The Bureau of Land Management has lifted its month-old moratorium on applications to build solar and geothermal power plants on public land in the Southwest.

Faced with over 130 applications to build new facilities, at the end of May the Bureau announced it would take up to two years to evaluate potential environmental impacts. The hold was applauded by the Sierra Club and other habitat advocates, and by off-road vehicle proponents in Southern California and Nevada.

Renewable energy advocates pointed out that oil- and gas-drilling companies were under no similar constraint. When individual members of Congress noted that the timing — at the height of an energy crisis, — the Bureau said, in effect, “Never mind.” The agency will resume work on new applications and conduct its environmental review in parallel.

See the story in today’s New York Times.

Ever since SOLAR 2008 in San Diego, where I got to scare pedestrians with the electric Photon trike, I’ve been lusting after a fast e-bike. As we reported in the July/August issue of Solar Today, Chinese and European factories are now cranking out millions of electric-assisted bicycles, sold mostly to commuters. A dozen or more companies, like Optibike, have sprung up in the U.S. to sell or even make these machines. To be classified as a bicycle, speed must be limited to 20 mph. Up to 30 mph, you can classify the bike as a moped, and it’s more likely to be styled like an old Vespa scooter.
I stumbled across a start-up company right here in Boulder, ElectroRide. Their Spark prototype uses mountain bike running gear (except for the serious-looking roadie tires), but otherwise looks like a mean motorcycle. I rode the Guzzi over there to prove I could handle two-wheeled speed, and begged for a ride.

Blair Keller, the inventor of this beast, wheeled it out and turned me loose. It’s eerie to accelerate away in near-silence (you can hear the drive-chain humming, and a little tire noise). I found a straight stretch of road behind a row of warehouses and turned the throttle. It went 48mph, and 50 if I crouched over the “tank.” This means it will keep up with commuter traffic, for 20 miles at a stretch.

The 180-lb. Spark runs a 12-hp Etek motor, driven at 48 volts by four 12-volt sealed lead-acid batteries (lithium ion comes next). The hardtail frame is a little harsh over pavement seams. The second prototype will have a sprung saddle, a faster, 17-hp Perm motor with regenerative braking, a silent toothed-belt drive, an on-board charging system and nicely-finished fiberglass body panels. It will have a great weatherproof void where the engine cylinders and fuel tank sit on a conventional motorcycle — a storage bin to take your briefcase or grocery bags.

Plan is to get the Spark into production and sell it for about $3000 — very cheap compared to the slick high-speed electric commuter motorcycles, which start at around $8000 and go up. If I commute 10 miles each way, the fuel savings would pay for the Spark in less than four years. And of course the carbon footprint is tiny.

I look forward to a day when the our streets flow silently with clean, sensible personal vehicles that can knock your socks off.

Wheeeeeeeee!

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today addressed the Climate Summit organized by Florida’s Gov. Charlie Crist. Here’s what he said:

Well, thank you very much for the wonderful reception and thank you very much, Charlie, for the great introduction. I have to say that anytime that Governor Crist calls me to come here to a conference like this, I’m there, because I think he’s doing such an extraordinary job and so I’m thrilled to join all of you for another Florida summit on Global Climate Change. And, of course, California and Florida have so much in common, let’s be honest. We have in common so many things on the environment and when you think about the beautiful beaches that we share, the great weather that we share and we have millions of residents who want to preserve our natural splendor and resources. And, of course, each of the states have a governor that is nice and tanned. (Applause)

And each state has a governor that, at any given time, can go to the beach and rip off our clothes and be seen in bathing suits. (Laughter) And each state has a governor that can run for vice-president. (Applause) I know, you’re right. He’s the only one that can do that, you’re absolutely right. I stand corrected. But we still have something in common; he can run and I can vote for him. So here is again the teamwork. (Applause)

Anyway, Governor Crist, I think, has shown terrific leadership on climate change, there are no two ways about that. And he made both news and history in last year’s summit by issuing a call to action for Florida. He signed an executive order to cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy. He has created a partnership with other states and with other nations. And just this week, he announced Florida’s deal to buy out U.S. Sugar, which will restore wetlands and protect the Everglades. So let’s give him a big hand for that also. (Applause)

And perhaps most importantly he brought our nation’s fourth biggest state into the fight against global warming and he did that with full force. Now, his timing couldn’t have been better, because our states, nation and the world are facing unprecedented challenges from global warming to high energy prices and the threat of our energy security.

