

The Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory Committee wants green energy innovators in California to submit plans and products to increase renewable energy sources, said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California State Air Resources Board, Wednesday at Santa Clara University at the "Clean and Green" community forum held by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Nichols said proposals will be considered for potential inclusion in a draft plan submitted to her at the end of the year by the committee. "We will spend hundreds of thousands of staff hours combing through the ideas," she said.

The major benefit of such a group is that it compiles the best ideas from competing technology firms to the best public use -- and the companies can still profit, she said.

One idea out of the six-month-old group, headed by Alan Lloyd and Bob Epstein, is to create a clean-energy park, Nichols said.

Data now shows where solar, wind and other alternative sources of energy exist, but she said the group needs to find overlaps so a park can be created where several sources work at once to make a constant energy source. The state also needs to find better forms of energy storage, she said.

About 18 percent of the state's energy comes from renewable sources today, she said. The goal is 50 percent.

California has traditionally had a hard time getting venture capital companies involved with such committees because of the numerous meetings, legal requirements and piles of paperwork associated with the government, Nichols said.

"That's the opposite of what these industries tend to do," she said. "We need new ways of partnering that have not been tried before. They can help us think through what are the most effective ways to help us that still helps them make money."

Report: VC investments in clean tech surge - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

Report: VC investments in clean tech surge - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:: "Report: VC investments in clean tech surge Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal

Global venture capital investments in clean technology companies surged to $1.1 billion in the first six months of 2007, according to a report released Wednesday. The mid-year research by Ernst & Young and Dow Jones VentureOne predicted that venture capital investments in clean technology companies are now on track to increase by more than 35 percent in 2007 as compared to 2006. The largest number of investments was in the U.S., with 71 deals closed in the first six months of 2007 raising more than $893 million. European investments are set to reach or even exceed 2006 levels, with 19 deals and $80 million invested in the first six months of 2007, the report said. 'Although venture capital investments in clean technology companies in China and Israel are still nascent, we expect that they will continue to accelerate,' said Jessica Canning, Director of Global Research with Dow Jones VentureOne. In terms of segment focus, solar is dominant in the U.S. and alternative fuels are on the rise. The report said that in the U.S., solar investments accounted for 15 of 26 deals and $305 million of $458 million raised in the energy generation segment."

This sounds somewhat like what we are seeing in the region. Hey, here's an idea, see a lot of these companies at the upcoming Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase on October 11 at UC Davis. Register by going to cleanstart.org.

Can green living and the HOA live in harmony?

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, here, on a situation where a homeowners association threatened legal action against a resident for drying he laundry outside on a clothesline. According to the article washing/drying clothes is the #3 consumer of energy in a home after refrigerators and lights.

Wonder how Sacramento HOA's would feel about this. Any want to weigh in? Would be great to see some HOA's that are helping make the neighborhood a better place and helping home values that way. Hmmm....I live in an area, Serrano, with a particularly strong HOA, I think I might have to have a talk with them.

Might be interesting to have someone from the California Association of Homeowners Associations, at the Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase on October 11 at UC Davis.

Lots of media coverage of the big Green event in Davis!

This week, AlwaysOn is putting on a huge GoingGreen event in Davis. Hundreds of companies, thousands of people and almost no companies from the Sacramento area, other than Synapsense which just announced a solid new funding round and its very cool Wireless Green Data Center and Jadoo Power. Why? Clint Swett has an article here, that covers that.

My take is that this was a Silicon Valley event that used UC Davis' reputation as an innovator as a backdrop without actually engaging the community here.

CNET has a full wrapup of news and coverage from the event here.

For an event about Green tech with a Sacramento region focus, check out the Clean Energy Showcase at UC Davis, on October 11. Tickets available here.

Gary Simon, Dalian Day Three

The main theme today was biofuels and their conflict with food production. The most searing moment was the collage of pictures of starving children with the caption “Why do you need my food for your fuel?” The conflict between food and biofuel is simply assumed at this point. It doesn't need to be that way. Everyone is focused on variations of ethanol as the only biofuel worth consideration. This is of course madness. There are many other, better biofuels involving microbes that will make liquids similar to gasoline instead of ethanol, plus purely thermochemical techniques that will take any biomass and make liquid fuels. All of these have higher energy efficiencies and greater biofuel yields than ethanol production from corn, whether the grain or the stalk.


