Webinar - Fukushima and Nuclear Power: Can we live without it?

Live Webcast June 29, 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT

Following the earthquake and tsunamis that tragically impacted Japan in March, the unfolding crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant has captured public attention for months. Energy experts are now questioning the long term impact of the Fukushima disaster on nuclear policy, international power generation, and the global carbon picture:

How has the Fukushima crisis impacted public opinion and policy debates about nuclear energy?

What do countries like Japan and Germany stand to gain or lose by giving up nuclear power generation?

What is the carbon cost of giving up nuclear plants?

How will countries that move away from nuclear make up that power elsewhere?

Has the demise of the nuclear industry been exaggerated? While some countries are taking aggressive steps away from nuclear, some accounts suggest that overall, the number of nuclear plants continues to grow.

Join The Energy Collective's latest webcast as we seek answers to these questions and discuss nuclear power's role in our energy future. Register here today.

You'll hear from:

Matthew Wald is a Reporter for the Washington Bureau at The New York Times, covering environmental and energy issues, as well as transportation, aviation and highway safety. Having joined The Times in October 1976 as a news clerk in the newspaper’s Washington bureau, Wald held positions at the New York metropolitan desk, the State Capitol in Hartford, and as a national correspondent, covering a variety of areas including housing and nuclear power, before joining the Washington bureau in September 1996. Wald has covered the Fukushima crisis extensively in the New York Times.

Edward Kee is a VP at NERA Economic Consulting and a specialist in the electricity industry with experience in nuclear power, electricity markets, restructuring, regulation, private power, and related issues. For more than 20 years, he has provided testimony as an expert witness on a range of electricity industry issues in state and federal courts, before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and before other legal and regulatory bodies in the US and around the world. Mr. Kee also provides strategic advice to companies and governments on issues related to the nuclear and electricity industries. Mr. Kee holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BS in Systems Engineering from the US Naval Academy.

Jesse Jenkins is Director of Energy and Climate Policy at theBreakthrough Institute, and is one of the country's leading energy and climate policy analysts and advocates. He is the co-author with Devon Swezey of the "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant" report on global clean energy competitiveness strategies, and is currently working on an update to the report. Jesse has written for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, Baltimore Sun, Yale Environment 360, Grist.org, and HuffingtonPost.com, and his published works on energy policy have been cited by many more. He is founder and chief editor of WattHead - Energy News and Commentary and a featured writer at the Energy Collective.

Marc Gunther is a veteran journalist, speaker, writer and consultant whose focus is business and sustainability. Marc is a contributing editor at FORTUNE magazine, a senior writer atGreenbiz.com, and a lead blogger at The Energy Collective. He's also a husband and father, a lover of the outdoors and a marathon runner. Marc is the author or co-author of four books, including Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business. He's a graduate of Yale who lives in Bethesda, MD.

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Energy in China: Innovation, Competition, and Meeting Soaring Demand

Live Webinar Jan. 31, 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT

According to a 2010 International Energy Agency report, Chinese energy consumption has doubled over the past decade, and will soar 75 percent by 2035, accounting for more than a third of total global consumption growth. To date, the largest portion of this demand has been met by burning coal, raising serious concerns about CO2 emissions and the battle against climate change, but China has also begun to aggressively invest in alternative energy.

In light of this, The Energy Collective's latest webinar seeks to explore how China may rise to the challenge of meeting its rising energy demand while fighting climate change, and how those efforts will impact energy markets and technology in the rest of the world.



The webinar will explore:

• Innovation: Will China will be able to move down the innovation learning curve and successfully design new technologies, or continue to manufacture Western-designed technologies? Is there evidence this is happening?


• Competition: Will China's policies and investments in alternative energy put on-par competition out of reach for the U.S., or is there hope the U.S. and EU will keep pace?


• Coal and Energy Demand: What role will coal inevitably continue to play to meet steep energy demand increase projections for China? Can Carbon Capture & Sequestration help limit increases in coal-generated emissions?

Featuring:

Gardiner Hill is the Senior Advisor on CCS Technology, Regulations and Policy for BP Alternative Energy. He is responsible for developing strategies and advising on all matters related to carbon capture and storage across the portfolio of the BP group of companies. Hill has been involved heavily in the research and development of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and in 2000, Hill joined BP’s central Group Technology function and project managed the CO2 Capture Project, the first international joint industry scheme of its kind. Hill sits on the board of a range of associations and special projects including; Chairman for the Carbon Capture and Storage Industry Association, Chairman for the CO2 Carbon Capture Project, and Vice Chairman of the Zero Emissions Power Technology Platform in Europe.

