Senate Republicans Kill Renewable Energy and Job Creation Bill. Where's McCain?

A Republican minority in the Senate today used procedural tricks to kill the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 -- a measure that had overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives on May 21 by a vote of 263 to 160.

The law, among things, would have extended tax incentives crucial to existing green energy businesses, and secured 100,000 jobs now at risk. Sierra Club's Carl Pope called it

.....kicking the economy while it's down.

Ouch. John McCain should take note. Fellow Senate Republicans are undermining the credibility of his campaign speeches promising economic revitalization. Time for him to take a stand with some straight talk to his party's saboteurs?

Both Germany and Spain have shown the world what a long-term renewable energy policy can do for a national economy, and how to structure incentives. Both have model programs that start with a 20 year commitment to clean energy. The result?

Clean energy made at home, tens of thousands of green jobs, a booming new clean energy sector, international competitiveness.

The accompanying representational map shows the clean energy Marshall plan waiting for America to embrace. It comes from a presentation provided at a Senate briefing by Tom Mancini of Sandia National Laboratories. He's the Program Manager for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). Sandia is prime contractor for the Department of Energy, a national security lab that's been working on CSP since 1975.

Have a look at his entire set of powerpoints slides housed on the website of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, which organized the Senate briefing.

The main message? Renewable energy industries in the US are on the fast track, ready to deploy utility scale solutions. What's missing is a sustainable, long-term national policy to support the development of clean energy.

Like the ones Spain and Germany, the world leaders in clean energy, have adopted.

Here's a straight-talking summary of Germany's story. It's taken from the UK government's Stern Report, page 367.

Feed-in tariffs have been introduced in Germany to encourage the deployment of onshore and offshore wind, biomass, hydropower, geothermal and solar PV. The aim is to meet Germany’s renewable energy goals of 12.5% of gross electricity consumption in 2010 and 20% in 2020. The policy also aims to encourage the development of renewable technologies, reduce external costs and increase the security of supply.

Each generation technology is eligible for a different rate. Within technologies the rate varies depending on the size and type. Solar energy receives between €0.457 to 0.624 per kWh while wind receives €0.055 to 0.091per kWh. Once the technology is built the rate is guaranteed for 20 years. The level of support for deployment in subsequent years declines over time by 1% to 6.5% each year with the rate of decline derived from estimated learning curves.

In 2005 10.2% of electricity came from renewables (70% supported with feed-in tariffs) the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) estimate that the current act will save 52 million tonnes on CO2 in 2010. The average level of feed-in tariff was €0.0953 per kWh in 2005 (compared to an average cost of displaced energy of €0.047 kWh). The total level of subsidy was €2.4 billion Euro at a cost shared all consumers of €0.0056 per kWh (3% of household electricity costs). There are an estimated 170,000 people working in the renewable sector with an industry turnover of €8.7 billion.

The 43.7 TWh of electricity covered by the feed in tariffs was split mostly between wind (61%), biomass (19%) and hydropower (18%). It has succeeded in supporting several technologies. Solar accounted for 2% (0.2% of total electricity) with an average growth rate of over 90% over the last four years. Despite photovoltaic’s low share Germany has a significant proportion of the global market with 58% of the capacity installed globally in 2005 (39% of the total installed capacity) and 23% of global production.

That's an impressive story. Better than the one out of Washington today headlined

Senate Minority Sides With Big Oil Amidst Skyrocketing Gas Prices

Minority Uses Procedural Tricks to Stall Two Bills to Address High Gas Prices, Promote Clean Energy.

Senator McCain? What say you?

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