I made the comment at one session that ethanol was not chosen as a biofuel solution after careful screening. It was just an idea hatched to aid corn farmers and then it just grew and grew. Ethanol is not a particularly good fuel. It sucks moisture from the air and rusts ordinary steel containers and distribution pipelines, so needs special transport. It makes rubber seals on existing vehicles swell and fail prematurely, requiring rebuilding of engines and fuel tanks. And of course on a net energy basis it is no great winner. In contrast taking wastes to gasification and then to synthesis of liquid fuels is much better. Those products can blend with existing fuels and no infrastructure would need to be changed or protected. If the US and other countries want a rational biofuel solution, they need to start with a rational selection process. And many feedstocks for the biofuel can be chosen which avoid the conflict with food production, and many conversion processes can be chosen that have superior yields of liquid fuels per Btu of feedstock.



So in essence, the US promotion of ethanol is like seeking to improve public health by subsidizing cigarettes because it helps tobacco farmers. There is as little connection in that case between the policy and the goal as there is in the case of ethanol and reducing imports and greenhouse gases. And now with the opposition of cattle ranchers and chicken ranchers to a policy which has dramatically increased their price of feed corn, it is clear that the US ethanol subsidy is being exposed as a bad idea.



Unfortunately, the rest of the world is swayed toward ethanol because the US is doing it. And several hundred ethanol plants are in operation or being built in the US, making it difficult now to end the ethanol subsidy without huge disruptions to workers, investors, and companies. So there is a need for a broad dialog on what to do about biofuels and the many issues it raises. That dialog may conclude there is a need to phase out of the ethanol subsidies quickly.



The discussion identified ten issues that were central to the biofuel debate: GHG policy, water use, soil degradation, biodiversity, technology R&D, local and national laws, economic development, rural incomes, air quality, and of course the conflict with food production. The one area on which the group felt progress could be made quickest and with the least need for finding a new consensus among firmly entrenched interests was in accelerating biofuel R&D. Not just any R&D, but that which focuses on approaches with high yields, high energy efficiencies and which favor non-food feedstocks and wastes.



These conclusions fit extremely well with the agenda for action in the Sacramento region, which has excellent R&D resources and groups already pushing for the non-food-based biofuels.



The final session of the day considered where the tipping points are in our energy future—things that will trigger an avalanche of change and are perceivable on the horizon. On the list were (1) more effective delivery of energy efficiency (having your incandescent bulbs changed to CFLs for you, rather than giving you rebates to buy CFLs and install them yourself; putting wireless controls on all refrigerators and air conditioners in homes and offices when built, rather than back-fitting them); (2) confirmation that carbon dioxide sequestration in deep geologic formations works and is economical and safe; (3) empowering individuals to make a difference through ways to purchase credits for renewable energy and carbon reductions directly and at small scale; and (4) significant reductions in the cost of solar PV.

Day 2 from Gary Simon at Dalian, World Economic Forum

Today was a session on the world economy, not specifically on energy like Day One. One big topic of discussion was where the engine of growth is in the US economy would be in the future. The feeling was that the economy had been growing by people leveraging existing assets and then selling those assets at a higher value to pay off the debt. This is the whole story in commercial and residential real estate. Clearly there now is a shrinkage in the amount of debt available to sustain this scheme because of the sub-prime loan debacle. This is not likely to abate any time soon, meaning in the next two years.

Therefore, the only other major engines of growth are (1) importing jobs through things like opening Toyota manufacturing plants in Kentucky, or (2) constant innovation--most likely in clean tech and life sciences, with computer/software tech about at a plateau. In fact, the peak in computer & software VC investment was in 1995 with $4B in VC money invested. In 2007, clean tech VC investment will equal or exceed this amount. That's a huge shift. The feeling here is that the loss of opportunity in leveraging existing real estate estates will in fact accelerate the trend to invest in clean tech and life sciences. Very interesting positive trend for us.



It also is a great validation of the push for the region to invest in clean energy and clean tech in general. However, big problem. To fuel a high-tech economy we need a lot of scientists and engineers. The US is graduating 60,000 engineers per year. China and India combined are graduating 600,000 engineers. Guess where the innovation economy is going to move. And because of tightened immigration since 9/11, we are forcing out the science and engineering students who come here from overseas and want to stay, but cannot meet the new rules. As a result they are deported. This is a really stupid result.



The afternoon was spent hearing about the new economy based on on-line communities. I had no idea. There are over 5000 sites like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. And thousands more are being created every day. Increasingly this trend is being harnessed for business. I am not sure I fully understand how, but I do understand a lot of people are beginning to think about it and do it. Our challenge is to use this new tool to promote clean energy in Sacramento. At a minimum getting our own "Sac Clean Tech Wiki" seems like what we need to do. Harness it to create a directory of clean tech in the region, and resources useful to clean tech. We need a 14 year old to help us do this. I can barely comprehend what was being discussed.


