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FIRST EVER GLOBAL SOLAR REPORT CARD POINTS WAY FOR OBAMA'S NEW ECONOMY
Global Green urges President-elect and Congress to go from C+ to A Grade with increased solar investment to stimulate green job creation and clean energy
Released from LA and Poznan UNFCC COPQ14 meeting, Report highlights shockingly low grades
Dec 2, 2008 – Poznan, Poland/Los Angeles, CA – Global Green USA, on behalf of President Gorbachev's Green Cross International (GCI), released the first-of-its-kind Global Solar Report Card at the opening of the International Climate Conference in Poland. The report card can be found here.
The report spotlights countries that have designed the most promising policy frameworks for solar marketplace development and compares 16 countries' (and California's) efforts to incentivize the manufacture and deployment of solar power.
"The U.S.' C+ grade confirms that President-Elect Obama has ample opportunity to invest more in solar power today and begin shifting energy subsidies from dirty fossil fuels to clean solar technologies," said Matt Petersen, head of Global Green and chairman of GCI's energy program. "Solar power has incredible potential to deliver substantial amounts of clean electricity while reducing electricity bills and creating new, green jobs in manufacturing and solar installation."
Today, humanity faces a multitude of sweeping crises. Amongst them, an energy crisis, which requires meeting an ever increasing demand; an environmental crisis, which requires that all additional energy supply come from clean sources; and an economic crisis, which suggests a need for new models for growth.
Today's solar technology can access about 4 times the world's annual demand for power. The solar industry, growing at rates of 40-50%, offers tremendous economic and employment opportunities. Solar energy is clean and versatile, can serve power providers' grids, and can currently provide electricity to 2 billion people, most of whom live in rural areas not connected to the grid and must rely on expensive, dirty sources of energy.
However, solar markets are still not effective in most countries and governments have a significant role to play in fostering conditions that will be conducive to solar market growth. For both environmental and economic reasons, the 20th century economic development model is coming to an end. The recent rise in oil prices alone shows the problem that increasing limited supplies will have on future global economic development. The report explores policy mechanisms that can help create the 21st century sustainable energy economy.
About Global Green USA
Global Green USA is the American arm of President Gorbachev's Green Cross International and has been a champion of solar power as a smart climate solution for more than fifteen years. Global Green has helped influence state and national legislation to create incentives for solar power, particularly to benefit low-income families and communities. Global Green is building the first solar powered, net zero energy housing development in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward as a model sustainable village. In 2007, Global Green provided the technical expertise and resources to help Community Housing Works build the first solar powered net zero affordable housing complex in California – the Solara.
"The U.S.' C+ grade confirms that President-Elect Obama has ample opportunity to invest more in solar power today and begin shifting energy subsidies from dirty fossil fuels to clean solar technologies," said Matt Petersen, head of Global Green and chairman of GCI's energy program. "Solar power has incredible potential to deliver substantial amounts of clean electricity while reducing electricity bills and creating new, green jobs in manufacturing and solar installation."
Today, humanity faces a multitude of sweeping crises. Amongst them, an energy crisis, which requires meeting an ever increasing demand; an environmental crisis, which requires that all additional energy supply come from clean sources; and an economic crisis, which suggests a need for new models for growth.
Today's solar technology can access about 4 times the world's annual demand for power. The solar industry, growing at rates of 40-50%, offers tremendous economic and employment opportunities. Solar energy is clean and versatile, can serve power providers' grids, and can currently provide electricity to 2 billion people, most of whom live in rural areas not connected to the grid and must rely on expensive, dirty sources of energy.
However, solar markets are still not effective in most countries and governments have a significant role to play in fostering conditions that will be conducive to solar market growth. For both environmental and economic reasons, the 20th century economic development model is coming to an end. The recent rise in oil prices alone shows the problem that increasing limited supplies will have on future global economic development. The report explores policy mechanisms that can help create the 21st century sustainable energy economy.
About Global Green USA
Global Green USA is the American arm of President Gorbachev's Green Cross International and has been a champion of solar power as a smart climate solution for more than fifteen years. Global Green has helped influence state and national legislation to create incentives for solar power, particularly to benefit low-income families and communities. Global Green is building the first solar powered, net zero energy housing development in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward as a model sustainable village. In 2007, Global Green provided the technical expertise and resources to help Community Housing Works build the first solar powered net zero affordable housing complex in California – the Solara.
