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Comment by Allen R. Gale on May 27, 2009 at 2:02pm

It would be really great if there were only one or two hurdles to wind/solar/wave power utilization - or for that matter all of our energy problems. What we are seeing, unfortunately, is a degradation of our business moral fiber and it took decades to get to this despicable state, so it will take a while to fix it.

We used to be a manufacturing and exporting country - now we are a "service" and importing country, and worse, we are EXporting the service jobs! Where does that leave us? A society of super-rich "executives" and below-average-income ex-manufacturing workers. We have legislated or negotiated all the tariffs out of existence in the name of "free trade", which used to control "fair trade" by equalizing the price advantage to cheap labor, thus subsidizing that which we were esthetically trying to prevent. Interesting...

Look at the current ads put up by Big Energy (formerly known as Big Oil) and you will see that they are pushing to capture control of ALL energy supplies, whatever their origin. Small Business has no friends in Big Business or Big Gov't. Gov't "experts" are focused on huge central generation plants, huge national distribution systems and "smart grid" which can ultimately control How and When we use electricity when distributed generation and "make it where you use it" philosophy would alleviate a large amount of the present and future pressure on our energy supply with less cost and less loss (aka inefficiency) than the Big Plant mentality. However, this also means LOCAL CONTROL - which is counter-Big-Anything! If we are to continue as a World Economic Power, we HAVE to get back to manufacturing and exporting. We can not live on "Service Economy" mentality, especially when the "services" are being sent to India! It is time to wake up and read the writing on the walls!

Comment by Robert Schultz on May 27, 2009 at 9:24am

Yes, it is a familiar story to me. 1900 people get laid off, but the company continues to make money building the same thing in another country. For large wind turbines it makes more sense to build closer to where they will be sited. Vestas has a plant near Vancouver, WA to build turbines for Columbia River Gorge, and many other sites around the NW.

Now we need to get small business owners working to produce small systems affordable to ranchers, farmers, and other property owners. There is an interesting study on community wind projects, that shows that more jobs and money stay in the area for community projects, than for 3rd party developers. If the project is locally funded and serves the area residents, it is also better supported by the community.

Economic Development Impacts of Community Wind Projects: A Review and Empirical Evaluation http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/pdfs/economic_development/2009/community_wind_projects.pdf


--Robert http://push.pickensplan.com/group/nwrenewableenergygroup

Comment by Clyde Childers on May 27, 2009 at 9:03am

Robert

You are so right about this. If made ffed-in tariffs our goals, then not only wil large palayer beable to play for large wind farms but smaller players can joint. We estimate that there are 2 M farmers and ranchers that could take advantage of the feed-in tariffs. Thjiis think thousand of people contrcting and maitaining equipment. All wind turbines and solar systems must be cleaned. he grea thing about feed-in tariffs and the machines that produce pwoer, can be shipped overseas. It stays in our backyard. The cost of clean cola is more expensive than enactment of feed-in tariffs

Comment by Robert Schultz on May 27, 2009 at 8:47am

Here's something from the Editor of Renewable Energy Focus (UK), David Hopwood.
http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com

Whether all this green stimulus cash is enough and whether it’s arrived in time for certain markets is an interesting question. But the fact that this spending – if well targeted – could create many new jobs in renewable energy over the next few years, won’t be any consolation to the people who have just lost their jobs in the current crisis. Vestas, for example, has just announced it is to shed 1900 manufacturing jobs in Europe (from its Denmark and UK plants) due to a slow down of demand from the region. Vestas has now said it will concentrate on building turbines for the US and China markets in those regions, rather than exporting from Europe.

Comment by Eric Koch on May 27, 2009 at 7:32am

eventually...the present paradigms may change...

i'm with Clyde...automation, tooling, and set up are high paying jobs...and maintenance and production jobs are jobs.

1) if it needs to be done we should do it.

2)if it doesn't need to be done,stop...and go back to steep one.

Comment by Clyde Childers on May 27, 2009 at 7:28am

Humm Actuallly, Oregon has excellent example right now. But, the really thing is having feed-in tariffs that allows for the rebuilding of America's industry by having the renewable energy products installed on your land and get paid for producing into the grid. This would increase jobs in constructions, cleaning and maintaining, and build additional wealth for local communities by sharing in the production of power with the citizener who get paid.

Finally, most companies like to be close to their markets. Shipping is becoming expensive. So, if you have a great market in your backyard, then companies will stay close to their markets. These machines cost a great deal of money to ship or haul across the USA.

Comment by Christopher and Daniela Rabalais on May 27, 2009 at 6:54am

I hope you are right, Clyde but there aren't many
good examples at this moment.

I just can't see how the product maturity cycle won't eventually push these jobs offshore under the present paradigms.

Comment by Clyde Childers on May 27, 2009 at 6:44am

If really interest in build america build, then support Feed-in tariffs. In addition, I disagree with you regarding labor vrse China. Today, a well automated plant qwith good gtrained work works is just cost effective as "Chinese poor labor cost" The fact is Ameica can compete, it ust need to try.

Comment by Christopher and Daniela Rabalais on May 27, 2009 at 6:39am

Working with “Big Oil” and avoiding the petroleum trap

For the most part, I believe that existing regulation on elements such as price-fixing and anti-trust behavior should go a long way to preventing this. It will be very difficult to monopolize the renewable sources that aren't grown on a farm such as the sun, wind, geothermal and wave technologies. I expect plenty of competition at home and abroad to try and control the intellectual property and manufacturing of these sectors. This is all the more reason we really need to focus here. While I expect it will be very difficult to keep the manufacturing on U.S. soil due to our high labor costs (relative to "Chindia") and our standard of living that depends on high income (by world standards), we should put laser focus on being the innovator and holder of IP rights. There is no reason why licensing fees should not flow into our coffers for many years to come.

I do believe that oil companies are hostage (to a great degree) to the existing foreign suppliers and their cartels. Regarding the control of natural gas supplies in the U.S. and not falling into the same trap domestically that we find ourselves in from foreign oil, it may be wise to take a closer look at the way Federal leases of natural gas supplies are structured. Through the careful delivery and monitoring of these public natural gas supply contracts, we should be able to avoid that pitfall. I would suggest keeping the costs of these leases high and routing that money back into renewables. While I understand that natural gas is a superior domestic alternative to petroleum, it IS a hydrocarbon fuel of finite supply. At best, it will run out eventually. At worst, it will breed a whole new version of the same problem as other nations begin to copy us and burn natural gas instead. This only delays the problem, creates potential new conflicts over natural gas supplies in the future and moves us toward a Venus-like atmosphere… albeit more slowly…

As far as how the engagements with the existing petroleum entities are structured and “who gets what”, I am confident that market forces and deal making by intelligent motivated parties will sort the details of these arrangements effectively.

Comment by Eric Koch on May 26, 2009 at 2:55pm

any friend of Clyde...

feel free to pull up a seat at
http://push.pickensplan.com/group/bigwindbiochardumploadregulation

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