About the context here, "The East is Red" used to be the refrain from this land. Now it must be that "The Sky is Brown." Wow, they need to discover cleaner diesel buses, and CNG buses as well. The diesel exhaust mixed with the coal smoke creates a pretty powerful brew. Interestingly, hardly any Chinese smoke cigarettes. Probably a good thing. They are inhaling quite a dose as it is. Apparently the government said it was very bad for health, so don't do it. And people listened. The big contrast is with Japan, where everyone smokes. I think I prefer the coal smoke over the cigarette smoke.

There will be more energy discussion on Day Three, so stay tuned.

Gary Simon in Dalian for World Economic Forum

Gary Simon, chair of CleanStart, is sending us dispatches from his experience in Dalian, China where he is presenting at an event put on by the World Economic Forum.

His full text is below. Very, very interesting stuff!
--------
When you get off the airplane in Dalian, a large coastal city, you can smell the economy in the air. It smells like smoke from uncontrolled coal power plants. That story is repeated all over China, where one large coal power plant is completed every two weeks. That's no exaggeration.



China is facing a bit of a crisis. Every time they remove a restriction on the economy, wealth increases and the people buy more stuff. And a lot of what they want requires POWER. Every dollar in added GNP is adding 5 times the amount of energy demand that it does in the US and Europe, because of two things: One, they have a lot of catching up to do in an economy that was chronically short on power; and two, they are not using the energy very efficiently. There is a lot of waste.



Previous to this year, the goal of this still-central-planned economy was GDP growth. Now this year the Premier has added energy efficiency as a goal, and mayors of big cities and provincial governors faced being sacked if they don't reduce energy waste. Now there's an incentive to do better. But oops that is an about-face from the goals of just a few months ago. No point growing an economy if the people choke on the air, though.



The World Economic Forum, the sponsor of this conference, has as its goal "Committed to Improving the State of the World". Pretty ambitious goal. And they are darn serious about it.



Today's session of "Davos in Dalian" was about two things--China and Energy, and The Individual and Energy. Both were wildly interesting. China is quickly outgrowing its energy resources, and that's not a good thing. It makes them want to strike unilateral deals where ever necessary to get more oil and gas. They have lots of coal...but, gag.... So they are not choosy about where to get the "cleaner" oil and gas. Or what they have to promise in order to get it. Not a good thing for cooperation among nations.



China had the opportunity to avoid the mistakes of the West in wasting energy, just as it had the opportunity to build a modern wireless phone network and skip all the poles and wires. It has seized on the latter and done well. Cellphones work better here than in the US. But it missed the first. Now they are trying to catch up on that as well. Now they understand why that was important. Researchers from UC Berkeley's Lawrence Lab spent many years over here teaching the benefits of energy efficiency. Didn't get it. Until now.



So there is now tremendous opportunity for those who provide energy efficiency services or who have efficient energy devices. It is the local government that likely will be the driving force behind making the switch.



The marvelous hotel in which this conference is being held was built a decade ago. It is not particularly energy efficient, but it is stunning. Compact fluorescent lamps are in the rooms, but hundreds of incandescents are the rule in the big ballrooms. When asked why not CFLs everywhere, the answer was they didn't have time to respecify the standard design for these chain hotels they got from the West. They needed the hotel space ASAP. Hmmm. We in the West gave them some of our bad habits. Shame on us.



Same answer on why not build coal plants with at least minimal controls. Nice idea, but no time to waste. Needed the plant on line. Emission controls, even minimal ones, just delayed the plant start-up. Hmmm. Why the big rush? The revolution of rising expectations. People demanded the power. To keep the peace, they got the power....and the pollution.



But now there seems to be an emerging balance between considering new supply and looking to reduce waste. That's a big change and it has lots of consequences, even in geopolitics.



The subject of The Individual and Energy was all about how the determination of the energy future is more being determined by local and personal decisions than by national governments. This was worldwide, not just in China. All national governments seem to be in policy gridlock. The first discussion was on the role of cities in going green, and bypassing the national policy stalemate. A compelling case was made that in order to "improve the state of the world" on energy, it may be more productive to encourage cities (being closer to the individual) to become more energy efficient and clean and green, than debating national leaders. The formula is basically that efficient, clean, and green energy makes a more sustainable city and a sustainable city is a more prosperous city in the long run. There is by this logic a direct connection between clean, green, efficient energy to quality of life to quality of work. It is in cities' best interests to pay attention to this logic. That was a novel thought.