To overcome these challenges and to end the addiction to oil, we need a consistent, long-term energy policy that gives consumers more choices. And we have to stick with it, not just a few years until something better comes along and then drop it. No, we have to stick with it. Politicians have been throwing around all kinds of ideas in response to the skyrocketing energy crisis and energy prices, from rethinking nuclear power to pushing biofuels and more renewables and ending the ban on offshore drilling and it goes on and on, the list. But anyone who tells you that this will bring down our gas prices immediately or anytime soon, is blowing smoke. (Applause)

America is so addicted to oil that it will take years to wean ourselves from it and to look for new ways to feed our addiction is not the answer. The addiction our nation needs to go in and the direction that our nation and our states need to go in is where California and Florida is going and heading. It is towards greater innovation and new technologies and new fuel choices for our consumers. This is the only way that we will ultimately reduce fuel costs and protect our environment. In other words, America did not get into this mess overnight and we are not going to get out of this mess overnight.

We need to change our energy policies and our thinking and stay with it. It is shameful that we get less than two percent of our energy in this country from renewable sources. In California, for instance, we have 12 percent right now and by the year 2020 we will have 33 percent of renewables. In Denmark they already get 20 percent of their power from wind, because they stayed with it for more than 20 years, even when it wasn’t popular or appealing and even when the oil prices went down in price. The same thing is true with Germany, with solar. They’re doing an extraordinary job over there. And Brazil with ethanol. In both cases, they stayed for 30 years and stayed consistently on the program. They got there by making a commitment to clean energy and not by wavering. And now one in three wind turbines worldwide is from Denmark. Germany leads the world in solar power, which should be America. America should be leading the world in solar power. (Applause)

In the United States our domestic energy policy is all over the place. We had a big solar energy push under President Carter in the late ’70s, but then we abandoned it again and we didn’t stay with it because the oil prices came down. Or, for instance, Congress passed tax credits for solar, wind and geothermal energy in the ’90s and now it’s expiring by the end of this year and we have no idea if they ever will renew it, which ought to be renewed for another decade. (Applause)

We talk about fuel efficiency, but our average passenger vehicles get less than 25 miles per gallon, because politicians have not been willing to hold automakers feet and oil companies’ feet to the fire. That’s less than the Model T got in the 1920s. The Model T in the 1920s got more than 25 miles per gallon. I mean, that is extraordinary. Now, since the Model T has disappeared, America summoned the political will to put a man on the moon and to end legal discrimination and to bring down the Berlin Wall and the list goes on and on and on. None of that, of course, was easy. It requires tremendous sacrifice that was always painful and too often tragic. But each cause was guided by an unyielding and optimistic vision for the future. Today we have also visions, but visions of Congress patting itself on the back by mandating that cars ought to go from 25 miles to 35 miles a gallon, but this is by the year 2020. And they think that this is a great accomplishment and they have done the job, when in fact in Italy right now they already have those policies in place and cars have to go 35 miles a gallon.

I want America to be number one, that is the bottom line. America can and must do better for both our long-term economic security and our national security. Look, for instance, what our state and what Florida is doing. Our state — and I think that Governor Crist has just mentioned some of those things — we have made real commitments. In AB 32, to pass the laws to cut our greenhouse gas emissions back to the 1990 level by the year 2020 and then an additional 80 percent by the year 2050. As a matter of fact, today we are releasing the first draft of our scoping plan to implement our landmark AB 32 global warming Bill and this is going to be something that the world will be watching very closely. We believe in action.

