GEA’s 2010 Geothermal Energy Expo: 10 Days Away

GEA’s Geothermal Energy Expo: 10 Days Away

Exhibitors, presenters, sponsors, attendees and staff all eagerly anticipate the geothermal event of the year, GEA’s Geothermal Energy Expo and the GRC Annual Meetings, coming October 24–27 in Sacramento, CA. The 2010 Expo will feature over 160 Exhibitors from 31 US states and 10 countries: The number of Exhibitors at the Geothermal Energy Expo has more than doubled since 2008. Between the Geothermal Energy Expo and the GRC Annual Meeting over 2500 participants are expected. To stay in touch with all of the industry celebration and business that is the Geothermal Energy Expo follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAgeoenergy.

Opening Reception

The Geothermal Energy Association and Geothermal Resources Council invite you to the official kick-off on Sunday, October 24^th, 6–8:00pm in the Expo Hall at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Virtual Job Fair

As a new addition for the GEA Geothermal Energy Expo 2010, GEA will host a job fair. Look for the Job Fair table in the West Lobby near the Geothermal Energy Expo registration desk for a map of the Expo Hall to see what exhibitors have job opportunities available. Visit the hiring exhibitors to pick up company literature, meet the staff and make introductions. For more details on job listings, please visit our website at http://www.geothermalenergy2010.com/VirtualJobFair.asp.

VIP Tour of the Expo Hall

GEA staff will offer a tour of the Expo Hall at the Geothermal Energy Expo 2010 at noon on Monday, October 25^th and Tuesday, October 26^th. No reservation required. Just look for signage next to Expo Registration Counter in the West Lobby Convention Center. Tours will leave at approximately 12:05pm.

GEA Booth
Stop by the GEA booth, booth 106 to see what GEA has been up to in 2010 and our plans for 2011. We will also be featuring information on GEA membership, the Geothermal Energy Weekly, GEA publications, and events. Here you will also find out more information about GEA’s new and exciting initiatives for 2011.

Best in Show Awards

On the final day of the Expo, Wednesday, October 27^th at noon, GEA will celebrate by presenting our much-anticipated, highly sought-after Best in Show Awards to exhibitors chosen by a select panel of judges….and don’t forget to vote for the People’s Choice Award.

We can’t wait to see you. For more details on all Expo-related events see the Upcoming Events section of this newsletter and visit the Expo Web site at http://www.geothermalenergy2010.com. Please feel free to email Kathy@geo-energy.org with any questions.

Leading Author, Federal, State Agencies to Address GEA Workshop Participants on Climate Change

On Saturday, October 23, Eugene Linden, author of seven books and for many years a writer about global environmental issues for Time, will join federal and state agency representatives participating in GEA's Critical Issues Workshop in Sacramento. Mr. Linden has contributed to The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Fortune, and Slate and he has won numerous journalistic awards, including the American Geophysical Union¹s Walter Sullivan Award. He will be speaking to the question: "What the financial crisis tells us about how the world will deal with climate change."

Following his address, workshop participants will hear from key federal and state agency representatives. The California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission, US Department of Energy, US Department of Commerce, US Bureau of Land Management and others will discuss their programs as the workshop examines how addressing climate change could affect federal and state agencies and the geothermal industry. In addition to government participants, speakers from GEA, the Center for Energy Efficiency Renewable Technologies and Environmental Defense Fund will join leading attorneys from Stoel Rives and Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich in the discussion.

The GEA Workshop and Annual Members Meeting is scheduled from Noon to 6pm at the Hyatt Regency room C in Sacramento, California on Saturday, October 23. The Workshop will run to approximately 4pm, when GEA staff will begin the members meeting with an overview of GEA's 2010 activities and engage members in a discussion of industry priorities for 2011. The meeting is open free of charge to GEA Members companies, Expo exhibitors and GRC members. If you are interested in attending or to view the current agenda, please visit: http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1872&EID=7810.

Sacramento Mayor to Join GEA’s Karl Gawell for Geothermal Energy Expo Media Preview (October 22)

Next Friday, October 22, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will join GEA’s Karl Gawell in Sacramento as the Geothermal Energy Association provides a media preview of the 2010 Geothermal Energy Expo (press conference, not a public event). Karl will provide the press with an update on the current state of the geothermal industry from both a local and national perspective and will report on the results of GEA’s forthcoming report on jobs, “Green Jobs through Geothermal Energy.” GEA will also release a new Geothermal Education and Training Guide.

Geothermal Energy Expo 2010: Four Booth Spaces Remain

If you plan on exhibiting at our 2010 Expo and have not yet registered, please register soon. There are only 4 booth spaces remaining. For more information and to register, please visit our Web site at: http://www.geothermalenergy2010.com/

To view the floor plan for the 2010 Expo, please go to: http://www.geothermalenergy2010.com/floor_plan.asp

To register as an Exhibitor, please go to: http://www.geothermalenergy2010.com/registration.asp

To view the Exhibitors contract for 2010, please go to: http://www.geothermalenergy2010.com/contract.asp

Hope to see you there! Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions: Kathy@geo-energy.org

Lack of Climate Bill Discourages Investment in U.S., Says Investment Group

Lack of Climate Bill Discourages Investment in U.S., Says Investment Group

The lack of a comprehensive climate bill in the U.S. discourages potential investors of low-carbon projects, according to Rob Lake, head of sustainability and governance for the Dutch pension fund APG. Lake said a cap-and-trade system in the European Union has spurred investment, but that when his group looked into U.S. projects to reduce deforestation and degradation emissions, "the prices and volumes just were not there due to the absence of federal cap and trade."

