Pickens Plan District Group CA-03

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Comment by Lawrence Murray on July 5, 2009 at 11:15am

China requires green energy and is investing billions to remake itself. Through a combination of carrots and sticks, Beijing is starting to change how energy is generated within its country. Coal remains the biggest energy source. Yet the rise of renewable energy is the only way to continue economic growth without depleting resources on foreign energy sources.
A big impetus was the government’s requirement, issued in September 2007, that large power companies generate at least 3 percent of their electricity by the end of 2010 from renewable sources. Like California, the calculation excludes hydro power (which already accounts for 21 percent of Chinese power) and nuclear power (which accounts for 1.1 percent). While China continues to move toward finishing 8 new nuclear power plants, Chinese companies must generate 8 percent of their power from renewable sources by the end of 2020.
This year China is on track to pass the United States as the world’s largest generator of wind power and biggest market for wind turbines. HSBC predicts that China will invest more money in renewable energy and nuclear power between now and 2020 than in coal-fired and oil-fired electricity. In fact, China has been doubling its wind power capacity in each of the last four years. State-owned power companies are competing to see which can build solar plants fastest, though these projects are much smaller than the wind projects. And other green energy projects, like burning farm waste to generate electricity, are sprouting up.
This oasis town deep in the Gobi Desert along the famed Silk Road and the surrounding wilderness of beige sand dunes and vast gravel wastelands has become a center of China’s drive to lead the world in wind and solar energy. A series of projects is under construction on the nearly lifeless plateau to the southeast of Dunhuang, including one of six immense wind power projects now being built around China, each with the capacity of more than 16 large coal-fired power plants. Each of the six projects “totally dwarfs anything else, anywhere else in the world,” said Steve Sawyer, the secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council, an industry group in Brussels.
The 2007 goal was to have 5,000 megawatts of wind power installed by the end of 2009 (the equivalent of eight big coal-fired power plants) a tiny proportion of China’s energy usage. The pittance spent on renewable energy came at a time when China was spending huge somes to build two coal-fired power plants a week.
But in March of 2008, as power companies began accelerating construction of wind turbines and high voltage power lines, the government issued a forecast that 10,000 megawatts would actually be installed by the end of 2010. Recently, just 15 months later, it appears that China will have 30,000 megawatts of wind energy by the end of 2010 — which was previously the target for 2020, Mr. Li said. Construction of coal-fired power plants has slowed to one a week and the good new is planning of new coal-fired plants is still falling.
Chinese power companies are eager to invest in renewable energy not just because of the government’s mandates, but because they are flush with cash and state-owned banks are eager to lend them more money. And there are few regulatory hurdles.
By comparison, the grid buys electricity from coal-fired power plants for 4 to 5 cents a kilowatt hour. Wind turbine rates have dropped to 7 cents from 10 cents over the last couple of years because of fierce competition and declining turbine costs. Solar rates have droped from 56 cents to 16 cents as commodity prices have fallen. The solar project still must go ahead, Mr. Zheng said, because China has limited coal reserves — 41 years at current rates of production — and the potential for hydroelectric power is leveling off as most eligible rivers have already been dammed. China’s demand for coal is already stressed as imports grow.
But technical obstacles to renewable energy are popping up. Sandstorms in Dunhuang in the spring, for instance, will cover solar panels and render them useless until they are cleaned after each storm by squads of workers using feather brushes to avoid scratching the panels, a process expected to take two days.
And wind turbines are being built faster here than the national grid can erect high-voltage power lines to carry the electricity to cities elsewhere. On the windiest days, only half the power generated can be transmitted, said Min Deqing, a local renewable energy consultant.
“It’s the Gobi Desert,” said Wang Yu, the vice director of economic planning. “There’s not much other use for it.”
Published by The New York Times July 2, 2009, Keith Bradsher

Comment by Lawrence Murray on June 27, 2009 at 10:04am

The House of Representatives approved a sweeping energy bill on June 26, 2009, to set tough new greenhouse-gas emissions standards for companies. At the bill's heart is a "cap-and-trade" system for limiting emissions in which companies would buy and sell permits to meet emissions limits. The bill mandates more use of renewable energy sources and sets higher standards for conservation. The vote was 219 to 212 and is a victory for President Barack Obama. He believes the bill will create jobs through new energy investments but critics say the bill will be a punishing tax on consumers and companies which could slow the recovery of the recession. The bill now is headed to the Senate where lawmakers will give us another chance to push for a pollution surcharge and national sales tax.