We also passed the world’s first Low Carbon Fuel Standard that will dramatically reduce greenhouse gases, but put also 7 million electric cars and hybrid vehicles on the road by the year 2020 and reward innovation. We mandated clean alternative fuels without picking winners and without the kinds of subsidies that often create more problems than they actually solve. And we are aggressively pushing renewable energy, because we in California are big believers in renewable energy and, like I said, we will have 20 percent by the year 2010 and 33 percent by the year 2020. We also passed the Green Building Initiative, to make our government buildings more energy efficient by the year 2015 and the Million Solar Roof program and we are building a Hydrogen Highway that will go all the way from California up to Alaska. (Applause)

Now, this has been a boon for our economy. The Wall Street Journal was correct in saying that our policies are creating California’s New Gold Rush, because billions of dollars in clean technology investment are flowing into our state. And I know that you heard last night from Ray Anderson, who is one of my heroes, whose carpet company doubled its profit in the last 10 years at the same time its greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 60 percent, because he was committed to do it. And this is a billion dollar a year carpet manufacturer, but as Ray Anderson said last night, if he could do it, anyone can do it.

And he’s absolutely correct, because we all do have the power. Let’s not always wait for government. We have the power. The same is when it comes to cutting down on your fuel costs. Politicians, like I said, promise you that, that they will have a way and policies and laws that will cut down the fuel costs right now. It is wrong, it is bogus.

Who can cut it down is you, you, you and you. You can cut it down. Take your car, for instance. Go and get the perfect tire pressure. Tune up your engine. Drive slower. And if you want to be more aggressive, you can go out and when buy a car buy a hybrid car that gets 50 miles to the gallon. You immediately drop your fuel costs by 50 percent. And, if you get a little bit more aggressive, you can get a plug-in hybrid that gets 100 to 120 miles to a gallon and that means that you’re cutting your fuel costs now by 80 percent. So that’s the kind of power that each and every one of us has.

Now, let me just tell you, the most important thing is to know that also California is way ahead in that, because we have Tesla Motors, that is now being produced in California, which is a 100 percent electric car that goes from 0 to 60 in 4.1 seconds, it looks like a turbo Porsche. I test drove it. I tell you, it is a fantastic car and it looks sexy. (Laughter) It looks great, this car and you can drive 200 miles to 250 miles without charging it up. And then charging it up only takes three hours.

So those are the kind of thing that are available for people now and I think that people should really be in charge of their own destiny and how much they want to pay for their fuel, not wait for the politicians.

Now, before I close, I have a mission for all of you and that is as you research, create and support and invest in renewable energy technologies, think about the payoff. Not just for next year but also the next decade. Your idea might not look reasonable and affordable right now, but energy prices are not going to go back to the good old days, that I can guarantee you. So look at the long-term profitability, the long-term return, the long-term benefits. I know that if we all work together we can create a comprehensive, innovative energy policy that helps consumers, that protects our planet and that builds a stronger and more secure America. And this is what I like about this conference here. I think this is important, that we all get together and talk and bring everyone together, bring other states together. Or, like Charlie Crist did, bring out the nations together here.

So I want to congratulate him and I want to congratulate all of you, to continue that dialogue and to really make America the number one in fighting global warming with a comprehensive energy policy.

Thank you very much and I’ll be back. Thank you. (Applause)

SOLAR TODAY is now available online, in a digital edition. For now, access is free. Click here to check it out.

The digital version is a line-for-line, page-for-page duplicate of the print edition, but is text-searchable and carries no carbon footprint. The July-August issue is up now.

The cover story: Resolving the Biofuels Dilemma.

Also featured:

• How to finance your solar system: Finding money, tax credits and incentives
• Going solar in a condo: A Chicago couple did it
• Boom times for solar: The industry grew 40% in 2007
• SOLAR 2008: What happened at the ASES National Conference in San Diego
• Oregon builds a solar industry
• Recycling industry means recession-proof investing
• Living the good life off-grid

. . . and more.

Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman testified in Congress today on energy security issues. Read the full text here.

He summed it up by saying that DOE is

advancing the effort to curb America’s dependence on fossil fuels and reduce GHG emissions. These efforts are expected to eventually help mitigate the effects high energy prices have on the American taxpayer. There is no silver bullet that will immediately solve our energy challenges, or drastically reduce costs at the gas pump. But we need to work together and answer the President’s call to increase domestic exploration, expand our nuclear infrastructure as well as solve our long-term nuclear waste storage challenge.

