It's getting harder and harder to resist the urge to call President Barack Obama "Daddy Greenbucks." Especially today, when he announced that he's shelling out $3.4 billion in grants to build a smart energy grid that would bring our nation's antiquated electrical system into the digital, green and clean age.

Obama's big cash-money, and I mean big in a "largest-award-made-in-a-single day-from-the-$787-billion-stimulus-package" way, will:

1. Give far more than a face lift to our aging "dilapidated" electricity grid with the addition of 18 million digital smart home meters and reams of energy powered by renewable sources, like solar and wind energy. (But how and how soon can I get a a smart meter?! )
2. Create historically more watts than ever before with less impact on the climate. (Speaking of, the climate bill battle kicks off in the Senate today.)
3. Energize business for 100 green companies in 49 states with deep-green grants ranging from $400,000 to $200 million.
4. Inject tens of thousands of new green-collar jobs into the already-exploding green industry. Hey, kids, it's not too late to change your major.
5. Significantly reduce rolling blackouts (which we deserve and suffer plenty of in power-hungry Southern California).
6. Save some decent utility bill cash for America's energy vampire consumers, that is if we're smart, like this grid. (How? Basically, with the digital smart grid, electricity prices will increase when demand increases and decrease when demand decreases, empowering us to make better, more energy- and cost-efficient choices.)

The President announced the historic $3.4 billion (!) greenbacks for green energy at a Florida solar plant just moments ago. He said the country's ailing electrical system "wastes too much energy, it costs too much money, and it's too susceptible to outages and blackouts."

Obama wasted no time moving on to an aggressive pitch for nationwide greenhouse gas cap legislation that he said will "finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America." Apparently a few Senators missed that memo.

(Photo credit:flickr, LanceCheungImages)

It's time to look at wind power differently. What if you could pick up an affordable wind turbine at your local home store or big box store, take it home, plug it in to a regular wall outlet, and watch it immediately start sending power back to the grid? You could literally see your cost payback with every turn of the turbine's blades. That's the concept of the Jellyfish Wind Appliance from Clarian Technologies.

Of course, the beauty of this idea is in the scale. A single turbine plugged in outside the garage of the house down the street is not going to make much difference in the pwer grid, but if every house on the block had one, if there were banks of similar small turbines installed in apartment buildings and condos, it would make a difference. We could generate sufficient renewable energy to power a huge chunk of our energy needs, even on this small scale. IF everyone had one.

At a proposed $400, the Jellyfish isn't yet available to the public, but the cost would decrease if production quantities increased. If in addition there was a tax credit or energy rebate that covered most of the cost to property owners, what would stop us from using this technology—a simple motor with no special wiring or power inverters required—to start creating our own power?

It's time to get on board and create viable new ways to make energy (while reducing consumption at the same time, of course) and this is one way to do just that.

(Photo credit:edkohler, flickr)

President Obama’s $825 billion proposed stimulus package dedicates some $24 billion dollars for wind and solar power, and an array of other green initiatives. If it passes, America’s renewable energy capacity could double over the next three years, doubling the need for green jobs.

The President’s unprecedented push for direct green spending (which reportedly adds up to nearly a third of the entire stimulus package) is aimed at boosting green employment, green energy and green infrastructure. All are suffering amid an ailing economy and the subprime mortgage crisis.

Additional green spending proposals in the stimulus package, some short-term, others several years long, include:

• Energy-efficiency retrofits for older homes and schools
• Constructing new solar farms, greener power plants and fueling stations for flex-fuel vehicles
• Introducing high-voltage, lower carbon footprint transmission lines
• Creating new, cleaner municipal sewer systems

Continue reading Breaking: Obama's stimulus good for green ›

(Photo credit:AMagill, Flickr)

Electric cars may not be THE answer, but they're at least getting a second chance. Californians, some of whom had to return their beloved EV1s to General Motors back in the '90s, got some heartwarming news recently: San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose are implementing a multi-stage plan to encourage and support electric vehicles (EVs).

The knocks on EVs revolve around speed, hills, and batteries. They don't typically go very fast, have a hard time climbing big hills, and can't go very far without a battery charge.

Let's start with batteries, since they impact the other two issues: speed and power. Where do you charge an EV if you don't have a garage? Do you run an extension cord out to the street? What if the only parking spot is across the street? See the problem?

Part of the San Francisco Bay Area plan is to put charging stations on the streets and offer incentives for companies to install them at work. All government buildings will have them as well. Throw in battery exchange locations (the replacement of flat batteries with fully charged batteries—as part of a battery lease program) and now commuters can travel further. The cost: around $1 billion for the whole plan.

If the charging occurs in the wee hours of the morning (using timers or smart-grid technology), when energy demands are typically low, there may not be much, if any, additional stress to the California's grid. 

(Photo Credit: Iconocast)

Ever wonder why the row of exercise bikes at your gym isn't hooked up to a generator and providing power for the lights? That fantasy could soon be a reality with "the Smart Grid," a new way to store and distribute power with a design that's radically different from today's power grid.

Michael McCarthy at The Independent describes the Smart Grid as well as anyone:

The smart grid is a national electricity distribution grid which is as light and mobile and responsive as the internet, working from consumer to supplier as well as the other way round. Got more charge in your electric car than you need? Sell it back to the distributor through the smart grid, instantly. Got your tumble-dryer working on a very hot day? Have the smart grid automatically turn off the dryer's heating element for you.

America's electricity network is now designed on centralized principles of generation and distribution. That old design makes us vulnerable to cascading outages, black-outs like the Northeast Blackout of 2003 that affect entire regions of the continent. Experts agree and President-elect Obama is convinced that it is time for a new design based on new technology. A new technology called Vehicle-to-Grid (or V2G) promises to allow owners of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) to sell excess power in their batteries back to energy companies and to recharge during off-peak hours, automagically. Widespread deployment of V2G will allow us to shift half of our electricity generation to wind and solar power, reducing our reliance on coal fired plants.

Smart Grid technology is already in production at many local power companies around the country, buying back solar generated power for example. How far can we be from the day when we can partially pay for our gym memberships with pedal power sold back to the electric company? Seriously.

(Photo credit:McPig on Flickr)