Replacing Oil

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus In London

It’s been such a good week for cleaner energy I can’t decide where to begin so I’ll quickly mention the three best things I saw all week (week and a half?).

In London, hydrogen might get a chance as they are beginning construction on filling stations making it possible to drive cross country in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles most americans have never heard of. They’re aiming for completion before the 2012 Olympics.

Investment in clean tech start ups is up over 80% according to the Cleantech Group and Deloitte.

It seems the good people of Los Angeles will not need to wait for feed in tariff legislation that has fizzled in the house. The Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) recently released a study on cost-effective approaches to local solar energy generation through solar feed-in tariffs (FiT). The same sort of legislation that has fostered unimaginable success for clean tech in Germany.

Did I miss any more excitement this week?

While the United States is still considering feed in tariffs, First Solar has signed a contract with Chinese government officials to build a staggering 2 GIGAwatt photovoltaic farm in the Mongolian desert.

The plant will operate under China’s feed-in tariff. Power companies are required to purchase electricity from the installation for a certain number of years. Since the projected costs for the massive installation are about 6 billion USD. A guarantee of return on investment in the form of the feed in tariff legislation is very likely the single most important factor that makes this degree of clean energy generating project possible.
More about this solar megaproject and China’s feed in tariff program here.

This is about to become my favourite biofuel types for its name alone. Woody Biomass, despite it’s funny name is getting a chance to both reduce forest fires and fuel rural economies with a 4.2 million dollar grant from the USDA.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack has awarded  grants to 17 small businesses and community groups to develop biofuel uses for the woody biomass that is pulled out of forests each year to reduce forest fire hazards. The smaller diameter wood and trees not usually sold for lumber and paper are perfect for biodiesel. Read the press release from the USDA for a full list of the 2009 woody biomass utilization grant recipients.