Along the way he made brief mention of research support in renewable energy and coal-plant carbon sequestration. No mention of the freeze on renewable power plant permits on federal land.>>

About three weeks ago, we reported that the Bureau of Land Management was snowed under with permit applications for new solar and geothermal plants in California and Nevada, and wanted a moratorium on new applications.

Now they’ve got it. According to today’s New York Times, applications are frozen for study — which will take up to two years. 130 applications submitted before the end of May will be processed. BLM says they want to look at the potential impact on habitat, water use and potential for land restoration after the plant closes some decades on.

This is not good news. Climate Progress concludes that it’s a sly way for the lame duck Bush administration to stall renewable energy work on federal lands, while oil and natural gas drilling proceed elsewhere.

The first victims of this policy, if it stands, will be start-up renewable energy developers. But it may also put public utility companies at risk of coming up short, and late, in meeting RPS deadlines.

This may shape up to be a fight between clean-energy advocates on one hand and habitat-preservation advocates on the other, between the Feds on one side and state governments on the other.

Congress should step in on this one, right now. Rant to your legislators.

CIBC World Markets, the Canadian-based international bank, has just released two very sobering forecasts.

Getting Off the Road: Adjusting to $7 Gas in America predicts $200-per-barrel oil by 2010. By 2012 Americans will cut their miles driven by 15%, as 57 million commuters crowd onto overtaxed public transport systems. Sales of oversize vehicles — SUVs and light trucks — will plummet 50%.

What will that do to the economy? Oil and Growth: That 70s Show Rerun predicts it will drive inflation and therefore higher interest rates. The result will limit real annual growth to about 1% — what economists call stagflation, where unemployment rates and inflation rates drive a rising “misery index.”

The only bright spot will be continued spectacular growth in renewable energy and electric transport. Better invest now.

Barack Obama gave a speech on energy policy yesterday in Las Vegas. In it, he promised to

• tax oil companies to pay for a $1000 tax rebate to working Americans.
• enforce CAFE standards and help auto companies meet their efficiency targets.
• invest $150 billion in renewable energy.
• impose fees for unused drilling leases.

Here’s the full text of the speech:

I want to start by thanking the folks here at Springs Preserve for the wonderful tour we just had. What we are seeing here — from the solar panels that power this facility to the Bombard workers who built it — is that a green, renewable energy economy isn’t some pie-in-the-sky, far-off future, it is now. It is creating jobs, now. It is providing cheap alternatives to $140-a-barrel oil, now. And it can create millions of additional jobs and entire new industries if we act now.

All across the country, local leaders and entrepreneurs and small business owners are providing the innovation and initiative needed to make this transformation possible. In Pennsylvania, an old steel mill has become the home of a new wind turbine factory because of the state’s push for renewable portfolio standards that require the production of more alternative energy. Wisconsin is poised to gain more than 14,000 jobs at existing manufacturing facilities because of its investment in wind power. Where we’re standing in Southern Nevada happens to be one of the best sources for the generation of solar power in the world. Next week, our friend and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will come here to cut the ribbon on a new thermal solar technology plant. And between solar, wind, and geothermal energy, this state could create upwards of 80,000 new jobs by 2025.

The possibilities of renewable energy are limitless. But to truly harness its potential, we urgently need real leadership from Washington - leadership that has been missing for decades. We have been talking about energy independence since Americans were waiting in gas lines during the 1970s. We’ve heard promises about it in every State of the Union for the last three decades. But each and every year, we become more, not less, addicted to oil - a 19th century fossil fuel that is dirty, dwindling, and dangerously expensive. Why?

It isn’t because the resources and technology aren’t there. We know this because countries like Spain, Germany, and Japan have already leapt ahead of us when it comes to renewable energy technology. Germany, a country as cloudy as the Pacific Northwest, is now a world leader in the solar power industry and the quarter million new jobs it has created. In less than eight years, before we’d ever see a drop of oil from offshore drilling, they have doubled their renewable energy output. And they did it by using technology that, in some cases, was paid for by the American people through our own Research and Development tax credits. The difference is, their government harnessed that technology by providing the necessary investments and incentives to jumpstart a renewable energy industry. Washington hasn’t done that.