See http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2010/10/13/12

Think Tanks Release 'Post-Partisan' Proposal for Energy Innovation

Think Tanks Release 'Post-Partisan' Proposal for Energy Innovation

A report released by the conservative American Enterprise Institute and liberal Brookings Institution and Breakthrough Institute says the United States should emphasize innovation to drive down the cost of clean energy technologies and curb greenhouse gas emissions. Policies focused on improving technologies to drive down clean energy costs will win support, they said. Their report focuses on four “post-partisan” approaches:

· Expand spending on energy science and education: Double the budget of the DOE Office of Science to address scientific obstacles and put $5 billion per year toward innovation institutes to tackle energy challenges and $500 million per year toward energy education.

· Overhaul the energy innovation system to focus on private sector and Defense Department needs: Form a national network of innovation institutes bringing public and private researchers together with investors and give DOD a greater role in administering DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.

· Overhaul federal subsidies to reward innovation that results in lower prices: Provide $5 billion per year toward the testing, demonstration and purchase of energy technologies that will be beneficial to DOD and also to the private marketplace

· Make energy investments cost-neutral: Phase out existing subsidies, increase oil and gas royalties, add a fee for imported oil, place a surcharge on electricity sales, impose a modest carbon price

"This framework is direct because the federal government would directly drive innovation and adoption through basic research, development, and procurement in the same way it did with computers, pharmaceutical drugs, radios, microchips, and many other technologies,” Michael Shellenberger of the Breakthrough Institute, coauthor of the report told press.

See http://www.eenews.net/cw/

Agencies Must Prepare for Climate Change Adaptation, Says White House Council

Agencies Must Prepare for Climate Change Adaptation, Says White House Council

A report authored by a task force from over 20 federal agencies and several White House offices concludes federal agencies must consider unavoidable side effects of climate change in their decision-making. The report was in response to an executive order from President Obama and was led by the office of Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality along with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The report, released October 14, outlines recommendations for preparation including: making adaptation a standard part of Agency planning, ensuring scientific information about the impacts of climate change is easily accessible, aligning Federal efforts to respond to climate impacts that cut across jurisdictions and missions, developing a strategy to support international adaptation and developing countries, and support local, state, and tribal decision-makers in places and infrastructure most likely to be affected. The task force will establish a partnership committee composed of local, state, and Tribal representatives by Spring 2011.

"This should mean that federal agencies cannot assume that protecting the status quo means protecting the environment," noted Karl Gawell, GEA's Executive Director. "This is particularly pertinent to renewable energy decisions where taking the no action alternative can mean blocking clean energy production which is a significant part of the answer to reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

See http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2010/10/15/3/, http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/21243

Legislators and Scholars Respond to Implementation of EPA Emissions Cuts

Legislators and Scholars Respond to Implementation of EPA Emissions Cuts

As the Environmental Protection Agency begins requiring cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial sources, the Obama administration promises a smooth transition, lawmakers continue to block climate rules, and many states will be required to change state laws that don’t allow regulation of GHG gases or don’t comply with plans to regulate only the biggest facilities.

A new paper by three Duke University experts says the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) of the Clean Air Act are a more practical way to reduce emissions under existing law. The NSPS have not been implemented by the EPA, which has thus far relied on New Source Review (NSR) provisions. The paper aims to balance EPA's legal obligations, based on their finding that carbon dioxide emissions are a threat to human health and welfare, with the political reality that no climate legislation has been able to build sufficient support from legislators.

In the absence of climate legislation, environmental groups feel the performance standards are "the best tool we have," said David Doniger, policy director at the climate center of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of three major environmental groups that have threatened to take legal action if the EPA does not agree to set performance standards for power plants.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MO), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee supports a measure to ban the EPA from regulating GHG emissions, preferring legislation to be written by congressional committees representing varying views.

See http://www.eenews.net/cw/

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43416.html

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/123055-baucus-opposes-epa-climate-regs

Wind power jobs facts

The wind industry employs professional and skilled workers in a number of different capacities. New wind projects require people with meteorological, business, and engineering experience to plan and build wind energy projects. Meteorologists help engineers to identify appropriate sites with a suitable wind conditions. After that engineers design the wind farm, working with the utility companies

Clean energy race - China plays to win

Renewable energy jobs can give significant boost to any economy, including US economy, but China is the one that is getting the lion's share out of it. If we look at the current numbers we can see that China has more than million people working in its renewable energy industry. If we translate this into the production number it means that China produces half of the world's wind turbines, supplies