Time For A New Vocabulary for Renewable Energy

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

Time For a New Vocabulary

for renewable energy

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

Source SEIA, Mar2011

US PV Market

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

Source SEIA, Mar2011

US SHW Market

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

Source SolarTech Mar2011

Santa Clara County survey

Market Challenges

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

Clean-tech is a global economic driver

Subsidies drive learning curve i.e. cost

LEED and “net zero” are reshaping construction industry

Demand Response & Smart Grid are critical enabling technologies

Environment

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

Source: Danny Kennedy CEO, Sungevity

We need a new vocabulary

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

1B tons of coal - every year

1 ton = 1MW-hr

At 3¢/KW-hr

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

100,000 trains

100 tons/car

100 cars/train

1B tons =

100,000 trains

each year!

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

The End of Fossil Fuels?

In one generation we can eliminate coal

In two generations we can eliminate oil

No one renewable can accomplish this:

Solar + Wind + Biofuels + Geothermal

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

How close are we today?

GW

Renewable Energy today 90% of Israeli homes have SHW

(21% of energy)

PV provides 5% of German’s electricity

California is ~20% renewable energy with target of 33% by 2020.

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

What is needed in America

Education

Incentives (policy) to drive learning curve

Respect for clean, limitless energy

Mar 2011SamBeal.com

Market is growing but not uniformly

Clean-tech is a global economic driver

Energy policy is chaotic - but improvingLEED (energy efficiency buildings)

Net zero home construction

Demand Response, SmartGrid, HEM

Summary