Marc Gunther is a veteran journalist, speaker, writer and consultant whose focus is business and sustainability. Marc is a contributing editor at FORTUNE magazine, a senior writer at Greenbiz.com, a lead blogger at The Energy Collective. He's also a husband and father, a lover of the outdoors and a marathon runner. Marc is the author or co-author of four books, including Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business. He's a graduate of Yale who lives in Bethesda, MD.

Jesse Jenkins is Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Breakthrough Institute, and is one of the country's leading energy and climate policy analysts and advocates. Jesse has written for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, Baltimore Sun, Yale Environment 360, Grist.org, and HuffingtonPost.com, and his published works on energy policy have been cited by many more. He is founder and chief editor of WattHead - Energy News and Commentary and a featured wr iter at the Energy Collective.

Register today and spread the word on Twitter and Facebook using http://bit.ly/EnergyChina

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Energy Innovation 2010: Rethinking Energy Innovation

Leading think tanks sponsor day-long conference rethinking energy innovation in the United States: getting to scale, making clean energy cheap, securing American leadership.


After two years of often-tumultuous debate in Congress, the national debate over energy and climate change policy has now been altered: cap and trade policy efforts have run aground in Congress, perhaps fatally, and Republicans are ascendant, reshaping the national political landscape. Meanwhile, with economic recovery the top priority for the public and policymakers alike, America’s clean tech competitors are surging ahead, raising the stakes for energy policy.

Against this backdrop, support is growing on both right and left for new national investments in energy innovation that can help address some of the most urgent imperatives of our time – renewing the economy, improving energy security and public health, and overcoming key environmental challenges.

A growing chorus of voices thus counsels a renewed national commitment to develop breakthrough energy technologies – and to the reform of America’s energy innovation system itself.

In recent months, energy experts have advised policymakers to: take a page from the nation’s long history of successful military research and procurement; build on the success of agricultural research stations and the National Institutes of Health by establishing new innovation institutes and clusters nationwide; promote the right mix of both competition and collaboration to spur innovation and productive knowledge spillover; reform energy subsidies to reward innovation; and restructure business taxes to promote investment in the building blocks of an innovation economy.

On December 15th, a group of America’s leading policy think tanks will host a day-long conference in Washington D.C. to rethink energy innovation.

Energy Innovation 2010, held at the National Press Club, will bring together leading experts from government, think tanks, academia, and business to ask hard questions about how energy innovation efforts can be brought to scale, how the innovation system must be restructured and reformed, and how to renew the kind of active partnerships between the public and private sectors that were responsible for so much of America’s prior technological innovation and economic strength.

The free, day-long conference is sponsored by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and the Breakthrough Institute, with the American Enterprise Institute, Third Way, Clean Air Task Force, Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, Securing America’s Future Energy, and the Brookings Institution. The conference organizers are pleased to welcome TheEnergyCollective.com and Yale Environment 360 as media sponsors for the event.

Registration for Energy Innovation 2010 is free, but required in advance as space is limited, so register now.

Head here to find more information, see the full conference agenda and register today.

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Natural Gas: Friend or Foe to Energy Sustainability?

Live Webinar Nov. 30 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT


New sourcing techniques for natural gas have a great potential impact on the makeup of global energy consumption for some time to come. The role that larger natural gas supplies will play in a push by many countries toward more renewable fuel sources may have a significant outcome for efforts to reduce C02 emissions worldwide and combat climate change, and yet natural gas remains little-understood and, in some instances, controversial.

Some see natural gas as a big improvement over more carbon-producing energy sources like coal, while others are concerned about the environmental impact of sourcing methods like "fracking". Will natural gas serve as an aid in the transition to more responsible energy consumption, or will its newfound availability depress energy prices and slow the move to renewable sources like wind and solar energy?

The Energy Collective brings together experts on gas and energy production to provide their perspectives on the opportunities - or challenges - that natural gas may present for a sustainable energy economy:

• What will be the impact of natural gas supply on financing renewable energy sources?
• Which new production and transportation strategies for natural gas could make an impact?
• Are there new opportunities for Carbon Capture and Sequestration with natural gas?
• Should natural serve as an interim fuel source in a move toward renewables?

Click here to register today for the free webinar, which will feature:

David Hone is Climate Change Advisor for Shell since 2001, as well as a board member and Vice Chairman of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). He also works closely with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and has been a lead contributor to many of its recent energy and climate change publications. David has worked as a refinery engineer in Australia, an oil economics and supply specialist and the Netherlands, and finally manager of the global trading and chartering of Shell's crude oil tanker fleet, before taking his current position.

