Beetle Kill and Biomass Projects

About 3 million acres of Colorado and Southern Wyoming forests have been killed by the Rocky Mountain pine beetle, which has infested the Colorado’s Lodgepole Pine population for the past 15 years. The beetle kill epidemic is visible all over the state and has turned much of Colorado’s wilderness from lush green to a dark reddish color, which is severely noticeable in most regions. 

The outbreak has become an increasingly pressing problem, as the beetle populations have sustained themselves and moved upwards in elevation due to the past few relatively warm winters, and also have developed more expansive eating habits. The Forest Service has worked to clear some of the dead forests in efforts to prevent further spread of beetle populations. The vast areas of dead trees also present growing concerns regarding forest fire danger, watershed damage, trail and road damage, and power line damage.

Growing operations to remove the dead trees throughout Colorado’s forests means an increase in timber supply, which needs a use. Using the dead trees for lumber and commodity type products is difficult, as the trees killed by beetles loose their saw log value in less than two years. The beetles also leave the trees with a blue stain caused by a fungus and this reduces the market value of the wood. 

Biomass projects have become an increasingly viable and logical option for making use of the beetle kill trees, as clearing dead forests becomes a priority for the Forest Service. Although there are concerns about the environmental impact from extracting the trees from the forest, it is imperative that measures be taken to appropriately manage Colorado’s forests in order to prevent forest fires resulting in damaged watersheds.

Colorado has passed a list of bills in the past couple years that have created incentives for biomass projects in the state.

More from Elle Carberry of the CGTI

One of two co-founders and one of three managing directors of the China Greentech Initiative, Elle Carberry, resides in China to truly keep her finger on the ever changing pulse of country's greentech industry.

Elle weighs in with us on everything from the speculative talk of an economic hard landing in China to their aggressive and successful efforts at creating a Strong and Smart Grid Plan.

As rumors and speculations swirl about the possibility of China experiencing a hard landing, how could that affect the country's efforts and ambitions in the greentech industry? It's a question that has been looming for months. 

"Generally from '09 to now China has been trying to stimulate domestic consumption – and China knew it had to do that—it knows it has to do that—there’s no choice about it—its what you do. Their average GDP per person is growing all the time. China has an emerging middle class where their incomes are going up 10 and 15 percent year over year, so it’s tangible. People have money but people need to spend money and they need to spend it in their own domestic economy," Carberry said.

For China, one of the answers has been to move forward with greentech initiatives. Despite setbacks, maintaining and increasing greentech targets is essential.

"The solar industry in particular has been through a bit of a hit, so they immediately increased the targets for how much solar and wind power it wants to produce in this current five year plan," said Carberry. "It’s already been making adjustments directly through the mandate that says the country will install this many gigawatts of wind and solar and biofuels, that’s the kind of thing that they will continue to do." 

One of China's particularly interesting greentech initiatives is Waste to Energy (WtE) efforts. WtE refers to taking any biofuel/waste and finding ways to harness it for a growing population's energy consumption needs. 

The China Greentech Initiative

The China Greentech Initiative (CGTI) is an organization devoted to connecting cleantech markets in China with international technology buyers and sellers, service providers, investors and policy makers. The initiative serves as a key bridge between U.S. cleantech markets and those in China, as CGTI provides its partners with valuable advice and services as they look to expand into Chinese markets. CGTI offers a Partner Program as well as Partner-specific Advisory Services, providing their clients with valuable insight into emerging market opportunities. The initiative works to connect U.S. and Chinese industry experts, fostering working business relationships, and provides valuable information on China’s greentech markets through their China Greentech Report.

On Wednesday June 20^th the China Greentech Initiative put on a panel discussion lead by CGTI’s co founder and Managing Director, Ellen Carberry. The event served as a valuable introduction between U.S. cleantech firms and the CGTI and also provided insight into China’s growing greentech industry and need for clean energy technologies. Ellen and her colleagues have decades of experience working with technology industries in both China and the U.S. and serve as a valuable link for U.S. clean technology experts who want to expand into China’s greentech markets.

Growing public engagement on environmental issues in China along with improved greentech polices has driven the nation to grow its cleantech markets and partner with foreign experts in the sector. Bringing U.S. based technologies into Chinese market can be difficult and intimidating for foreign technology providers. CGTI however, has developed close relationships with companies, service providers and policy makers in both China and the U.S., and partnership with the initiative helps to ease this process and foster strong working relationships. The initiative is also key in educating its clients on government policies and helping to create working relationships between the two parties as U.S. technology providers look to expand into foreign markets. CGTI offers services in a wide range of cleantech sectors in China including cleaner conventional energy, renewable energy, electric power infrastructure, green building, cleaner transportation, clean water, and waste management. CGTI partnership programs offer a platform that provides more successful industry connections and advice than any one company can.

Visit China Greentech Initiative’s website: www.china-greentech.com

Post Author: Halsey Landon, CCIA Public Policy and Special Projects Intern

Chris Shapard Speaks at Clinton Global Initiative

 Last week, Colorado Cleantech Industry Association Executive Director Chris Shapard spoke on a panel at the Clinton Global Initiative. This annual event focuses on finding solutions that promote economic recovery in the United States.