Comment by Lawrence Murray on June 14, 2009 at 4:42pm

The United States of America Can Join the Revolution to Be Carbon Neutral
Continuing the worldwide climate change revolution!
Overture:
Congress has the opportunity, like California, to join the advantages of becoming carbon neutral advancing a worldwide revolution toward Cooling Earth. In some ways this new standard is superior to reducing passenger car emissions, setting renewable energy standards and starting a cap and trade system. However, as described herein, Carbon Neutral is an advanced idea achievable by stopping procrastination and making real changes to keep earth sustainable including in the energy debate, finance and regulation plus reducing natural threats and mitigating numerous others. The proposed cap and trade systems like the one being debated by Congress similar to the Kyoto Protocols and the European System does not give customers choices like a pollution surcharge and progressive consumption tax. Congress must look at the desired outcome of a more stabilized cooler atmosphere yielding cooler ocean temperatures along with geo-engineering projects to remove greenhouse gasses.
CoolingEarth.org

Comment by Lawrence Murray on June 2, 2009 at 8:18pm

The United States House of Representatives is considering the NAT GAS Act (H.R. 1835) which would provide incentives for individuals and businesses to switch from vehicles which run on gasoline or diesel - which is largely imported - to clean, domestic natural gas.

Comment by Lawrence Murray on May 27, 2009 at 7:48am

We have to keep the pressure on Congress to get us out of the mess we are in. It would be best if you let us know what you are thinking by posting your ideas here. We all have to be making a stand or we will not make the difference we need.

Comment by Cheryl Shuman on May 12, 2009 at 3:14pm

Thank you so much for inviting me to join your group! I'm looking forward to making a difference and getting to know all of you.

Kindest Personal Regards,
Cheryl Shuman
Beverly Hills, CA

Comment by Lawrence Murray on April 24, 2009 at 4:31pm

I hope you will join me and my follow hundred million other Americans pushing to solve our economic problems by solving our pension and Social Security problems. The only way to do this is to put new money into research and let pensions funds fund the development projects that come out. One of these is the Pickens Plan that reduces our dependency on imported oil, and the other is We Can Solve It with a 10 years plan to retool our electric systems using non carbon fuels. President Obama has pledged to completely eliminate oil imports from the Middle East and Venezuela is a good start. Using Social Security and pension funds for improving energy conservation is another important issue. But programs like the ones on CoolingEarth.org are what we need to move on right now. Also, all Americans are asking for reform of 401(K) and IRA's so we do not have to start selling at age 70 and a half causing the next great depression in 2016 and lasting more than 16 years as baby boomers sell stocks. Otherwise come up with a plan that allows someone to buy these stocks! Or we will see you in our soup lines-if we have any soup.

Comment by Lawrence Murray on April 20, 2009 at 5:02pm

http://www.toledofreepress.com/2009/04/16/owens-corning-pickens-focus-on-energy-conservation/

Comment by Lawrence Murray on April 8, 2009 at 12:29pm

Let's keep the pressure on Congress!
We would like people to continue and visit the 'take action' page on the Virtual March site and contact their members of Congress if they haven't already. There are six actions people can take to make their voice heard: http://www.pickensplan.com/virtualmarch/takeaction.php
Congress is on recess and that means many Representatives and Senators are heading back to their home districts. We want to coordinate as many letters to the editor as possible and encourage people to attend town hall meetings and to schedule face-to-face meetings with their members of Congress. This is a great way to get district members involved. Let's try to coordinate visits in every district! A great way to approach this is to organize a small team of members so it's not just you or just one person meeting with and asking your members of Congress to support energy legislation.
As always, please let us know of your activities.

Comment by Lawrence Murray on April 6, 2009 at 6:34am

This is day 5 of my letter writing campain. At the end of January 2009, I wrote this for PickensPlan: We will know when the people in Washington get off the edge of the cliff they have pushed us toward when they put an end to 401k's and Conventional IRA's, end Mark to Market rules, and recriminalize federal gambling in the markets. The problem with 401k's and Conventional IRA's is their demand to take distribution starting at age 70 and a half which will cause a massive depression in 2016 as baby boomers have to sell stocks and other assets. Lets do it now while the markets are down. Then we pay less taxes too. We are glad that the Mark to Market rules have changed to allow assets to be valued by thier value and not by what the lowest price the asset sold for. After 9-11, Bush allowed for new rules (that were set up after the depression started) that made it a crime to gamble on assets. People are now allowed to gambling on stocks, bonds, mortgages, the price of fuel-just about everything without a corresponding other side of the bet or reality to the thing being bet on. Yet some mortgage backed securities did have a piece of mortgage but those values dropped as Mark to Market rules kicked in sinking Leiman Brothers. I am now adding the uptick rule which loks to be changing this week. It is only with solving our problems that we can move on to the problems like energy funding, Social Security reforn, health care and so many others. I and millions others are watching.

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