Geoffrey Styles is Managing Director of GSW Strategy Group, LLC, an energy and environmental strategy consulting firm. His industry experience includes 22 years at Texaco Inc., culminating in a senior position on Texaco’s leadership team for strategy development, focused on the global refining, marketing, transportation and alternative energy businesses, and global issues such as climate change. Previously he held senior positions in alliance management, planning, supply & distribution, and risk management. His "Energy Outlook" blog has been quoted frequently by the Wall Street Journal and was named one of the “Top 50 Eco Blogs” by the Times of London.

Marc Gunther is a veteran journalist, speaker, writer and consultant whose focus is business and sustainability. Marc is a contributing editor at FORTUNE magazine, a senior writer at Greenbiz.com, a lead blogger at The Energy Collective. He's also a husband and father, a lover of the outdoors and a marathon runner. Marc is the author or co-author of four books, including Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business. He's a graduate of Yale who lives in Bethesda, MD.

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WEBINAR: Beyond the Meter: Next Generation Smartgrid

Live Webcast Sept. 8, 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT

Discussing the challenges and opportunities associated with a new energy grid and the data that comes with it.

The modernization of electrical grids presents an opportunity to improve the efficient use of energy through analytics of energy consumption data. Uses of this data can go well beyond efficiency and flexible pricing programs. Energy consumption data is a potential goldmine of knowledge about consumers. And this means that utilities, energy service providers, consumers, policy and regulatory representatives and vendors have interests in access, use, and storage of this data.

The question of who owns consumer data has been resoundingly answered, but many questions remain unresolved. Some of the most intriguing questions center on the types of companies that are most likely to find value in consumer energy data, and the types of products and services that can leverage this data. This webinar will tackle these questions and more, as we take a look at challenges and opportunities for consumers and businesses to create value from energy data.

Register today!

Featuring:

Christine Hertzog is a consultant and author focused on navigating the electricity ecosystem of emerging technologies and markets. She is the author of the Smart Grid Dictionary, which explains terminology used by utilities, regulators, manufacturers, and more. Christine has two decades of experience helping companies deliver competitive and cost-effective solutions, and frequently speaks and writes about the challenges and opportunities that Smart Grid solutions bring to the evolving electricity supply chain.

Paul Camuti is President of Siemens Corporate Research, where he is responsible for the Information & Automation Technologies Global Technology Field cluster and is an avid spokesperson for technologies that fall under this domain. Before joining SCR, Mr. Camuti headed the Chemical & Pharmaceutical Industry business for Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. Paul is a member of the advisory board at the University of California-Berkeley’s College of Engineering, the advisory council of the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Siemens Foundation board.

Wes Sylvester is Business Development Manager for Smart Grid at Cisco. Previously, he served as Director, Distribution Solutions and Smart Grid at Siemens Energy, Inc. Wes has been a representative on both GridWise™ and EPRI’s IntelligridSM, where he serves as chair of the Intelligrid Technology Transfer Committee. He is also member of IEEE PES.

Marc Gunther is a writer, speaker and consultant, who focuses on business and the environment. He worked for 12 years as a senior writer at FORTUNE magazine, where he is now a contributing editor. His most recent book, “Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business,” was published by Crown in 2004.

Click here to register for the free theEnergyCollective.com webinar today.

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WEBINARS: District Energy: Efficient Heating and Cooling using Waste Energy and Renewable Resources

Register for free webinars here: www.fluidms.com/webinars

District energy systems have been around for over a century, quietly providing heating to city centers, universities, and hospitals across the US. Today this once sleepy energy technology, is enjoying a renaissance as rising energy costs and climate change highlight the need for efficient, low-carbon, energy systems. Already well established in Northern Europe, a newer generation of district heating (and cooling) systems are tapping into waste energy streams and using renewable resources to dramatically reduce carbon emissions and stabilize energy costs. American cities and towns are now looking to unlock the potential of district energy, but barriers remain.

Please join Fluid Market Strategies for this two part webinar series on district energy, presented by friend of www.WattHead.org, Josh Hilsdon.

Both webinars will be presented from Helsinki, Finland, where Hilsdon currently resides and is home to on of the world’s largest district energy system. Hilsdon will introduce the basic technology of district energy, give examples of district energy systems in the US and Europe, and touch on a broad range of system designs. The second part of the series will focus on the use of renewables in district energy, and discuss the use of forest biomass in particular.

