| President Obama Delivers Remarks on Energy CQ Transcript Wire
SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
[*] OBAMA: Good afternoon, everybody.
Since taking the -- excuse me. Since taking office, my administration's mounted a sustained response to a historic economic crisis. But even as we take decisive action to repair the damage to our economy, we're also working to build a new foundation for a sustained and lasting economic growth.
Now, we know this won't be easy, but this is a moment where we've been called upon to cast off the old ways of doing business and act boldly to reclaim America's future.
Nowhere is this more important than in building a new clean- energy economy, ending our dependence on foreign oil, and limiting the dangerous pollutants that threaten our health and the health of our planet. And that's precisely what we've begun to do.
Thanks to broad coalitions ranging from business to labor, investors to entrepreneurs, Democrats and Republicans from coal states and coastal states, and all who are willing to take on this challenge, we've come together to achieve more in the past few months to create a new clean-energy economy than we have in decades.
We began with historic investments in the Recovery Act and the federal budget that will help create hundreds of thousands of jobs doing the work of doubling our country's supply of renewable energy.
We're talking about jobs building wind turbines and solar panels, jobs developing next-generation solutions for next-generation cars, jobs upgrading our outdated power grid so it can carry clean, renewable energy from the far-flung areas that harness it to the big cities that use it.
And thanks to a remarkable partnership between automakers, autoworkers, environmental advocates, and states, we created incentives for companies to develop cleaner, more efficient vehicles, and for Americans to drive them. We set in motion a new national policy aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States.
And as a result, we'll save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years, the projected equivalent of taking 58 million cars off the road for an entire year.
OBAMA: We know that, even as we seek solutions to our energy problems at home, the solution to global climate change requires American leadership abroad. That's why I've appointed a global climate envoy to help lead our re-engagement with the international community, as we find sustainable ways to transition to a global low- carbon economy.
And now, just last Friday, the House of Representatives came together to pass an extraordinary piece of legislation that will finally open the door to decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, preventing the worst consequences of climate change, and making clean energy the profitable kind of energy.
Thanks to members of Congress who are willing to place America's progress before the usual Washington politics, this bill will create new businesses, new industries, and millions of new jobs, all without imposing untenable new burdens on the American people or America's businesses.
In the months to come, the Senate will take up its version of the energy bill. And I am confident that they, too, will choose to move this country forward.
So we've gotten a lot done on the energy front over the last six months. But even as we're changing the ways we're producing energy, we're also changing the ways we use energy. In fact, one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest ways to make our economy stronger and cleaner is to make our economy more energy efficient. And that's something that Secretary Chu is working every single day to work through.
We know the benefits. In the -- in the late 1970s, the state of California enacted tougher energy-efficiency policies. Over the next three decades, those policies helped create almost 1.5 million jobs. And today, Californians consume 40 percent less energy per person than the national average, which over time has prevented the need to build at least 24 new power plants.
Think about that: California, producing jobs, their economy keeping pace with the rest of the country, and yet they've been able to maintain their energy usage at a much lower level than the rest of the country.
So that's why we took significant steps in the Recovery Act to invest in energy-efficiency measures, from modernizing federal buildings to helping American families make upgrades to their homes, steps that will create jobs and save taxpayers and consumers money.
And that's why I've asked Secretary Chu to lead a new effort at the Department of Energy focusing on implementing more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances like refrigerators and ovens, which will spark innovation, save consumers money, and reduce energy demand.
So today we're announcing additional actions to promote energy efficiency across America, actions that will create jobs in the short run and save money and reduce dangerous emissions in the long run.
The first step we're taking sets new efficiency standards on fluorescent and incandescent lighting. Now, I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and our businesses.
Between 2012 and 2042, these new standards will save consumers up to $4 billion a year, conserve enough electricity to power every home in America for 10 months, reduce emissions equal to the amount produced by 166 million cars each year, and eliminate the need for as many as 14 coal-fired power plants.
And, by the way, we're going to start here at the White House. Secretary Chu has already started to take a look at our light bulbs, and we're going to see what we need to replace them with energy- efficient light bulbs.