To match with that insight, the World Economic Forum is creating the Slim Cities Project (read it carefully--not Sim City, the game, but Slim City with an "L"). The idea is to give cities the tools, the ideas, the examples to "slim down" their energy use, their carbon footprint, and their environmental impact in general. Then their progress would be measured and they would be awarded status as a Silver, Gold or Platinum Slim City. If the public buys the idea of a Slim City as the High Quality City, then the residents of a city would push to become the best Slim City possible. Interesting concept.



Then today I read in the Bee on-line that Sacramento wants to be among the cleanest cities. Interesting convergence of ideas. Becoming a World Economic Forum Platinum Slim City would give Sacramento (and the region if other cities join in) a much taller platform from which to shout its achievements and display is commitment. In the upcoming October 11 Clean Energy Showcase, it would be good to consider the idea of the cities in the region joining the WEF Slim Cities Project. We would be joining the city of Xi'an (the city of the Terra Cotta Warriors fame) whose Mayor made an impassioned argument in favor of the Slim City as the High Quality City, Stockholm and others. Pretty good company in which to find ourselves as a pioneer and a way for Sacramento to differentiate itself from the other Clean Energy Cities.



The next topic was how information technology could be empowering individuals directly to create the energy future they want. Through the ability now to purchase "green credits" for renewable energy, "white credits" for improving energy efficiency, and "carbon credits" for reducing CO2 emissions, individuals can actually direct money to the projects that increase renewable energy, increase energy efficiency, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Individuals no longer need to wait for governments to act. They have the power themselves. That was an important message and pretty powerful. It is all possible because these credits have been created, can be traded by Wall Street types, and actually are meaningful--so long as there are some basic standards for determining what qualifies for the credits.



But how do individuals buy these credits? They are not something you can pick up at the grocery---at least not yet. But that is possible. And here is an even more intriguing idea: Ever pull into a gas station, insert your credit card, and have a question pop-up "Add Car Wash?". Sure you have. What if a second option popped up: "Want to offset the carbon dioxide emissions your tankful will create?" On the order of $1 extra would offset the CO2 impact of a 15 gallon fill-up. Where would your money go? It would pay for projects, maybe even in China, to decrease carbon dioxide emissions that are occuring now. Pretty cool. Sure, someone would have to market the heck out of that to get people to actually press "Yes", but maybe that is something the Sacramento regional governments could ask the big oil companies to install. BP had a presentation showing the first station in LA that did exactly that. And it was a beautiful station, powered by solar and with a gorgeous bath room. Now people drive extra miles just to fill up there and use the 'loo.



So, come on Sacramento, let's get BP to put a Helios station in our area like the one in LA...and reprogram all those pumps to add a dollar for stopping climate change. And then let's get Shell and Chevron to do the same. Let's get a marketing campaign. We have had "Get Change Back from your Dollar at McDonald's". How about "Stop Climate Change with your Dollar"? That would put Sacramento on the map in a meaningful way. The cleanest, greenest city in the world? Why not go for it?



Three more days of Dalian this week, but not all on energy, regrettably. More tomorrow.

CleanStart Chair Presenting to World Economic Forum in China! Right now!

Gary Simon, the chairman of Sacramento's own CleanStart and Acumentrics, is right now on his way to China to present to the World Economic Forum. The current meeting is in Dalian, China.

This is a big deal for the Sacramento area’s push to be recognized as a world leader in clean technology. The World Economic Forum is held each year in Davos, Switzerland and attracts world leaders to discuss pressing issues.

Mr. Simon is going to be talking about his company and Sacramento’s efforts to encourage the growth of companies that promote and create green energy and technology. He will also be talking about the upcoming Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase, scheduled for October 11 at UC Davis.

If youa re interested in attending or sponsoring the event, please send an email to Ingrid Rosten at info@cleanstart.org.

Sacramento Gets Green with Enterprise Zone

Clean-energy firms getting capital welcome

By Clint Swett - Bee Staff Writer

Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1

Here's the news portion of the article "By a unanimous vote, council members approved a resolution to market the existing enterprise zone to clean-energy firms in an effort to make the city a center for the fast-growing industry."

Here's another nugget from the article:

"Barbara Hayes, executive director of the organization, said about one-third of her group's 60 active prospects are green-related companies, and that the enterprise zone status is a powerful recruiting tool."

Any chance we could invite those twenty companies to the Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase on October 11?