District Energy: Solving Modern Energy Challenges (Part 1)
Thursday, May 6, 2010 9-10 a.m. PT / 12-1 p.m. ET Click Here to Register

Renewables in District Energy: Sustainable Heating and Cooling for Communities (Part 2)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 9-10 a.m. PT / 12-1 p.m. ET Click Here to Register

If you are not able to attend the webinars they will be recorded and available for viewing at: www.fluidms.com/webinars

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WEBINAR: Climate Legislation in the US Senate: Will Obama Get a Bill?

Live Webinar May 6, 2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT - REGISTER TODAY

Following closely on the Earth Day, April 22, release date of the proposed Kerry-Lieberman Senate legislation (until recently the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman legislation), The Energy Collective will bring together energy experts, a key legislator from the U.S. Senate, and the head of the Environmental Defense Fund to examine and debate the bill in an online, interactive forum. Click here to register for the free webinar today.

How will the Senate bill regulate large emitters and price greenhouse gas across the oil & gas, utility, and manufacturing industries as compared to the House-passed Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act?

Among other questions, we'll ask:

• Can the Democrats pass the Kerry-Lieberman bill in 2010? What's the strategy for bringing uncommitted Senators on-board?
• What will the total emissions reductions be if the bill is implemented?
• Industries will be regulated very differently from each other in the bill - why is comprehensive legislation still necessary?
• What is the state of play on distributing free emissions allocations through the bill, which could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars over the course of the legislation?
• Why are pricing fees for emissions preferred to an economy-wide emissions cap?
• How does the bill address concerns over economic impacts of climate legislation?
• How do nuclear energy policies and incentive differ from those in the House bill?
• Your questions, submitted live during the event.

Featuring:

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) chairs the Senate Republican Conference and serves on committees overseeing education, clean air, highways, science, appropriations and the Tennessee Valley Authority. He is the only Tennessean ever popularly elected both governor and U.S. Senator. Sen. Alexander has been U.S. Education Secretary, University of Tennessee president, and professor at Harvard 's School of Government. He chaired the National Governors’ Association and President Reagan's Commission on Americans Outdoors. Recently, he is the author of Going to War in Sailboats: Why Nuclear Power Beats Windmills for America’s Green Energy Future.

Fred Krupp has been President of the Environmental Defense Fund for 25 years, and has overseen the growth of EDF into a recognized worldwide leader in the environmental movement. Krupp is widely acknowledged as the foremost champion of harnessing market forces for environmental ends. He also helped launch a corporate coalition, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, whose Fortune 500 members – Alcoa, GE, DuPont and dozens more - have called for strict limits on global warming pollution. Krupp is coauthor, with Miriam Horn, of New York Times Best Seller, Earth: The Sequel. Educated at Yale and the University of Michigan Law School, Krupp was among 16 people named as America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report in 2007.

Marc Gunther is a veteran journalist, speaker, writer and consultant whose focus is business and sustainability. Marc is a contributing editor at FORTUNE magazine, a senior writer at Greenbiz.com, a lead blogger at the Energy Collective. He's also a husband and father, a lover of the outdoors and a marathon runner. Marc is the author or co-author of four books, including Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business. He's a graduate of Yale who lives in Bethesda, MD.

Jesse Jenkins is Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Breakthrough Institute, and is one of the country's leading energy and climate policy analysts and advocates. Jesse has written for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, Baltimore Sun, Yale Environment 360, Grist.org, and HuffingtonPost.com, and his published works on energy policy have been cited by many more. He is founder and chief editor of WattHead - Energy News and Commentary and a featured writer at the Energy Collective. Jesse goes by @JesseJenkins on Twitter.

Click here to register for the free webinar now and mark your calendar.

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WEBINAR: A Conversation with Stewart Brand

A Conversation with Stewart Brand
Live Webcast with a Pioneering Environmentalist
February 18, 1 PM EST / 10 AM PST


In Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto, lifelong environmentalist Stewart Brand lays out what has been called “a mind-blowing vision for the planet's salvation: migration to the cities, power generated by mini-nuclear reactors, healthier crops through genetic engineering.” Brand, who created the 1960s and 1970s classic Whole Earth Catalog, believes that big cities (and not rural villages) are green, that nuclear power is green and that biotechnology is green. And, he says, we must take seriously the idea that geoengineering may be needed to adapt to climate change.

Brand’s book has been widely praised. Paul Hawken calls it “likely one of the most original and important books of the century.…” Edward O. Wilson says it is “ominous and exhilirating.” Larry Brilliant says it is “an absolutely seminal work, extraordinarily well written, a tour de force of so many interconnected worlds and lives and studies.”

