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In a speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, President Obama unveiled an ambitious new climate action plan to curb pollution and increase the amount of renewable energy installed in the US. Obama called to put an end to the “dumping of carbon pollution" with the first-ever federal regulations on heat-trapping gases emitted by new and existing power plants.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), a national business organization with a significant presence in California, today released a statement regarding California Governor Jerry Brown’s FY 2014 budget signing in which the organization reiterated its call for funds to be leveraged and used as intended to support the state’s advanced energy goals.

In a speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, President Obama unveiled an ambitious new climate action plan to curb pollution and increase the amount of renewable energy installed in the US. Obama called to put an end to the “dumping of carbon pollution" with the first-ever federal regulations on heat-trapping gases emitted by new and existing power plants.

The New York Times ran a profile of Solazyme, a biofuels company that uses algae as its main feedstock, and its interesting longterm strategy for profit. Solazyme was founded in 2003, and in its first decade has begun manufacturing and selling products as diverse as drop-in fuels for jet engines and skin care treatments. The New York Times points out that innovative advanced energy startups like Solazyme can need lots of capital to scale and prove their product. The New York Times points out that Solazyme's development of Algenist, its skincare line, will help to fund the company as it scales even larger:

“As a business voice for technology-driven energy progress, AEE believes that President Obama’s plan moves the United States toward a smarter energy future, for economic as well as environmental benefits,” said Graham Richard, CEO of Advanced Energy Economy, a business association. “Energy efficiency standards will save money as well as energy. Utilizing public lands for their solar and wind resources follows in the footsteps of mineral resources and forestry products and should be pursued in the interest of national prosperity. New regulations on emissions will accelerate the replacement of outmoded power plants with high efficiency and low emitting technologies. All of these steps will make the U.S. more of a leader in advanced energy, which is a $1 trillion global market opportunity for American companies and American workers.”

The Business Journals // Jun 25, 2013Walmart has installed solar panels at ten locations across the state of Maryland, the company announced this week. The solar panels, which will generate 4.1 million kilowatt hours annually, will be able to provide 5-20 percent of the electricity for each location. Walmart is the largest private sector solar powerhouse in the country, and has installed more than 2.3 gigawatts of solar as of September 2012. 

CleanTechnica // Jun 24, 2013

The City of Houston announced an agreement to buy two years' worth of renewable energy from Reliant Energy, Inc, a Houston-based utility. The buy comes to $2 million and 140 megawatts of renewable power, which comprises about half of the city's electrical demand. The Houston Business Journal reports:

On Tuesday, June 18th the Advanced Energy Economy and MIT held the second event in a series of regional forums to discuss how new technologies and services can be adopted more rapidly in the electric power sector. The San Antonio based event brought together executives from OGE Energy, First Solar, Silver Spring Networks, Landis+Gyr, Green Energy Corp., C3 Energy, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and others to discuss innovative approaches to current energy challenges. Central to the discussion was how to integrate cleantech innovations such as smart grids and electric powered vehicles into the utility companies’ operations.

Session hosted by CPS Energy is second in a series that brings together utility execs, advanced energy CEOs, and state regulators to accelerate innovationHelping advanced energy companies understand the taxonomy of utility needs; Aligning business models and incentives so utility companies can embrace innovation that creates value for diverse stakeholders; andAssisting regulators in encouraging innovation in the electric power sector.

The Business Journals // Jun 19, 2013

A Danish pension fund invested $200 million in the Cape Wind offshore wind project, Cape Wind's president Jim Gordon announced. The PensionDenmark investment is the first "guaranteed financing commitment of a specific dollar amount" that's been announced, according the the Associated Press.

The Business Journals // Jun 17, 2013

New Yorker (subscription required) // Jun 15, 2013

Discovery News // Jun 14, 2013

Associated Press // Jun 13, 2013

Idaho Statesman // Jun 12, 2013"Customers who reduce their base charges to zero through financial credits can avoid contributing to energy-efficiency programs and municipal fees in addition to avoiding the costs of distribution, infrastructure and customer services," Matt Larkin, a regulatory analyst for Idaho Power, said in testimony filed with the commission.

CBS Detroit // Jun 11, 2013Traverse City, Michigan dedicated a new community solar installation on Friday. The Cherryland Electric Cooperative and Traverse City Light & Power offered consumers the opportunity to purchase a solar panel for just under $500. The solar panels would be installed in a single location and the energy generated by each solar panel will be credited to the owner's account. Initially, the Cherryland Co-op expected to sell 48 panels. They sold 80, and they are installing several 72-panel arrays with the expectation that the program will continue to grow. Solar panel owners can expect a full payback for their panel in 15 years, according to Dave Konkle, energy programs manager for Ann Arbor's Downtown Development Authority. Detroit CBS reports:

CBS Detroit // Jun 10, 2013“You can go out today and spend the most on gas that you’ve ever spent in a year – that tends to drive people here but really it raises awareness in terms of how much so you want to spend on gasoline and how much you want to be tied to spending on gas in the future.”