Sony, Waste Management to start recycling program

Sony Electronics partners with the trash hauler to help customers recycle all Sony products for free at 75 Waste Management centers.

By Reuters

Published: August 17, 2007, 7:26 AM PDT

Trash hauler Waste Management and the Electronics division of Japan's Sony announced on Thursday the establishment of a consumer electronics recycling program.

Starting September 15, customers will be able to recycle all Sony products for free at 75 Waste Management recycling centers, the companies said in a statement. The number of centers is set to increase to at least 150 sites within a year, with at least one location in every state.

Story Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

from News.com - original article here.

OK, how does this apply to the Sacramento area? Folsom happens to be home to Waste Connections, the I believe third largest waste management company in the US. So, maybe Waste Connections could hook up with another company with a large presence in the area like maybe Intel or HP?

John Edwards Thinks There's Opportunity in Green Collar Jobs!

"Which is why America needs to make a switch from our addiction to oil and carbon-based fuels to wind, solar, safer biofuels, and cleaner renewable energy, which will have positive impacts far beyond economic impacts. No. 1: It will create at least 1 million "green-collar jobs" in this country."

This is from an interview with Salon that ran Monday here. Green collar jobs are already happening here in the Sacramento region. Some of the companies hiring in this area in this sector are SunTechnics, Solar Power Inc, EcoStream and I'm sure there are many others. Anyone know of any other companies that are hiring green collar workers?

Politics - Lockyer: Sell bonds for 'green' buildings - sacbee.com

Politics - Lockyer: Sell bonds for 'green' buildings - sacbee.com:

"State Treasurer Bill Lockyer on Tuesday proposed a $5 billion bond measure to combat global warming by getting California's largest building owner -- the state government -- to improve its energy efficiency."

I think Mr. Lockyer should come to the Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase! Mr. Lockyer, I've got a pass for you if you want to attend. Can you accept that?

How to Green Your Work (TreeHugger)

How to Green Your Work (TreeHugger)

This one was pointed to me by Kevin Maney at Portfolio. Some good, simple easy to implement ideas including using less paper, encouraging working from home, teleconferences etc.

Any Sacramento-area companies embracing these ideas that want to jump in and be profiled here?

"Green Jobs Bill" Passes US House

From a press release from US Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA)

Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. House of Representative approved the Green Jobs Act of 2007, legislation introduced by Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA) to help train American workers for jobs in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries – industries that are key to U.S. and world efforts to combat global warming. The bill was passed as part of H.R. 3221, the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act.

We're not endorsing the bill just using it to point out the momentum and opportunity for businesses and municipalities to build with 'green jobs.'

CalChamber Has Resource for "Climate Change Policies"

The California Chamber of Commerce has launched a new website providing information on climate change policies for its members, businesses, policymakers and the public.

This actually launched in June, but we hadn't yet so here it is.
The website can be found at www.climateconnect.org.
Their release is here.

Looks like a great resource for California businesses that are trying to learn how to balance being green with being successful.

Sacramento Region Clean Energy Showcase - 10/11/07

Great event in Davis on October 11. Information below. Click here to register or here for more information.

Bay Area using Solar for Public Transit

Follow up to a recent article on public transportation going green. This is from Earth2Tech, Om's 'green blog':

Bay Area Transit Agency Lights Up Solar

Written by Katie Fehrenbacher

Posted August 3rd, 2007 at 7:55 am in Energy

The Bay Area bus agency AC Transit showed off a brand new 621-kilowatt solar power system at its Oakland and Hayward facilities yesterday. Nice. The solar photovoltaic system is expected to generate roughly 767,000 kilowatt hours of power each year and save the company $5 million in utility costs over the 30 year life of the system.

The deal is the latest move by an organization to save money through solar, but without the company providing a large upfront capital investment. That’s because the solar system is actually financed and owned by MMA Renewable Ventures, which provides funding for energy projects and is being built and installed by San Jose, Calif-based SunPower.

AC Transit will pay MMA Renewable Ventures for the solar electricity generated over a multi-year power purchase agreement (PPA). After several years AC Transit can either renew the agreement, or purchase the system from MMA.

This deal structure is increasingly common in the solar world where the upfront cost of building and owning a solar system has been a barrier to companies adopting one. In the release MMA CEO Matt Cheney called the deal proof that:

“solar power is an affordable option for public agencies concerned with reducing carbon emissions.” — MMA CEO Matt Cheney

A few weeks ago Arno Harris, the CEO of another company specializing in solar PPA’s, Recurrent Energy, told us that:

“this is the year of the emergence of the solar purchase power agreement. After 50 years of innovation, solar has a competitive offer. — Arno Harris, CEO Recurrent Energy”

There are several startups that sell into the solar PPA market, like SunEdison, Recurrent Energy, MMA and newcomer Tioga Energy.