In an interview with Energy Collective blogger and FORTUNE contributing editor Marc Gunther, Brand will talk about the evolution of his thinking, the research that went into the book and the reaction he’s getting from his friends in the environmental movement. We’ll also allow plenty of time for questions from listeners.

Register today for the free webinar conversation with Stewart Brand, February 18, 2010, 1 PM EST/10 AM PST

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WEBINAR: After Copenhagen: What Was Achieved?

Live Webcast January 26, 1 PM EST / 10 AM PST



The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or Cop15, took place in Copenhagen December 2009 with the goal of establishing a new climate treaty to replace the Kyoto accords, due to expire in 2012. The expectations for the first climate convention since President Obama has taken office and the first since China attained its status as a global superpower put additional pressure on world leaders and policy-makers to create a lasting and workable road map to reduce emissions and promote sustainability.

While the devil is certainly in the details, and most certainly the Copenhagen congress should only be viewed as a starting point for global action, it is clear that the world had hope for real progress and actionable goals. Did they get it?

With this question in mind, The Energy Collective, with our enabling sponsor, Siemens, would like to invite you to join us as we break down what was achieved, and what got left undone in Copenhagen this year. In addition to your questions, we will examine the events of Cop15 from a number of angles, including:

Was progress made on on REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) and adaptation aid to developing countries?

What about international technology cooperation and transfers?

What will the new agreements mean for high-emitting industries and companies? Those based in the developed world? Developing world? What about implications for other companies?

Going forward, will the G-20 and other smaller groups have more power than the UNFCCC in shape global climate agreements? Arguably, focused attention by just the main emitters makes more sense and would be more effective.

How will any Copenhagen agreements be enforced?

Register here today.

Featuring:

Marc Gunther is a veteran journalist, speaker, writer and consultant whose focus is business and sustainability. Marc is a contributing editor at FORTUNE magazine, a senior writer at Greenbiz.com, and a lead blogger at The Energy Collective. He's also a husband and father, a lover of the outdoors and a marathon runner. Marc is the author or co-author of four books, including Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business. He's a graduate of Yale who lives in Bethesda, MD.

Robert N. Stavins is the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, and his roles include: Director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, Chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Group, and Director of the Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements. Professor Stavins' research has focused on diverse areas of environmental economics and policy, including examinations of: market-based policy instruments; regulatory impact analysis; innovation and diffusion of pollution-control technologies; competitiveness effects of regulation; depletion of forested wetlands; political economy of policy instrument choice; and costs of carbon sequestration. Prior to Harvard, Stavins was a staff economist at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Aimée Christensen leads Christensen Global Strategies, advising corporate, philanthropic, governmental, multilateral, and non-profit clients seeking to address the global challenges of climate change, ecosystem degradation, and resource scarcity. Her clients have included the Clinton Global Initiative, The Elders, Swiss Re, the United Nations Development Program, Virgin United, and Wolfensohn + Co. Previously, Aimée worked with Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, as well as the Legal Department of the World Bank and the International Centre for Trade & Sustainable Development. Among other groups, she is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Renewable Energy.

Dirk Forrister is Managing Director at Natsource LLC, responsible for new carbon fund development. Until recently, he worked in the company's London office, where he was responsible for building the company's carbon finance business in Europe. He managed the development and launch of the Greenhouse Gas Credit Aggregation Pool, which grew to over $800 million in corporate commitments. Prior to joining Natsource, Forrister served as Chairman of the White House Climate Change Task Force in the Clinton Administration, and prior to that was Assistant US Secretary of Energy for Congressional & Public Affairs. He has also held positions as Energy Program Manager at Environmental Defense Fund and as legislative counsel to Congressman Jim Cooper, the author of two early climate change laws.

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VIDEO: Is America Losing the Clean Energy Race?

The United States is quickly falling behind Asian rivals in the race to corner the burgeoning global clean energy market, according to a report released last week by the Breakthrough Institute and the Information Technology and Information Foundation.

The new report, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant," is the first to thoroughly benchmark the clean energy competitiveness in four nations: China, Japan, South Korea and the United States. The report analyzes clean energy investments and policy support for research,, manufacturing, and domestic demand, with a particular focus on six key technologies: wind, solar, nuclear, carbon capture and storage, hybrid and electric vehicles and advanced batteries, and high speed rail.

At a briefing hosted by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Breakthrough Institute and ITIF outlined the key findings and their significance for U.S. energy and economic policy. The report's co-authors were joined by Congressmen Ron Klein (D-FL) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) who make remarks underscoring the critical role an effective clean energy economy strategy robust enough to counter Asian challengers will be to America's short-term recovery and long-term economic progress.

