Guest post contributed and co-authored by Mark Glover, CEO of Trinity Thermal Systems, and David Anderson, COO of Trinity Thermal Systems.  Mark and David are joint founders, inventors, and pioneers in green energy storage technology.

The Current Energy Situation
Storage is an integral part of every man-made system we have.  We have food in our pantries, fuel in our car gas tanks, and water in our water towers to meet our needs on demand.  Man’s greatest machine is our mass network of electricity and grid, but it does NOT have storage built in.  Which means, it is not only how much, but when we use electricity that is important.  Electrical supply and demand must perfectly balance every minute of every day; standby electric capacity must exist to instantly ramp up to the highest possible peak demand at a moments notice, with reserve capacity of ten to fifteen percent in case demand is under estimated or mechanical breakdown occurs.  If we fail to meet even a moment of this growing demand, we have blackouts or brownouts that paralyze our business economy and threaten the health of our families.

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1. Kulongoski Proposes $30 Million for Green Energy – Oregon Governor Kulongoski’s budget proposal includes $5.2 million for the nation’s first in-water wave generation and demonstration research facility, $2 million to the state’s energy department to place solar panels on top of schools and $10 million to foster geothermal projects at Oregon universities. Another chunk of money, $3.7 million, would provide tax breaks for businesses that use and make products that consume biofuel.
2. Help Wanted–Green; Green Development Could Be a Big Generator of Good Jobs, If America will Seize the Opportunity – There are good jobs to be had in environmentally friendly development, and construction jobs are just the beginning. Thousands of jobs are in products that go into green buildings. The job potential in renewable energy production is even more impressive…
3. China Chokes on Coal-fired Boom: Toxic Cloud of Progress Can be Seen from Space – the Chinese plan to build no fewer than 500 new coal-fired power stations, adding to some 2,000, most of them unmodernised, that spew smoke, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere…Cancer rates are soaring, child health is a time bomb and…an estimated 400,000 premature deaths nationwide because of pollution every year.
4. Short-term Air Pollution Increases Risk of Heart Attack for Those with Clogged Arteries – A new Brigham Young University study (by Arden Pope) published in the world’s top heart journal shows that a one- or two-day rise in air pollution causes a significant increase in the risk of unstable angina and heart attacks in the millions of Americans who have significant coronary artery blockage.

One of my goals for the new year is to flaunt the business case for sustainability.  When you add that to the fact that I’ve seen several blogs talk about reading 1 book/month (as a New Year’s Resolution), you get a nasty combination: my resolution + your resolution = reading Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Building Competitive Advantage.  As a caveat, however, I haven’t read the book yet, I’ve only thumbed through the pages and table of contents.  (I couldn’t get it before Christmas because that’s when you shop for other people, but now, the copies are all gone and I’m waiting).  The book was written by Dan Esty + Andrew Winston and is getting considerable attention in business circles.  The authors also have a blog called Eco-Advantage that I’ve been reading since November or so.  It’s good.  But here’s the gist, if you need a book to read, give it a shot. 

Fiona Harvey of Financial Times recommended Green to Gold in her list of books designed "to help the entrepreneur take advantage of [the green trend]."  I’ll leave it up to you to determine whether this is a trend.  Here’s what she said: "The business reader may have more luck with Green to Gold, a manual on how to turn your company into an eco-success, catching the current wave of consumer and government interest in saving the world from environmental catastrophe."  There you go, what’s your review??

This is fantastic news–we have a little quid pro quo that could change the future of a company forever.  Seriously.  Pitt + Global Green USA have partnered to build a sustainable community in New Orleans.  They are seeking cornerstone partners, each with category exclusivity, to help create a prototype for affordable, green housing.  Housing will be energy-efficient with environmentally conscious and weather-resistant materials.  Here’s how the deal works:

Potential Partner Company Provides:

• $1-2 million in year one, with right of first refusal in years two-four
• Support for green initiatives through employee education
• Support for green initiatives through consumer awareness program, sales of iconic products, etc. 

Potential Partner Company Receives:

• Inclusion in Global Green USA stories with media outlets such as "The Oprah Winfrey Show," People Magazine, "The Today Show," "Dateline NBC," VH1, etc. 
• Earn consumer trust and brand loyalty through commitment to Go Global Green
• Affiliation with celebrity spokesperson Brad Pitt

The deadline to act on this is January 31, 2007.  That’s about it as far available information, but I think this could be a great opportunity to get your company going on an explosively green track.  Will it be profitable?  Hard to say, but there looks to be substantial upside.  Via PRNewswire via ‘razzi. 

1. Wind Energy Scores Major Legal Victory in U.S. (Texas) – Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Texas, currently the world’s largest wind farm, did not create enough noise to be considered a private nuisance.  Via Hugg. 
2. Google Plants Solar Trees – About a third of the 9,000 solar panels (total 1.6-megawatt solar system) Google’s installing will take the form of overhanging parking shades at the million-square-foot campus in Mountain View. The others will be mounted on rooftops.
3. Boston Ready to Go Green – Boston is expected to become the first major city in the nation to require private developers to adhere to a strict set of so-called green-building standards, officials said yesterday.  (I need to fact check to determine whether it’s the first city). 
4. Green State v. Brown State: Report Details California and Texas Energy Use – Despite its size California’s per capita energy consumption ranks 46 out of the 50 states. Texans, on the other hand, are power hogs, with the state the 5th largest consumer of energy. Texas produces 10.2 percent of the country’s coal-fired electricity; California a tenth of 1 percent. California, however, generates the most power from solar, wind and other non-hydro sources, accounting for about 26 percent of the U.S.’s renewable energy.

On that last note, I’m a Texan and I must say, doesn’t it feel good to know that our state has become the laggard in terms of modernizing energy infrastructure and sourcing?  If we can find a way to boot out the rich executives that are hamstringing Texas’ energy situation, there’s a growing population of innovative leaders and thinkers that will generate returns for our future.  The question is, would you rather take the profits on your 35mm film sales OR would you like to own the patent on the digital camera?