And if we want to make our economy run more efficiently, we've also got to make our homes and businesses run more efficiently. And that's why we're also speeding up a $346 million investment under the Recovery Act to expand and accelerate the development, deployment, and use of energy-efficient technologies in residential and commercial buildings, which consume almost 40 percent of the energy we use and contribute to almost 40 percent of the carbon pollution we produce.
We're talking about technologies that are available right now or will soon be available, from lighting to windows, heating to cooling, smart sensors and controls. By adopting these technologies in our homes and businesses, we can make our buildings up to 80 percent more energy efficient or, with additions like solar panels on the roof or geothermal power from underground, even transform them into zero- energy buildings that actually produce as much energy as they consume.
OBAMA: Now, progress like this might seem far-fetched, but the fact is, we're not lacking for ideas and innovation. All we lack are the smart policies and the political will to help us put our ingenuity to work.
And when we put aside the posturing and the politics, when we put aside attacks that are based less on evidence than on ideology, then a simple choice emerges: We can remain the world's leading importer of oil or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy. We can allow climate change to wreak unnatural havoc or we can create jobs utilizing low-carbon technologies to prevent its worse effects.
We can cede the race for the 21st century or we can embrace the reality that our competitors already have: The nation that leads the world in creating a new clean-energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy.
That's our choice, between a slow decline and renewed prosperity, between the past and the future. The American people have made their choice. They expect us to move forward right now at this moment of great challenge and stake our claim on the future, a stronger, cleaner, and more prosperous future where we meet our obligations to our citizens, our children, and to God's creation, and where the United States of America leads once again.
That's the future we're aiming for. I've got a great secretary of energy who's helping us achieve it. I want to thank, again, the House of Representatives for doing the right thing on Friday. And we are absolutely confident that we're going to be able to make more progress in the weeks and months to come.
Thanks, guys.
END http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062902308_pf.html |
Saturday, July 25, 2009
june 29 President Obama Delivers Remarks on Energy
Tiny Tuvalu says all its energy renewable by 2020
Tiny Tuvalu says all its energy renewable by 2020
By MICHAEL CASEY
The Associated Press
Monday, July 20, 2009 10:00 AM
BANGKOK -- The tiny island nation of Tuvalu, already under threat from rising seas caused by global warming, vowed Sunday to do its part for climate change by fueling its economy entirely from renewable sources by 2020.
The South Pacific nation of 12,000 people is part of a movement of countries and cities committed to going climate neutral. Since February 2008, 10 nations including New Zealand, Pakistan, Iceland and Costa Rica have vowed to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases as part of a goal of reaching zero emissions in the next decade.
None of these commitments alone is expected to make a significant difference in the fight to cut heat-trapping gases. But the United Nations and many environmentalists say the moves can inspire bigger emitters like the United States and China to take bolder steps to limit their carbon footprints.
"In a sense, they are paving the way for medium and larger economies which have to move if we are going combat climate change," said Nick Nuttal, spokesman for the United Nations Environment Programme. It sponsors the Climate Neutral Network, a group of 100 governments, nongovernment groups and companies looking to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. "These smaller economies are out to prove you can do it, and do it faster than some people previously thought."
Major polluters at the Group of Eight nations' summit earlier this month failed to agree on commitments to reduce carbon emissions. That indicates how difficult it will be to craft a new climate treaty later this year in Copenhagen, Denmark, one that would be a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
Climate scientists have urged rich countries to reduce emissions from 2005 levels by between 25 percent and 40 percent by 2020 to avoid the worst effects of warming, which they say will lead to widespread drought, floods, higher sea levels and worsening storms.
For its part, Tuvalu hopes to replace the fossil fuels that it imports by ship with solar energy and wind power, a project that it expects will cost $20 million.
Tuvalu already releases almost no greenhouse gases. But because of climate change, many South Pacific islands see worsening flooding amid predictions of a large sea level rise this century.
The country is just 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) in size, with most of its land less than a yard (meter) above sea level.
So far, Tuvalu has installed a 40 kilowatt solar energy system with the help of Japan's Kansai Electric Power Co. and Tokyo Electric Power Company, both members of the e8, an international nonprofit organization of 10 leading power utilities from G8 countries.
"There may be other, larger solar power installations in the world, but none could be more meaningful to customers than this one," Takao Shiraishi, general manager of the Kansai Electric Power Co., said in a statement.