You can read an overview and download the report here and watch video of the briefing below (thanks to the folks at ITIF for the video):



EVENT DETAILS

Event: Is the U.S. Losing the Clean Tech Race?
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Time: 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Location: Senate Energy Committee Hearing Room 366, Dirksen Senate Office Building

Moderator and Presenter
Robert Atkinson (bio)
President, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Presenter
Michael Shellenberger (bio)
President, The Breakthrough Institute

Jesse Jenkin (bio)
Director of Energy and Climate Policy, The Breakthrough Institute

Special Guests
Member of Congress Ron Klein (D-FL) (bio)

Member of Congress Rush Holt (D-NJ) (invited) (bio)

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EVENT: Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant: Major New Report on US vs. Asian Competitiveness in Clean Energy Technology

A new report by the Breakthrough Institute and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant," is the first to thoroughly benchmark clean energy competitiveness in four nations: China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Developing better and cheaper clean energy technologies will be central to addressing climate change, securing U.S. energy independence, and creating new clean energy jobs. Increasingly, nations are seeking to gain competitive advantage in this rapidly growing, high-technology sector and the stakes for the United States are significant: will the United States largely be an importer of these clean technologies and lose the jobs related to them, or can America emerge as a global leader, driving exports and high-wage jobs?

The report analyzes clean energy investments and public policy support for research and innovation, manufacturing, and domestic demand, with a particular focus on six key technologies: wind, solar, nuclear, carbon capture and storage, hybrid and electric vehicles and advanced batteries, and high-speed rail.

Please join the Breakthrough Institute and ITIF for a discussion of the report's findings.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Washington, D.C. - Senate Energy Committee Room, Dirksen Senate Office Building (SD-366)

Moderator and Presenter

Robert Atkinson (bio)
President, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Guests

Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ, bio)

Congressman Ron Klein (D-FL, bio)

Presenters

Jesse Jenkins (bio)
Director of Energy and Climate Policy, The Breakthrough Institute

Michael Shellenberger (bio)
President, The Breakthrough Institute

Gary Fazzino, Vice President of Government Affairs, Applied Materials (Invited)

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One for the People...

Two for the globe...

Three for the future... keep it eco...

So many reasons to attend 350's International Day of Climate Action this Saturday! What's yours?

ACE will be getting down at several events across the country, not just in SF... Find us, click HERE!

Look for the ACE tshirts and/or tables at the events. If you say the password "climate hero" when you see us, you may win a secret prize...

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Upcoming Webcast: Rethinking the Electric Grid

You're invited to join TheEnergyCollective.com for their latest Webcast:

Rethinking the Electric Grid: Modernizing the Nation's Transmission Systems
Live Webcast October 28, 1 PM EST / 10 AM PST
Register here today.

With $4 billion of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act designated for the “Smart Grid,” or modernization of the nation’s electrical transmission systems, investment has accelerated at a feverish pace in viable projects initiated by utilities, research facilities, and technology companies.

The Smart Grid represents more than a commercial opportunity. It will make possible more efficient and lower cost delivery of power, better informed customers, smart appliances, distributed energy, electric cars and a host of other innovations yet to be invented.

In an effort to help our members better understand the policy, investment opportunities and trends swirling around this topic, The Energy Collective is proud to announce the second of our fall panels on energy topics: “Rethinking the Electric Grid."

In addition to fielding any questions from the audience, our expert panel will respond to following questions:

• Where is the leadership for innovation coming from? Utilities? Technology companies?
• What policies are needed at the federal and regional levels to support smart grid deployment?
• How will greater decentralization of the grid change the power distributors' business models?
• What role does FERC need to play, acting in concert with utilities?
• What roles will the customer and customer feedback play in the development of smart grid?
• What technology breakthroughs are needed?

Register here and reserve your spot for the webcast today.

Details on panelists below the fold:

Marc Gunther (moderator) is a veteran journalist, speaker, writer and consultant whose focus is business and sustainability. Marc is a contributing editor at FORTUNE magazine, a senior writer at Greenbiz.com, a lead blogger at The Energy Collective. He's also a husband and father, a lover of the outdoors and a marathon runner. Marc is the author or co-author of four books, including Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business. He's a graduate of Yale who lives in Bethesda, MD.

David Pacyna is Senior Vice President & General Manager of the NAFTA Transmission & Distribution Divisions of Siemens Energy Inc (SEI). Dave has extensive international experience within the power industry, having led project development and sales and marketing efforts in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, Turkey, Canada, and Latin America. He is a member of the U.S. National Executive Committee of CIGRE, and of the Board of the Power Equipment Division of the National Electric Manufacturers Association.

