As the Solyndra aftermath continues to ripple through the green economy, the mood was distinctly upbeat at the AlwaysOn Going Green Conference at San Francisco’s City Hall yesterday. Google’s Green Czar, Bill Weihl confirmed that the company has spent over $850 Million in renewable energy projects (including its latest $75 Million solar project finance deal) and said, “Virtually everything we’ve done to be ‘green’ has made economic sense…we’re able to find creative solutions… that make us money (or) save us money.”
“What can we do to save energy, to be greener? We really try to look at things that other people can do, that can be replicated…”
I had the chance to chat with Weihl backstage and he dismissed the Solyndra debacle as mostly political. He doubts it will impact venture money flowing into the clean tech sector. Instead, he focused on the strides that Google continues to make in the green and sustainable energy sector. Here are video highlights of the event featuring:
Ray Rothrock, Partner, Venrock
Carrie Armel, Research Associate , Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency, Stanford University
Gene Wang, People Power, CEO
Bill Weihl, Green Energy Czar, Google
.Read transcripts, see photos and check out our ARCHIVES featuring exclusive interviews with Tom Friedman, Paul Krugman, Vinod Khosla and many more green experts and visionaries…
Here are video highlights from the SVLG Game Changers 2012 Conference which took place in Silicon Valley, September 13, 2011.
Gavin Newsom, CA Lieutenant Governor was on fire as he talked about California’s struggling economy and political disfunction: “We’ve been flat lining for 30 years…we have to wake up!”
California State Senator, Joe Simitian echoed his frustration with polarized politics and called for a popular public uprising. Striking a more optimistic viewpoint, the charismatic Shai Agassi, CEO of Better Place, the EV infrastructure, battery replacement company shared his vision for making the San Francisco Bay Area a model for the future of electric vehicles to “show Detroit…DC the way to go.”
Weili Dai, the intriguing cofounder of Marvell, the fabless semiconductor company, reiterated the need for cooperation with China, despite several calls for taking a more aggressive stance to protect and nurture America’s deteriorating manufacturing base.
This interview was recorded in Silicon Valley on Sept 13, 2011. With thanks to the SVLG and SV Community Foundation for front row seats. See video at the Fresh Dialogues Channel here
Here is an exclusive Fresh Dialogues interview with Marvell’s VP, Weili Dai – she gives tips to women in business. Number one: believe in yourself
Read transcripts, see photos and check out our ARCHIVES featuring exclusive interviews with Tom Friedman, Paul Krugman, Vinod Khosla and many more…
TRANSCRIPT of Google Interview with Parag Chokshi, Clean Energy Pubic Affairs Manager. Recorded on Friday July 8, 2011. The interview has been edited for length. Highlights here.
Alison van Diggelen: Today, we’re at the Google Headquarters in Mountain View California. I’m here with Parag Chokshi, and he is Pubic Affairs Manager of Clean Energy at Google.
(Parag) You have an audacious goal at Google: to make renewable energy less costly than coal. …
Parag Chokshi: That’s right.
Alison: How is that target going and can you talk on that target?
Parag: Sure…there are a lot of initiatives that we do in support of that goal. There’s an internal effort – an engineering effort – that focuses on solar thermal technology, so that’s another piece of getting to that goal. And of course there’s the Energy innovation study that we published just last week. We’re really trying to provide some data on the long-term impact of investment by the public and the private sector in an effort to spur more investment and to get other folks involved toward getting to that goal.
There are a lot of pieces to it: an internal engineering team, the investments we’re making and then some efforts in the policy and advocacy space.
Alison: What were some of the most exciting conclusions that the report made?
TJ Rodgers, the outspoken CEO of Cypress Semiconductor, was one of four Visionary Awards recipients at the Oscars of Silicon Valley June 21st – a gathering of Silicon Valley elite presented by SV Forum. He was introduced by Eric Benhamou of Benhamou Ventures who described Rodgers as “a tough boss, argumentative and very competitive,” and added “I’m using polite language here.”
Renowned for his libertarian views, and highly critical of government “meddling” in the economy, Rodgers, who led the acquisition of SunPower by Cypress in 2004, shared some of his business philosophy with Fresh Dialogues. And check out this VIDEO CLIP to hear why Rodgers almost named Cypress “Pear Tree” and how he maintains his passion for learning…in his hot tub, with the newspapers, a floating desk and LEDs.
TJ Rodgers on global warming
“Global warming is a secular religion…I call it the Church of Greenhouse Gases.”
TJ Rodgers on New York Times columnist and author of Hot, Flat and Crowded, Tom Friedman
“Friedman is doing a disservice to the American economy. He’s a writer. He knows nothing about cleantech and creating businesses and jobs.”
TJ Rodgers on the role of government in stimulating the green economy
“I believe in a level playing field. Scrap subsidies for oil….I’m against laws like AB 32.”
