The largest windfarm at the moment in the U.S. is the 781MW Roscoe Wind Farm facility in Texas. For comparison sake, there are 29 coal fired power plants in the country with more than 2000MW capacity.

Though there wasn’t much new in terms of policy, Obama did lay out a bold goal for clean energy, saying that the U.S. can get 80% of its electricity from clean sources by 2035. This includes natural gas, of course, which is cleaner than coal but not a renewable energy source.

The idea of domestic energy and national security was mentioned a few times, a recurring theme recently. Obama specifically envisioned “A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.” While biofuels were not mentioned by name, the president did acknowledge that with only 2% of the world’s oil reserves, “This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.”

As is the tradition in presidential addresses, Obama cited working class individuals who were in the audience. In particular, he mentioned Bryan Ritterby, a formerly out-of-work furniture maker. Ritterby was hired at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan.

photovoltaic (PV) power increased by 36.1 percent (%) from the previous fiscal year, with the launch of the Excess Electricity Purchasing Scheme for PV Electricity in November 2009. Wind power and biomass power also continued to increase by 16.5% and 8.5%, respectively. Micro-hydropower (10,000 kilowatts or less), geothermal power and solar thermal power decreased slightly. All told, the domestic supply of renewable energy increased by a mere 4.2% from the previous fiscal year.

Given that a feed-in tariff system approved by the federal government last year will be implemented this summer, the amount of renewable energy being used should see even larger growth. This is one area where Japan should not look to the U.S. for guidance or advice but take a strong and clear leadership position by itself. There is a lot the U.S. can learn about energy efficiency by studying Japan.

[Image by author]

The legislation, which went into effect at the beginning of this year, outlines how Germany will ramp up production of renewable energy. The goals stated in the policy are: at least 35 percent of energy will come from renewable sources by 2020, at least 50 percent by 2030, at least 65 percent by 2040, and between 80 and 95 percent by 2050. A recent press release by Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety shows that renewable energy accounted for roughly 20 percent of energy production last year, up from just 6.4 percent in 2000.

According to the Associated Press, Germany’s vast expansion in renewable energy will depend on investment incentives, government subsidies, and the continued cooperation of taxpayers. Technology-specific remunerations, or feed-in tariffs, are given to renewable power plants for 20 years, and reward those that start up sooner. While expediting investment, feed-in tariffs will help give market access to smaller companies. To help foot the bill, Germans pay for electricity by the “user-pays” principle, meaning the price of power increases with consumption. German citizens also pay a 3.5 euro cent per kilowatt-hour tax, or roughly $205 per year for a family of four, to help subsidize costs associated with the legislation (see link above for more information).

Since first being adopted by German Parliament in 2001, the Renewable Energy Act has been fairly successful. Besides boosting the share of Germany’s renewable power sources to over 20 percent, each legislative benchmark has been surpassed along the way. Producing electricity from renewable sources also eliminates the hidden costs (for example, to public health) associated with burning fossil fuels. However, the plan has not escaped criticism. One study, carried out on behalf of the Bavarian Business Association, estimates the cost of the legislation (€250 billion) plus indirect costs (€85 billion) to total €335 billion, or $469 billion, over the next nine years—not to mention up to 2050. As Jeremy Rifkin, an American economist put it, “Germany can’t afford to fail.”

Image taken in England