Techdiplomacy

President Obama in a speech before congress promised to double the amount of power generated by renewable energy in his first term. While this is a good start we simply must do more if we are to save our environment and create green jobs for Americans that need them.

The president has opened the issue, and now the private sector must respond. Last year (2008) was a good year for renewable energy, however the economic problems we are faced with this year are creating problems for renewable energy.

Economists expect as much as a 50 percent drop in new wind projects due to the difficulty in securing financing because of a tight credit market. This is not unacceptable as last year was a banner year. The problem is we need as many of these projects to go through as possible. Once we finance the wind projects we will need to update the power grid system or the areas in need of the power will not get it.

The players involved in renewable energy need capital in order to provide their services, however homeowners and buinesses desiring to upgrade to renewable energy need financing as well. The government and the private sector have to see that these funds become available. This is an opportunity to create jobs and to clean up the environment, as well as enable us to upgrade our power grid.

There is a new proposal to provide tax credits for a price to carbon dioxide polluters. They would buy these credits and then use them to continue polluting. To quote my teenage son, that sucks. Most of these people are utilities, electric companies and they bill their customers for anything they need. So I would pay these guys to keep polluting? I don’t think so, this is a bad idea and it should be ignored.

The reality is we must move forward, the future is well within our grasp. We have to go forward there is no alternative. The future is now! Our children will not survive if we make the wrong decisions now. We don’t have to give anyone the right to destroy our environment for money. We will generate all we need by making the right decisions.

I want to explain to everyone that if we do what is necessary we will suceed, if not we will to my sorrow fail. Renewable energy is not a pipe dream, it is the way that we will create a new beginning.

We will do ourselves a favor if we consider that however small, the president has alllocated funds for renewable energy in the federal budget, it is legitimate. The naysayers have not a leg to stand on. The rest is up to us, help this cause, write your elected officials, donate small sums, and raise your voice. See you around the galaxy.