166 - ketab farsi

What’s the Fuss About
Clean Tech?
By: Richard Bookbinder and Bobby Shamsian*
“A new “green wave” is spreading, and many of us are looking for
ways to understand what is taking place.”
As we’ve learned over a long
time, history is a wonderful
guide. There has always been an
event or series of events that have
lead to new policies.
Look at four dates in history:
•May 4, 1904:Construction began
on the Panama Canal.
•May 6, 1954: Construction began
on the U.S. Interstate Highway System.
•May 25, 1962:An ambitious effort
began to place a man on the Moon
by the end of the decade.
Each of these events
addressed a concern for national
security. The Panama Canal was
necessary to move Navy ships from
the East Coast to the West quickly.
The Highway System was essential
in moving troops across the country
swiftly in the event of a military
attack. Finally, placing a man on
the Moon was our way of taking the
lead in the “space race.”
The fourth date is July 11,
2008 and should still be fresh in the
mind of all consumers: crude oil
traded at an all time high of $147
per barrel.
Remember the Presidential
campaign season of 2008?
Remember “Drill, baby, drill?”
The recent massive oil spill and
resulting destruction in the Gulf
of Mexico has certainly thrust a
monkey wrench into offshore oil
exploration.
But, what has happened
since July of 2008? And, why
should we be paying attention to
this debate?
While scientists have
debated the issue of global warming
and climate change for years, the
record spike in oil prices provided
new impetus to develop alternative
methods of cleaner energy sources
for power: wind, solar, geothermal,
and biomass just to mention a few.
So where are we today?
•World populations are growing and
putting strains on global economies
and resources.
•CO2 emissions are increasing and
many parts of the world are ahead
of the United States in efforts to
reduce the pollutants.
•There is a growing awareness of
global warming, and it is being led
by corporate leaders. And, if you
have school age children, just try to
discard the plastic bottle. See what
they tell Mom and Dad! Colleges are
also on the forefront of the effort by
offering programs in environmental
science.
•Global economic stimulus
programs have pumped nearly
$500 billion into new methods of
renewable and clean energy.
•The BP spill is highlighting the
need for cleaner sources of energy.
This new “green wave”
is spreading, and many of us are
looking for ways to understand
what is taking place.
The most recent
development on the green wave is
Senators Kerry and Lieberman’s
comprehensive plan for a national
energy policy. In the corporate
arena, energy producers like Duke
Power and PG&E are diversifying
investments in renewable energy,
energy efficiency and smart grid
transmission. Nike and Apple
are incorporating sustainability
into their business models. Even
pension giants CalPERS and the
New York State Retirement System
are adopting standards for their
investment managers to incorporate
sustainability and renewable energy
investments in their portfolios. With
new renewable portfolio emission
limit standards being implemented
by over thirty states, Washington is
finally stepping in line.
The developing opportunities
in clean tech are taking place all over
the world. European institutional
investors have been investing in
these asset classes for years. China
is emerging as a major leader with
its installations of solar and wind
energy, and much of Asia is building
new manufacturing facilities that
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