What Washington has done is what Washington always does - it’s peddled false promises, irresponsible policy, and cheap gimmicks that might get politicians through the next election, but won’t lead America toward the next generation of renewable energy. And now we’re paying the price. Now we’ve fallen behind the rest of the world. Now we’re forced to beg Saudi Arabia for more oil. Now we’re facing gas prices over $4 a gallon - gas prices that are decimating the savings of families who are already struggling in this economy. Like the man I met in Pennsylvania who lost his job and couldn’t even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one. That’s how badly folks are hurting. That’s how badly Washington has failed.

For decades, John McCain has been a part of this failure in Washington. Yes, he has gone further than some in his party in speaking out on climate change. And that is commendable. But time and time again, he has opposed investing in the alternative sources of energy that have helped fuel some of the very same projects and businesses he’s highlighting in this campaign. He’s voted against biofuels. Against solar power. Against wind power. Against a 2005 energy bill that represented the largest ever investment in renewable sources of energy - a bill that Senator McCain’s own campaign co-chair, called “the biggest legislative breakthrough we’ve had” since he’s been in the Senate. That bill certainly wasn’t perfect - it contained irresponsible tax breaks for oil companies that I consistently opposed, and that I will repeal as President. But the tax credits in that bill contributed to wind power growing 45% last year, the sharpest rise in decades. If John McCain had his way, those tax credits wouldn’t exist. And if we don’t renew key tax incentives for alternative energy production - tax incentives that John McCain opposed continuing - we could lose up to 116,000 green jobs and $19 billion in investment just next year. And now he’s talking about a tax credit for more efficient cars even though he helped George Bush block these credits twice in the last year.

After all those years in Washington, John McCain still doesn’t get it. I commend him for his desire to accelerate the search for a battery that can power the cars of the future. I’ve been talking about this myself for the last few years. But I don’t think a $300 million prize is enough. When John F. Kennedy decided that we were going to put a man on the moon, he didn’t put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win - he put the full resources of the United States government behind the project and called on the ingenuity and innovation of the American people. That’s the kind of effort we need to achieve energy independence in this country, and nothing less will do. But in this campaign, John McCain is offering the same old gimmicks that will provide almost no short-term relief to folks who are struggling with high gas prices; gimmicks that will only increase our oil addiction for another four years.

Senator McCain wants a gas tax holiday that will save you - at most - thirty cents a day for three months. And that’s only if the oil companies don’t just jack up the price and pocket the savings themselves, which is exactly what they did when we tried to do the same thing in Illinois. He’s willing to spend nearly $4 billion on more tax breaks for big oil companies - including $1.2 billion for Exxon alone. He wants to open our coastlines to drilling - a proposal that his own top economic adviser admitted won’t provide any short-term relief at the pump. It’s a proposal that George Bush’s Administration says will not provide a drop of oil - not a single drop - for at least ten years. And by the time the drilling is fully underway in twenty years, our own Department of Energy says that the effect on gas prices will be “insignificant.” Insignificant.

Just yesterday, Senator McCain actually admitted this. In a town hall he said, and I quote, “I don’t see an immediate relief” but “the fact that we are exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial.” Psychological impact. In case you were wondering, that’s Washington-speak for, “It polls well.” It’s an example of how Washington politicians try to convince you that they did something to make your life better when they really didn’t. Well, the American people don’t need psychological relief or meaningless gimmicks to get politicians through the next election, they need real relief that will help them fill up their tanks and put food on their table. They need a long-term energy strategy that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil by investing in the renewable sources of energy that represent the future. That’s what they need.

Meanwhile, the oil companies already own drilling rights to 68 million acres of federal lands, onshore and offshore, that they haven’t touched. 68 million acres that have the potential to nearly double America’s total oil production, and John McCain wants to give them more. Well, that might make sense in Washington, but it doesn’t make sense for America. In fact, it makes about as much sense as his proposal to build 45 new nuclear reactors without a plan to store the waste some place other than right here at Yucca Mountain. Folks, these are not serious energy policies. They are not new energy policies. And they are certainly not the kind of energy policies that will give families the relief they need or our country the oil independence we must have.

