"3-Cleantech" via MaRS
Executives from the Ontario Technology Corridor, attending WINDPOWER 2010 in Dallas this week, are showcasing Ontario as the best place in North America to expand or relocate a wind energy business. A $7 billion wind and solar project with Samsung C&T Corporation and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has already been announced and will be the largest of its kind in the world.
Heather Pilot is a Director of Business Development with the London Economic Development Corporation which is an Ontario Technology Corridor partner:
"For the wind industry, our most compelling attraction is the Ontario Power Authority's feed-in tariff, or FIT Program. It features North America's first comprehensive guaranteed pricing structure for renewable electricity production, offering stable prices under long-term contracts for on-shore and off-shore wind, solar photovoltaic, biomass, biogas, landfill gas, and waterpower energy."
To get the latest please visit Ontario's clean technology incentives.
Making the States Full Partners in a National Climate Change Effort: A Necessary Element for Sustainable Economic Development
Source: Environmental Law Reporter/Widener Law School Legal Studies Research Paper (via SSRN)
This article explains why states and localities need to be full partners in a national climate change effort based on federal legislation or the existing Clean Air Act. A large share of reductions with the lowest cost and the greatest co-benefits (e.g., job creation, technology development, reduction of other pollutants) are in areas that a federal cap-and-trade program or other purely federal measures will not easily reach. These are also areas where the states have traditionally exercised their powers – including land use, building construction, transportation, and recycling. The economic recovery and expansion will require direct state and local management of climate and energy actions to reach full potential and efficiency.
This article also describes in detail a proposed state climate action planning process that would help make the states full partners. This state planning process – based on a proven template from actions taken by many states – provides an opportunity to achieve cheaper, faster, and greater emissions reductions than federal legislation or regulation alone would achieve. It would also realize macroeconomic benefits and non-economic co-benefits, and would mean that the national program is more economically and environmentally sustainable.
Several options available for retrieval of full text.
Nanotechnology: A Policy Primer (PDF)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS)
Nanoscale science, engineering and technology—commonly referred to collectively as nanotechnology—is believed by many to offer extraordinary economic and societal benefits. Congress has demonstrated continuing support for nanotechnology and has directed its attention primarily to three topics that may affect the realization of this hoped for potential: federal research and development (R&D) in nanotechnology; U.S. competitiveness; and environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns. This report provides an overview of these topics—which are discussed in more detail in other CRS reports—and two others: nanomanufacturing and public understanding of and attitudes toward nanotechnology.
The development of this emerging field has been fostered by significant and sustained public investments in nanotechnology R&D. Nanotechnology R&D is directed toward the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers. At this size, the properties of matter can differ in fundamental and potentially useful ways from the properties of individual atoms and molecules and of bulk matter. Since the launch of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in 2000 through FY2010, Congress has appropriated approximately $12.4 billion for nanotechnology R&D. In addition, the President requested an additional $1.8 billion in funding for nanotechnology R&D for FY2011. More than 60 nations have established similar programs. In 2006 alone, total global public R&D investments reached an estimated $6.4 billion, complemented by an estimated private sector investment of $6.0 billion. Data on economic outputs that are used to assess competitiveness in mature technologies and industries, such as revenues and market share, are not available for assessing nanotechnology. Alternatively, data on inputs (e.g., R&D expenditures) and non-financial outputs (e.g. scientific papers, patents) may provide insight into the current U.S. position and serve as bellwethers of future competitiveness. By these criteria, the United States appears to be the overall global leader in nanotechnology, though some believe the U.S. lead may not be as large as it has been for previous emerging technologies.
Some research has raised concerns about the safety of nanoscale materials. There is general agreement that more information on EHS implications is needed to protect the public and the environment; to assess and manage risks; and to create a regulatory environment that fosters prudent investment in nanotechnology-related innovation. Nanomanufacturing—the bridge between nanoscience and nanotechnology products—may require the development of new technologies, tools, instruments, measurement science, and standards to enable safe, effective, and affordable commercial-scale production of nanotechnology products. Public understanding and attitudes may also affect the environment for R&D, regulation, and market acceptance of products incorporating nanotechnology.
In 2003, Congress enacted the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act providing a legislative foundation for some of the activities of the NNI, addressing concerns, establishing programs, assigning agency responsibilities, and setting authorization levels. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate remain actively engaged in the NNI. Legislation has been introduced in the House (H.R. 554) and Senate (S. 1482) that would amend the act. The House passed H.R. 554 on February 11, 2009. The Senate has not acted on this legislation. The 111th Congress may address policy issues related to the NNI through this or other legislation.
States Leading the Way in Advancing Clean Energy
Source: National Governors Association
Throughout the decade, states have launched initiatives to improve energy efficiency, promote alternative energy sources and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Some of these state efforts to transition to clean energy are highlighted in a new report released today by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), Advancing Clean Energy: A Report on the Clean Energy States Grant Program.
The report profiles the work of 12 states, which were selected for participation in the Clean Energy States Grant Program, as part of the Securing a Clean Energy Future Initiative. The program provided states an opportunity to explore and expand new techniques for promoting clean energy, as well as develop and implement their own state programs.