There’s significant money to be made with PPA’s and PG&E is actually providing a $1.9 million solar rebate, under California’s Self Generation Incentive Program. Through that program PG&E will also provide $950 million in incentives over the next 10 years to help customers build solar systems.

We couldn’t make it to the official event yesterday afternoon where Oakland’s mayor Ron Dellums praised the companies involved. But we’ll go check it out soon enough.

Gillian says "Californians Want Gov't Action on Environment"

From Gillian Parrillo at the Sacramento Executive:

My own two cents, the eye-opening number is "significantly more San Joaquin Valley residents (35%) than residents statewide (25%) identify air pollution as a very serious health threat to them and their families." This is because it is a significant threat in San Joaquin Valley which according to a Kirsch Foundation study has 1 in 3 families with a member with a respiratory ailment and 1 in 6 of the region's children and 1 in 8 adults suffer from asthma.

----------------

Californians Want Government Action on Environment

For the first time, a majority of Californians (54%) say they think global warming poses a very serious threat to the state’s future economy and quality of life.

A majority of the state’s likely voters (54%) say that presidential candidates’ positions on the environment will be very important in determining how they cast their vote in 2008.

Significantly more San Joaquin Valley residents (35%) than residents statewide (25%) identify air pollution as a very serious health threat to them and their families.

These findings from a newly released statewide survey conducted by the Public Policy Insitute of California. You can read the full report here.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacrmento Executive

Big VC $$$ Available for Clean Tech

From Business 2.0. Now, how about some Sacramento-area companies step up and use some of this money here!

Clean Cash: Technology Partners Raises $300 Million Fund

The green tech investment boom continues, with Silicon Valley venure capital firm Technology Partners announcing this morning that it has raised $300 million for its latest fund. The cash will be invested in clean tech and life sciences startups.

"We think the convergence between life sciences and clean tech represents the next wave of opportunity," Ira Ehrenpreis, a general partner at Technology Partners, told Green Wombat. To Ehrenpreis, a leading green tech guru (or "cleantech" in the nomenclature preferred by some valley VCs), that means everything from bioengineering new biofuels to deploying advanced material sciences to develop new drug delivery systems.

The new fund has already invested in electric car company Tesla Motors, NFocus Neuromedical, which is developing technology to treat brain aneurysms, and laser hair-removal startup SpectraGenics.

The Palo Alto firm's lastest fund has also invested in a "stealth solar company" that Ehrenpreis declined to identify in any way. It's de rigeur these days to ask whether the big bucks being poured into such ventures herald a green tech bubble a la the dot-com bubble of yesteryear. Sure, some people will inevitably lose their shirts but the global warming-driven political and regulatory changes spurring such investments are unlikely to subside anytime soon. "I think this is just the beginning of another industrial revolution," says Ehrenpreis.

They like us! They really like us!

Sacramento earns high marks as 'green' leader

Sacramento Business Journal - July 2, 2007

The winners are Chicago, especially with its 2.5 million square feet of heat-reducing rooftop gardens and the planting of 500,000 trees; Stockholm, Sweden, which has 2,500 green-sector companies and is considered the least-polluted major city in Europe; Portland, Ore., with 125 U.S. Green Building Council-approved buildings, the most in the nation; and Vancouver, Canada, which wants higher-density living in the urban core to ease pollution and encourage walking while preserving the nearby forest.

The cities were chosen for their forward-looking green energy products -- including patents and growth in the high-tech sector -- communities that invest in green energy-related infrastructure, and fresh-thinking ideas that also lure talented workers.

"Fast Cities are considered to be worldwide centers of creativity where the most important ideas and organizations of the future are located," Fast Company editor and managing director Bob Safian said in a news release. "Our editors scoured the globe in search of places that best embody economic innovation and opportunity. These cities attract the best and the brightest, and are great places to work and live."

The edition of the magazine featuring these green-friendly cities will be available at newsstands until Aug. 24.

Siemens Identifies Business Opportunity When Going Green - SacBee

"Ask any superhero: It's not easy to stop a speeding train."

How can you not love an article that starts with that! Follow it up with some great quotes from Matt Mahood of the Sacramento Metro Chamber, Bill Boyce of SMUD, and Oliver Hauck of Siemens and you have some good reading.