Note: In 2010, TJ Rodgers took a strong and vocal stand for California’s Proposition 23, which sought the suspension of AB 32, the law that regulates greenhouse gas emissions. He quit his position on the board of SunPower, adding, “I was at odds with the management of SunPower…they knew who I was when I saved their ass.” (referring to Cypress Semiconductor’s purchase of Sunpower in 2004 which proved to be a mutually advantageous choice for both companies)
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TJ Rodgers on why you should invest in cleantech
“A ‘greater good” motivation is not a good argument. Business isn’t charity. Create products people need, efficiently and produce profit for shareholders. Profits give you the moral high ground…they make for a good economy and more jobs.”
TJ Rodgers on cleantech entrepreneurs who want to ‘save the planet’
“I’d be more skeptical about investing in cleantech entrepreneurs who are motivated by global warming…it’s like a religion. It’s not good business.”
Today, we are launching a new feature on Fresh Dialogues – lesson plans – to help teachers build captivating ways of educating their students about climate change and the green economy. This is possible thanks to Lisa Lubliner, our new Fresh Dialogues Education Expert. She will be matching some compelling Fresh Dialogues videos with topics such as Green Innovation, Batteries and Storage, Saving Energy at Home and School, and Fuel Cells 101. Check back soon at our Educators Page where we will list lesson plans as they are added. Got ideas for background info and resources? Share them here or on our Facebook Page.
Lesson Plan: Stashing CO2 in Rocks
Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Grades 6-8
In this activity, students will learn more about carbon sequestration by creating a carbonated beverage out of apple juice and dry ice. This experiment illustrates how carbon dioxide can be stored in a substance. Students will compare and contrast the results to determine if liquid carbonation is an effective method for carbon sequestration.
Lesson background
One of the leading causes of global climate change is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps and stores heat from the sun that would normally escape from Earth’s atmosphere into space. Though some heating is beneficial to life on Earth, too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to dramatic changes in the Earth’s climate. One important field of research aimed at combating climate change is carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the science of taking carbon dioxide out of the air and storing it away. Scientists have been experimenting with different methods of carbon sequestration through chemical, biological or physical means.
Subject Standards
Subject Matter: Physical Science/Geology National Standards:NS.5-8.1, NS.5-8.2
Source Links
Ira Flatow Science Friday Blog – Check out the excellent Science Friday video that goes with the topic.
Background information and extension activities
Have students view this short Fresh Dialogues video showing Nobel Prize winning economist, Paul Krugman explain the cap and trade system for carbon and why he thinks climate legislation could work. Here’s the interview transcript
About our Fresh Dialogues Education Expert: Lisa Lubliner is a respected and energetic educator with a varied background in teaching and administration. She has worked as a teacher (Moreland District, California – Teacher of the Year), served as a Gifted and Talented Education consultant, evaluated schools for the State of California and created a successful model for Independent Study Programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has an extensive background in alternative education and strives to engage students through real-world projects that emphasize critical thinking and the creation of action plans.
“This is our generation’s Sputnik Moment,” said President Obama in his State of the Union Speech last night. He’s referring of course to the space race with the Soviet Union, which spurred massive investment in research and development… and massive job creation. Today, he challenges the nation to invest massively in the future again, especially clean energy and green tech. It’s the only way we can catch up with (or surpass) China in the clean energy race.
Is China the invincible leader of clean energy and clean tech? It certainly looks that way. In a Fresh Dialogues interview, New York Times columnist, Tom Friedman explained his China envy… and emphasized that government has a huge role in jumpstarting the green economy. Would he like to be Obama’s Green Czar? Not a chance. He explains why in the video below.
What can we learn from China’s remarkable lead in clean energy? I talked with China expert, Isabel Hilton, founder and editor of China Dialogue who has earned a OBE for her groundbreaking work in this field. Her team’s mission: to give the reader an inside look at China’s environmental policy and encourage dialogue between China and the rest of the world. (Check out the site…it’s in Chinese and English)
“If you think you can ignore China, you don’t know what’s coming down the road,” warns Hilton. She describes the strategic economic shift in China over the last four years, from dirty unsustainable development to a new cleaner, greener outlook. In 2011, a new five year plan will be released to position China for the future. Hilton is impressed by the focus and conviction of China’s new policies which invest heavily in research and development; and support for new cleantech industries; strategies Obama says are necessary here in the US.
Hilton cautions that public opinion is a stumbling block to progress in the West and that the “Merchants of Doubt”community is undermining policy change by generating and sustaining doubt on established scientific issues. She challenges Obama to act decisively. So far, she says, “Obama has failed to live up to his convictions.” Time will tell if Obama’s forceful State of the Union speech last night – with its “The Future is ours to win” optimism – and the bipartisan mood of Congress will create real change.
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