Chris spoke on a panel focused on “Place-Based Innovation: Creating Centers of Prosperity.” She joined John Sibley Butler from The University of Texas at Austin; Ann Miura-Ko, managing partner at FLOODGATE; and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders to discuss developing technology clusters that foster economic growth and innovation. The panel was moderated by Maria Bartiromo, an anchor at CNBC.

As the only cleantech industry executive on the panel, Chris brought a unique perspective to the group, talking about the need for a national energy policy and creating successful innovation centers by focusing on the industry needs.

“With my background in economic development, I find that when an organization is developed by the industry to have common goals and define similar objectives, it is easier and more sustainable to grow,” Chris said. “The industry is focused on being profitable and a way to create a profitable technology cluster is to foster workforce readiness.”

Chris pointed to the creation of the Cleantech Fellows Institute as one way Colorado is working to get the workforce ready for job development. The Cleantech Fellows Institute works with executives from other industries to teach them about the cleantech industry so that they have the tools to start their own venture-back cleantech business.

The panel focused on how partnerships formed with local organizations, like the one CCIA has with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), creates an effective ecosystem that fosters the connection necessary to spur innovation, grow businesses and create jobs. A supportive environment also includes available financing, a community of peer businesses, a skilled workforce and market access.

To watch the entire panel, visit the CGI website: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/376536/CGIAmerica2012/videos/1370528

CCIA's 2012 Legislative Session Wrap-up

2012 was another successful session at the State Legislature for CCIA.  In addition to passing our bill, we successfully weighed in on a variety of bills on behalf of the cleantech industry in Colorado.

On May 3, Governor Hickenlooper signed our bill, HB 1258 – Alternative Fuel Vehicle Charging Stations, into law.  CCIA would like to thank our bill sponsors Rep. Brian DelGrosso (R-Loveland) and Sen. Cheri Jahn (D – Wheat Ridge) for their leadership on this important issue.  CCIA would also like to thank the many stakeholders who helped pass this legislation.  

HB 1258 clarifies that if a business places an electric vehicle charging station or natural gas fueling station on their property and offers this to their customers, they are not regulated by the PUC.  This places natural gas and electricity for alternative fuel vehicles on par with gasoline and diesel in the marketplace.  In addition, the bill clarifies that if a business has renewable energy on their property and also an electric vehicle charging station they will not be regulated by the PUC.

This session CCIA also weighed in on several bills in various committees including the two listed below signed into law by the Governor:

• HB 1312 – Clarifies and streamlines local government and PUC jurisdiction for new transmission relating to Certificates of Public Convenience & Necessity;

• HB 1315 – Reorganization & Funding for the Governor’s Energy Office. This bill changes the department’s name to the Colorado Energy Office, fully funds the office and breaks it into two divisions: 1) Renewable Energy Fund; and 2) Innovative (Traditional) Energy Fund.  This bill will allow the office to maintain current staffing levels and existing programs while also focusing on innovation with traditional energy in Colorado.

NYC to test drive EV cabs

In recent years, we've seen new technology competitors throw down the gauntlet in order to get a stronghold on their market. We saw it with HD DVD and Blu-Ray, and now we're seeing it with electric vehicles. 

NYC is about to launch a pilot program during 2012 where six Nissan Leaf EVs will begin operating in the city as taxis. In October 2013, Nissan's gas-engine NV200 will begin its reign as New York's new go-to taxi. 

However, the Nissan Leaf has some competition to surpass in order to nab the coveted spot as the EV cab of the future. First, the Leaf, is sort of a gateway vehicle to Nissan's CHAdeMo, a quick-charge EV. With the CHAdeMo, Nissan wants to set the standard globally for quick-charge EVs. 

Of course, the CHAdeMo has competition backed by General Motors Co in the form of the Combo. 

As expected, the two competing vehicles do not have compatible charging capabilities, which would mean one will have to win out over the other before a viable solution for installing and managing quick-charge stations can be found. 

EVs have a limited travel range, so it will be essential to have a solution before any large scale adoption can occur.  

Alternatives such as setting up battery changing stations has been suggested, but it remains unclear at this time how realistic of an option that may be.

The spotlight is shining directly on the biofuels industry

Just a few short years ago, biofuels seemed more like a pipe dream than something Gucci would be selling in their 2012 sunglasses line. But in the here and now, that is the case.

Gucci isn’t alone in adopting biofuels and materials into their manufacturing practices. In their case it’s making a pair of sunglasses out of liquid wood product. The fashion mammoth has also ensured that the sunglasses are fully biodegradable.

The bigger issue at hand than fancy sunglasses is the viability of biofuel plants as a feasible option to convert to energy.

Industry analysts are now calling this a “make it or break it” period for the biofuels industry. Currently surviving largely on subsidies, insiders are claiming that advanced biofuel makers are going to have to have some major breakthroughs to get a stronghold on the alternative energy market.

The biofuels industry has found ways in recent decades to relieve any competition with food supplies to assuage concerns in that realm. 

The question now becomes will biofuel makers be able to convince the rest of the world that biofuel energy is a good choice.