Jim Greer is Senior VP, Asset Management and Engineering for Oncor, the largest regulated electric delivery business in Texas, where he directs asset investment, performance management, sourcing, system planning, engineering and information management. Jim has held a number of leadership positions within Texas Utilities Company system since joining in 1984. He is also a member of the Texas State Board of Professional Engineers, the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Katherine Hamilton is President of the Gridwise Alliance, a project to modernize the US electric grid system and create a collaborative network. Since joining in 2008, Katherine has watched membership grow to over 100 members, and brokered numerous strategic alliances with key stakeholder groups. She has also been instrumental in spearheading the legislative and policy efforts of the Alliance in the past year including developing legislative language and providing testimony for Congress.

Click here to register

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WEBINAR: Climate Legislation in the U.S. Senate, Wednesday 9/30

Will there Be a Bill this Year? What Will it Look Like?

Join theEnergyCollective.com and WattHead.org's Jesse Jenkins for a Live Webcast September 30, 1 PM EST / 10 AM PST. Register here today.

Key U.S. CEOs and world leaders are urging the Obama Administration not to go empty-handed to the UNFCCC Conference in Copenhagen this December. All eyes are on the president, who will address the UN on climate change in New York on September 22 while the Senate considers climate legislation back in DC. But with the President’s focus on passing health care legislation, the climate bill awaiting action in the Senate risks being “back-burnered.”

Todd Stern, the U.S. State Department lead negotiator, has urged Congress to act. How critical is it that the U.S. climate negotiators have a bill this year? Would a strong bilateral China-U.S. agreement before December be sufficient instead? In the Senate, what type of climate and energy bill has the greatest likelihood of passage, and how will it differ from the House version? Do you agree with TEC blogger Joe Romm of climateprogress.org that there could be a “better” climate bill next year?

To explore these issues and to answer your questions about the current legislation, The Energy Collective and several of its members are presenting a live interactive panel discussion on September 30, at 1 pm Eastern. We hope you will join us.

All participant will be able to submit questions to our panel of experts. Moderator Marc Gunther will also explore questions such as these:

• What are the sections of the bill that have the greatest support?
• Is there any chance of a bi-partisan bill? If so, what is required for Republican support?
• What role will nuclear play in the climate legislation? Will the new nuclear title negotiated over break remain intact? Will there be greater support for loan guarantees?
• What about oversight for carbon markets, as addressed in the House bill?
• Will there be more concessions and free allowance allocation to carbon producers (oil & gas, utilities, industrial manufacturers) in the Senate version?
• Will a safety valve be necessary politically, and to ensure carbon permit prices are stable and predictable?
• How strong will international trade protection be? Will Obama reconsider mandatory border-tax adjustments to protect U.S. industries?
• What role will the EPA play in the negotiations?
• If legislation is not enacted this year, what constructive action, if any, can the U.S. government take at Copenhagen?

Register to reserve your spot for the webinar today by clicking this link. See below the fold for bios of the participants...

Marc Gunther is a veteran journalist, speaker, writer and consultant whose focus is business and sustainability. Marc is a contributing editor at FORTUNE magazine, a senior writer at Greenbiz.com, a lead blogger at The Energy Collective. He's also a husband and father, a lover of the outdoors and a marathon runner. Marc is the author or co-author of four books, including Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business. He's a graduate of Yale who lives in Bethesda, MD.

Jesse Jenkins is Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Breakthrough Institute, and is one of the country's leading energy and climate policy analysts and advocates. Jesse has written for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, Baltimore Sun, Yale Environment 360, Grist.org, and HuffingtonPost.com, and his published works on energy policy have been cited by many more. He is founder and chief editor of WattHead - Energy News and Commentary and a featured writer at the Energy Collective. Jesse goes by @JesseJenkins on Twitter.

Michael Zimmer is counsel practicing in the Energy group at Thompson Hine LLP, with a focus on energy regulation, climate change and energy corporate acquisition and finance transactions. He has been involved in assignments in non-utility generation, renewables, gas and electric, emissions credits, rural cooperatives, energy and emissions trading, and manufacturing industries. Michael is also currently national co-chair of the ABA Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation Resources Committee, and ABA Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Finance.

Manik Roy is the Vice President of Federal Government Outreach for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, where he manages communication between the Center and the U.S. Congress. Dr. Roy has twenty-five years of experience in environmental policy, having worked, before coming to the Pew Center, for Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Representative Henry A. Waxman, the U.S. EPA, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Defense Fund. Dr. Roy holds a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University and a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University.