I realize that gimmicks like the gas tax holiday and offshore drilling might poll well these days. But I’m not running for President to do what polls well, I’m running to do what’s right for America. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make gas prices go down, but I can’t. What I can do - and what I will do - is push for a second stimulus package that will send out another round of rebate checks to the American people. What I will do as President is tax the record profits of oil companies and use the money to help struggling families pay their energy bills. I will provide a $1,000 tax cut that will go to 95% of all workers and their families in this country. And I will close the loophole that allows corporations like Enron to engage in unregulated speculation that ends up artificially driving up the price of oil. That’s how we’ll provide real relief to the American people. That’s the change we need.

I have a very different vision of what this country can and should achieve on energy in the next four years - in the next ten years. I have a plan to raise the fuel standards in our cars and trucks with technology we have on the shelf today - technology that will make sure we get more miles to the gallon. And we will provide financial help to our automakers and autoworkers to help them make this transition.

I will invest $150 billion over the next ten years in alternative sources of energy like wind power, and solar power, and advanced biofuels - investments that will create up to five million new jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced; that will create billions of dollars in new business like you’re already doing here in Nevada. And before we hand over more of our land and our coastline to oil companies, I will charge those companies a fee for every acre that they currently lease but don’t drill on. If that compels them to drill, we’ll get more oil. If it doesn’t, the fees will go toward more investment in renewable sources of energy.

When all is said and done, my plan to increase our fuel standards will save American consumers from purchasing half a trillion gallons of gas over the next eighteen years. My entire energy plan will produce three times the oil savings that John McCain’s ever could - and what’s more, it will actually decrease our dependence on oil while his will only grow our addiction further.

And that’s the choice that you face in this election. When you’re facing $4 a gallon gas, do you want a gas tax gimmick that will save you at most thirty cents a day for three months and a drilling proposal that won’t provide a drop of oil for ten years, or a second rebate check and $1,000 tax cut to help your family pay the bills? When you look down the road five years from now or ten years from now, do you want to see an America that’s begging dictators for more oil that we can’t afford? An America that’s fallen further behind the rest of the world when it comes to the jobs and industries of the future? Or do you want to see more places like Springs Preserve and Bombard Electric? More green jobs and green businesses? More innovation and ingenuity that helps this nation lead the way on affordable, renewable energy?

That’s the future I know we can have. That’s the America I believe in. And that’s where I will lead us if I have the chance to serve as your President. It will not be easy. It will not happen overnight. It will not come without cost or sacrifice. But it is possible. It is necessary. And places like this, and people like you, prove that we have the resources, and the skills, and the will to begin today. I look forward to joining you in that effort. Thank you.

In a speech last Tuesday in Houston, to an audience of oil executives, John McCain outlined an energy policy He said

• Federal regulations should defer to states regarding the opening of offshore drilling leases and the opening of ANWR for oil exploitation.
• The U.S. should fast-track construction of 100 new nuclear plants.
• Tax incentives should support renewable energy sources.

For a good summary of the talk, see the Houston Chronicle’s coverage.

A front page story in today’s New York Times carries the headline “Obama Camp Closely Linked With Ethanol.”

Right now, that apparently means corn ethanol. Illinois is the second-largest producer of corn, after Iowa. Sen. Obama has expressed support for the tariffs that keep Brazilian ethanol out of the U.S. market. The article says nothing about the future of domestic cane ethanol.

Corn ethanol may turn out to be a bridge technology to renewable feedstocks that are dramatically less dependent on fossil-based fertilizers, along with fossil cultivation, transport and processing fuels. Meanwhile, it’s nice to know that Midwestern polticians are crossing that bridge.

Sunday’s Op-Ed page carried a rant from Thomas Friedman that’s well worth reading. He says that the Bush energy plan is to intensify our addiction to oil. He writes:

Actually, it’s more sophisticated than that: Get Saudi Arabia, our chief oil pusher, to up our dosage for a little while and bring down the oil price just enough so the renewable energy alternatives can’t totally take off. Then try to strong arm Congress into lifting the ban on drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.