The Efficiency Fix For Climate Change

The Efficiency Fix For Climate Change by Joe Hogan, CEO of ABB.

Today, like every other day the past few years, mankind will release more than 116 million metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Emissions are rising faster now than in any other decade, in spite of our concerns about climate change and without new policies our daily emissions will reach 140 million metric tons by 2020.

As governments struggle to finalize a new, globally acceptable climate treaty, the difficulties are clear.

Yet there are still grounds for optimism, mainly because we already have solutions we can use to build a low-carbon energy supply.

As technological advances have made wind and solar power increasingly competitive, they have become the fastest growing segment of the energy market. There is great interest in offshore wind power, in the Desertec project that involves tapping solar power generated in the Sahara desert, and in similar initiatives in the Gobi and Mojave deserts. This is an encouraging sign that we are moving toward large-scale renewable power production.

But if we’re serious about developing low-carbon power sources, we also need to develop a power system that can deliver them: a flexible and efficient smart grid that will effectively balance our energy consumption with the availability of wind and solar power. The technology is available now, but it needs to be implemented.

We also need to put renewables into perspective. Our only major source of renewable power today is hydro, which supplies 19% of the world’s electricity–less than 3% comes from other renewable sources. Clearly they should be just one part of our overall strategy to combat climate change.
Surprisingly, our best prospect of reducing emissions is one that gets little attention: energy efficiency. Projections by the International Energy Agency show that using energy more efficiently has a greater potential to curb carbon dioxide emissions over the next 20 years than all the other options put together.

Yet out of $112 billion invested in clean energy around the world in 2008, just $1.8 billion was spent on improving energy efficiency, according to a study by the U.N. Environment Programme and New Energy Finance.

The reluctance to invest in energy efficiency is surprising. Investments can usually be recouped through lower energy costs in less than two years and businesses normally leap at such rapid returns. There is clearly something else going on.

A major obstacle is a lack of knowledge about energy-efficient equipment in private households, companies and public authorities, which is further complicated by the variety of available options….

U.S. Patent Office to Speed Clean-Energy Technologies

The U.S. began a test program to speed patent reviews for clean-energy technologies so they can be brought to market faster.

The program, announced today by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, would initially reduce by 12 months the processing time of 3,000 applications for inventions intended to improve the environment and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The current processing time for such applications is 40 months.

Locke, at a press conference today, said he would like to see the “final determination, yes or no,” ultimately reduced to a year.

Reducing the processing time will allow the U.S. to compete more effectively against countries such as China and India in the development of technologies that cut emissions of greenhouse gases tied to climate change, Locke said. Talks began today in Copenhagen to negotiate measures aimed at reducing global warming.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu, appearing with Locke, announced $100 million in economic stimulus spending to advance inventions in clean fuels, electricity storage and carbon capture and storage.