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EVENT: A National Institutes of Energy: The Clean Energy Revolution Needs R&D

The Breakthrough Institute and Third Way have prepared a new report detailing how the United States can jumpstart a clean energy revolution through investing in research and development and creating a National Institutes of Energy (akin to the NIH) to spur the development of innovative clean energy technologies.

Breakthrough Institute, Third Way, and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will be holding a forum detailing the findings of Third Way and the Breakthrough Institute's new paper and describing how a focused program of innovation will help make promising clean energy technologies a reality and create a clean and prosperous energy economy.

Please see the event details below. We hope you can join us for this exciting event!

Event:

A National Institutes of Energy: The Clean Energy Revolution Needs R&D

Date:

Thursday, September 17th

Time:

10:00 - 11:00 am
Coffee will be served

Location:

Dirksen Senate Office Building
SD-G-11
Washington, DC 20002

Please RSVP to rsvp@thirdway.org and indicate this event.

If you have any questions, please contact Jen Pengelly at 202-775-3768 ext. 214 or jpengelly@thirdway.org.

ABOUT THIRD WAY: Third Way is the leading think tank of the moderate wing of the progressive movement. We work with elected officials, candidates, and advocates to develop and advance the next generation of moderate policy ideas. For more information about Third Way please visit www.thirdway.org.

ABOUT THE BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE: The Breakthrough Institute is one of America's leading think tanks developing climate and energy policy solutions. Since 2002 Breakthrough has been a pioneering advocate of an innovation-centered approach to the nation's energy and climate challenges, calling for major federal investments to make clean and low-carbon energy technologies cheap and abundant, strengthen America's economic competitiveness and energy security, and slow global warming. For more information, please visit www.thebreakthrough.org

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Senator Lisa Murkowski Says Time to Focus the Nation on Energy Solutions

Ranking republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is just one of the many members of Congress addressing students and citizens as part of Focus the Nation's nationwide town halls on clean energy solutions, coming up April 18th, 2009.

On April 18th, what will you be doing to focus the nation?!

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Breakthrough Institute 2008 Youth Conference: Breakthrough Generation

Breakthrough Generation Spring 2008 Conference

April 10th -- 13th, 2008
Washington, DC

[From: Breakthrough Institute]

Sick of politics as usual? Ready for the current political establishment to retire? Have a few big ideas of your own? Then you may be part of the Breakthrough Generation.

On April 10th, 2008, a small group of the country's top young progressives and post-environmental thinkers and activists will come together in Washington, DC to outline a vision and a strategy for a new progressive movement, one that leaves behind the old generation's narrow and complaint-based politics.

Young people today are faced with an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of this country. The collapse of the Bush presidency has ended three decades of conservative ideological dominance, and U.S. political identities are adrift. It is clear that how young adults seize this opportunity will determine the course of U.S. politics for years to come.

The new progressive movement has begun, and youth are already taking the lead. The youth climate movement has quickly become one of the largest student movements in decades, and it has the potential to significantly influence national politics and establish new and lasting political identities. In November, the Power Shift 2007 Conference took the movement to a new level, drawing over 6,000 students from across the country and gaining the attention of key federal policymakers.

Breakthrough Generation -- the youth initiative of the Breakthrough Institute -- aims to capture this moment by fostering the creation of a new and powerful politics that transcends the politics of the Baby Boomer generation and establishes strategic vision and clarity among today's young leaders for overcoming our present and future challenges. This conference will be its foundational meeting.

The founders of the Breakthrough Institute have made their own case for a new politics to overcome our ecological crises. But they do not view these writings as the final word on the new politics, and are committed to an intellectually fervent, open debate that engages youth. Breakthrough Generation will be led by a new generation of leaders who are hungry for a fresh, positive, inspirational approach to our challenges, and it will develop its capacity to become a key intellectual innovator and advocator for young Americans.



Conference Application

Download Application Here

The Breakthrough Generation 2008 Conference seeks highly motivated and talented young individuals who are willing to challenge accepted social and political norms and possess an ability to think and work in new ways.

Please submit a letter of no more than 1,500 words explaining why you would like to attend the conference, what you would like to see it accomplish, and what you see as the central challenges and opportunities facing today's youth movement.

All expenses but travel are covered. Breakthrough will offer a limited number of travel scholarships as need is demonstrated.

Applications should be emailed to generation@thebreakthrough.org by 12:00 PM PST on February 4th, 2008. Entrants will receive confirmation of receipt via email.

Please forward all inquiries to generation@thebreakthrough.org.

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