The U.S. is expected to lead the world's mergers and acquisitions in renewable energy for a second year, according to a report from CohnReznick LLP. In vestors include Warren Buffet, and other financial giants. Solar leads the sector with 63 percent of investors targeting solar PV. The biomass and onshore wind sectors make up most of the remaining investment. Bloomberg reports:Institutional investors are attracted by the large number of operating renewable-energy assets being sold by their original developers, Cohen said. “They know there is only room to increase the installed capacity in the U.S.,” he said.

In a recent article on executive moves in the energy industry, GreenTech Media reports on Lisa Frantzis' new role as AEE senior vice president of strategy and corporate development. According to GreenTech: 

Researchers at the University of Maine launched the first offshore floating wind machine last Friday to capture wind energy, the New York Times reported. The project is one of seven sponsored by the Energy Department under a $168 million program.“The tower, launched in Brewer, Me., sits on three hollow concrete tubes and will be anchored in the Gulf of Maine. It is a mere 20 kilowatts in capacity, an amount of power that could be soaked up by a handful of big suburban houses on a hot summer day.”

Quasar Energy Group began construction of an anaerobic digester in Franklin, Ohio, that will accept regional food processing and waste and biosolids, the company reported on May 29.“The project builds on a continuing collaboration between quasar and PPG Industries Inc., according to the company, as Quasar has managed PPG’s lime lakes reclamation project in Barberton, Ohio, since 2009. There, PPG also operates a specialty chemicals manufacturing site.”

Advanced Energy Economy recognized a number of cities this week that have executed programs to optimize energy efficiency, and CEO Graham Richards stated that high speed broadband is the key to optimizing energy usage. AEE’s release includes the following:“Chattanooga created a “smart grid” system utilizing an ultra-high-speed gigabit-per-second broadband network consisting of thousands of smart switches and meters. Among many other functions, the network allows them to reroute power almost instantaneously when power lines go down.”

White Paper Outlines Three Ways to Stretch Funds for Efficiency Projects from $2.6 Billion to More Than $10.5 BillionProp 39 implementation should follow a phased-in approach, shifting from grants and technical assistance in the early years to financing mechanisms that extend the duration and impact of the program in later years.All elements of Prop 39 should seek to attract and leverage outside capital; this includes the grant-funding elements, which should require applicants to leverage additional dollars in the form of utility rebates, local bond revenues, public or private loans, or other sources.Entities with experience dealing with private markets should oversee the finance elements of Prop 39 implementation. The State Treasurer’s office currently administers a number of programs that deal directly with private markets. At the same time, other state entities may be better positioned to interact with school districts and other applicants, allowing the Treasurer’s office to focus on the finance-related elements of program implementation.Prop 39 implementation should seek to align existing and forthcoming California energy finance programs, serving as a bridge to a more comprehensive approach to financing advanced energy in California.OPTION A - The first option dedicates roughly 40% of Prop 39 revenues to leverage opportunities, generating total program value of more than $10.5 billion over 30 years. Option A dedicates approximately $1.5 billion in technical assistance and project grants, with disbursement weighted toward early delivery for readily qualified projects. This schedule recognizes that complex and more expensive projects that require sophisticated audits and planning may take longer to properly analyze and work their way through the queue.Grants for direct funding of energy improvement projects total about $1.2 billion.An innovative new Interest Rate Offset Grant (IROG), in the amount of $320 million, created as a companion to the market-rate revolving loan fund program (below). The IROG grant pays the interest costs, in whole or in part, of the loan to ensure that the loan is affordable to the public institution.A $1 billion revolving loan fund that provides capital at market rates to finance projects too expensive to be funded by direct grants and $100 million in credit enhancements to facilitate the sale of loans to private lenders.Option B allocates a little over $2 billion in direct grants over the five-year period. Like Option A, these grant disbursements are weighted toward early delivery to readily qualified projects.Option B also allocates $500 million to a low-interest revolving loan fund and establishes a $50 million credit enhancement program. This approach uses existing financing programs and limits the need to incorporate innovative financing strategies.Adding the Interest Rate Offset Grant mechanism to Option B would substantially increase the total program value, to a total of just over $6.5 billion.

Two AEE members, Verizon and Bloom Energy, are planning to collaborate run Verizon's data centers on advanced energy. Bloom Energy, which builds fuel cells that can efficiently power data centers, is planning to install ten cells in a California facility. GigaOM reports:

Advanced energy businesses collaborate all the time, but often project financing is different enough from technology to technology that the models cannot transfer. Greentech Media covers Noesis Energy's use of an innovative financing model originally designed around solar energy to scale energy efficiency.