Light rail on green track

Energy system up for test could save money and cut pollution.

By Merek Siu - Bee Staff Writer

Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, July 23, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D2

Ask any superhero: It's not easy to stop a speeding train.

But when it does grind to a halt, energy resulting from normal braking is lost as heat, dispersed into the air around the city.

Regional Transit and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District plan to put this energy to use. They are planning to test soon a regenerative braking system for light rail's Folsom line.

Similar to the system in popular gas-electric hybrid vehicles, braking energy from the electric-powered trains will be captured and sent back into power lines to boost the acceleration of trains as they leave the station. The technology was developed by Sacramento-based Siemens Transportation Systems.

While modest savings of $25,000 a year are expected, this move toward green technology is in line with a vision for the region held by some politicians and businesses.

That vision was highlighted at a clean-energy forum in Sacramento last week.

"Our region can use clean energy technology to become what Silicon Valley became during the dot-com explosion but with a more sustainable outcome," said Matthew Mahood, president and CEO of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

At the forum, Mahood announced the goal of creating 20,000 jobs directly or indirectly associated with clean-energy technologies by 2015. With more than 60 such companies in the region, the chamber of commerce has set its sights on turning the state capital into the world capital for clean energy technology.

Efforts to date have been noticed. The current issue of Fast Company magazine highlighted Sacramento as a "city on the verge" of becoming a green leader.

With clean energy gaining momentum, Bill Boyce, supervisor of the electric transportation group at SMUD foresees a big increase in the number of vehicles on U.S. roads running on biofuels or powered by a combination of gasoline, ethanol and electricity.

Hybrid cars like Toyota's Prius use regenerative braking technology. But where the Prius channels energy to batteries, the system to be tested at RT uses special capacitors.

Banks of these devices, each about the size of three "D" batteries stacked on top of each other, store energy. However, they release energy much more quickly than batteries. This surge of energy can be tapped in the 30 seconds it takes a train to get up to its cruising speed of 55 mph. Forty percent of the energy from braking can be recovered and sent back to accelerating trains.

Oliver Hauck, CEO of Siemens Transportation Systems, said the energy storage system allows trains to share power, let current infrastructure support more trains with fewer substations and shave expensive peak power demands. RT expects a 7 percent reduction in energy use and an 8 percent drop in peak demand. This translates into 175 tons of prevented carbon dioxide emissions, Hauck said.

Reliable service, however, is the most important benefit of the technology, according to Mike Wiley, deputy general manager at Regional Transit.

Last summer, long stretches of days with temperatures above 100 degrees led to soaring electricity demands. Huge spikes in power caused RT substations to go off-line, stranding trains without power about a half-dozen times.

Regional Transit hopes this system will help prevent such service disruptions.

Other than increased reliability, riders probably won't notice much after the energy system is installed. The energy storage device will be housed in an inconspicuous 10-foot cubicle close to existing stations.

Besides hooking the system up to overhead wires, no further retrofitting of trains, tracks or stations is expected. Maintenance costs should be low since there are no moving parts.

Similar systems running in Cologne, Germany and Madrid, Spain, gave the California Energy Commission and SMUD confidence to move forward with a $400,000 grant that should make Sacramento the nation's first mass transit system to implement the Siemens' energy storage technology.

"Sacramento, for us, is a perfect test site," said Hauck. "We found a good set of partners, in SMUD, Regional Transit and local political support. Everything came together just perfectly."

About the writer:

• The Bee's Merek Siu can be reached at (916) 321-1041 or msiu@sacbee.com.

Can plastic be 'green?'

GE thinks plastic can be green with their new EarthRewards credit card. The new card falls under GE's huge EcoMagination effort.

Marc Gunther pours cold water on the concept that "consumers will be able to dedicate one percent of their purchases to fund projects that offset carbon dioxide emissions. (They can also opt to get 1/2 of one percent cash back, in which case the other 1/2 of one percent will go to carbon offsets.) GE will then pool those monies and once a year -- on Earth Day, natch -- invest them in verified, transparent carbon offset projects."

As Lorraine Bolsinger, the GE executive who oversees its Ecomagination campaign, put it: "What's good for the environment can be good for business, and what's good for business can be good for the environment."

I personally don't buy Gunther's idea that "It's a small example of a bigger problem: the belief that there are painless solutions to fixing global warming and that it can be a win-win for business, consumers and the planet. In fact, the solutions will be painful for some, they will involve sacrifice for others and they will be developed in Congress and state capitols, not at the mall."