"The plight of Tuvalu versus the rising tide vividly represents the worst early consequence of climate change," he added. "For Tuvalu, after 3,000 years of history, the success of U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen this December may well be a matter of national survival."
The Tuvalu government is working to expand the initial $410,000 project from 40 to 60 kilowatts, and will extend solar power to outer islands, starting later this year with the commission of a $800,000, 46 kilowatt solar power system for a secondary school. The Italian government is supporting the project.
"We thank those who are helping Tuvalu reduce its carbon footprint as it will strengthen our voice in those international negotiations," Public Utilities and Industries Minister Kausea Natano said in a statement. "And we look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all - powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind."
SunPower, MEMC offer hope of solar recovery
| SunPower, MEMC offer hope of solar recovery By Nichola Groom
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. solar companies SunPower Corp and MEMC Electronic Materials Inc on Thursday offered hope that the beleaguered solar industry is on the mend, each posting quarterly earnings and giving revenue outlooks that topped Wall Street estimates. Chinese solar player LDK Solar Co Ltd also weighed in with positive news, raising its second-quarter forecasts for both shipments and revenue. "This is a lot better than what many were anticipating," Wedbush Morgan analyst Al Kaschalk said of SunPower's results, which blew past analysts' expectations and prompted the biggest U.S. panel maker to raise its 2009 revenue range. The company's stock soared 19 percent in extended trade to $29.50 after closing at $24.84 on the Nasdaq. A dearth of financing for renewable energy projects combined with a pullback in solar tax breaks in Spain have led to a flood of solar panels on the market, driving down prices and profits across the industry. After a dismal first quarter, however, the market proved to be stronger than expected last quarter, SunPower said. "Demand was better than we expected in most regions," SunPower Chief Executive Tom Werner said on a conference call with analysts. Second-quarter net income fell 22 percent to $24.2 million, or 26 cents per share, compared with $31.2 million, or 37 cents per share, a year ago. Excluding one-time items, the company earned 24 cents a share, topping Wall Street analysts' average estimate of 15 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates. The San Jose, California, company said it benefited from improved sales of residential and smaller commercial systems in California, where it gained market share, as well as a 23 percent reduction in inventories and other cost controls. In addition, Werner said in an interview that SunPower has "a number" of power plant-scale projects in both Italy and the United States that are in the process of being financed and should drive results for the rest of this year. The company expects third-quarter revenue and earnings per share to be up 40 percent from the second quarter. MEMC, LDK GIVE STRONG SALES VIEWS MEMC's results were more mixed. The silicon maker's quarterly profit also topped estimates on stronger-than-expected revenue, though gross margins were below expectations, according to Jefferies & Co analyst Paul Clegg. The company, which makes the key raw material in solar panels and semiconductors, also forecast third-quarter revenue that exceeded Wall Street analysts' average view, though it said margins would be up only modestly. The St. Peters, Missouri-based company, which has been hurt by a sharp drop in silicon prices, said sales to the semiconductor industry were helped by stronger demand from Asia and inventory replenishment. Solar demand remained restrained, however, MEMC said, though the company added several new solar customers during the quarter. "We are in a recovery, we just don't know how steep the climb is going to be," Clegg said. "But we are on the way." Silicon prices went as high as $500 a kilogram last year due to shortages as solar manufacturers scrambled to buy supplies. But new production capacity and shrinking demand has pushed those prices near the $50 mark in recent weeks, and MEMC has been forced to renegotiate long-term contracts with customers including China's Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd and Taiwan's Gintech Energy Corp. MEMC also said that during the quarter it reached a deal with German solar cell maker Q-Cells to form a joint venture to construct and sell solar power plants. MEMC will invest up to $100 million in the venture this year. MEMC shares were down 1.4 percent after-hours at $20.57 after closing at $20.86 on the New York Stock Exchange. Finally, solar wafer maker LDK late on Thursday raised its revenue and shipment forecast for the second quarter but said it expected to take a write-down of $150 million to $160 million for a decline in the value of its solar wafer inventories. As a result, the company expects to post a quarterly net loss of $180 million to $200 million. LDK will report quarterly results on August 12. LDK shares rose to $10.35 after closing at $10.30 on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Nichola Groom; Additional reporting by Matt Daily in New York and Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Gary Hill) |