Why can't it start at the mall? Does change have to be legislated? Maybe the best way to make change happen is to make it pay.

Prosper Magazine - Thrive: Fuel Wars

Prosper Magazine - Thrive: Fuel Wars:

Great article in the new Prosper Magazine that touches on several companies with a presence in the Sacramento area. The lead paragraph is below. Check it out!

"Thrive: Fuel Wars
When Silicon Valley meets Big Oil, there are more twistst than a Bond Flick

By Michael Bowker

Hollywood should pay attention to what’s going on deep in the Georgia pines this summer. On the surface, the plot may not seem like much — a virtual company called Range Fuels with offices and operations in Northern California and Colorado. Armed with a $76 million government grant and $150 million in private venture capital, it is developing a new cellulosic ethanol plant in the Georgia hills."

U.N. taps Schwarzenegger for greenhouse message - Sacramento Business Journal:

U.N. taps Schwarzenegger for greenhouse message - Sacramento Business Journal::

"'Detroit has been slow,' Schwarzenegger said. 'They need to get off their butts.'"

That's not my commentary above. That's our Governor. It's blunt language but it shows why Sacramento and California are players internationally in moving forward for new green sources of energy and better ways of building a safe place to live for our generation and the next.

I'll take a large coke and portable hydrogen generator to go please!

This is serious green geek cool!

The below is by Michael Kanellos at CNET. He has a very touchy BS meter so it's always a pleasure to read his articles. Here's a link to the original:

Hydrogen power on the go

Trulite develops a portable hydrogen-powered generator. It's not enough to power your house, but it can recharge power tools or run a laptop.

By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: July 27, 2007, 10:18 AM PDT

Think of it as a briefcase for electricity.

Houston-based Trulite is developing a portable hydrogen-powered generator, the KH4. Pour water into the unit, and it will crank out 150 watts of power, and 200 watts at its peak. While that won't run your house, it's enough to recharge power tools or a laptop or run a small appliance, according to company CEO John Goodshall.

A target audience for the device will be contractors, particularly ones who work on downtown skyscrapers. Power tools regularly sap their batteries. (That's why Powergenix and other start-ups are trying to market new types of batteries for them.)

To get around the problem, contractors either carry spare batteries, which can be expensive, or recharge them with gas generators. The fumes and noise of the gas generators, however, are often incompatible with downtown building requirements. Thus, Trulite hopes that contractors will opt to carry its unit instead.

And for those people who bring a generator to a campsite to watch TV? A portable hydrogen generator will eliminate the noise.

The active ingredient in the fuel cell is sodium hydride. The material splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then pushed through a membrane that extracts electrons. The sodium hydride also stores hydrogen safely. Others are also working on similar solid storage systems for hydrogen.

"We control the flow of hydrogen," Goodshall said.

Once the fuel of the future, hydrogen now gets regularly panned by critics as being expensive and impractical. Advocates, however, say it could become an important green fuel when batteries or solar electricity aren't practical.

Hydrogen may be a niche, but its advocates aren't giving up. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, for instance, is promoting hydrogen fuel cells as a way to power boats on Swiss lakes.

Others have speculated that offshore platforms--decades from now--could harvest wave and tidal energy, turn it into hydrogen, and then ship it to shore. Offshore hydrogen would be used in those situations where it is impractical to connect a distant ocean platform to the grid. Toyota and Daimler-Chrysler continue to research hydrogen cars.

Trulite will release beta units soon, and the company hopes to start selling the KH4 in the second quarter of next year. The unit will cost about $2,000, which is far more expensive than a gas generator. A more powerful gas generator can be bought for $300.

Trulite's chairman is John Berger, a former Enron executive who is also behind Standard Renewable Energy, which sells energy-efficiency services and biodiesel.

Sacramento Clean Energy Showcase - October 11, 2007

If you care about how to create change in regards to encouraging companies and government to go green, recommend attending this event at UC Davis on October 11th. It's not expensive. It's a chance to hear people talk and find out what you can do.

GigaOm Reports on Rise in Cleantech Funding

The article below is from GigaOm.

Cleantech funding on an upswing

Monday, July 23, 2007 at 11:49 AM PT | No comments

The 5th annual Dow Jones VentureOne report and we thought it was interesting to see that it attributes emerging sectors like cleantech as one of the factors that made venture investment in 2006 the highest level since 2001. OK, so it’s still a small portion of total investment, but in 2006 the report says that there were 140 financing rounds for cleantech companies worth $1.28 billion — nearly double the size invested in 2005.