Photo: Ben Zweig

Last week, as I took a moment to quietly celebrate the California Air Resources Board's approval of a two-year plan to implement the State's Global Warming Solutions Act, I couldn't help but feel the tremendous sense of responsibility we have as a community and cleantech industry to make this happen - no delays, no distractions, no excuses. The world's been preparing for this moment a long time, and the technology solutions - solar, wind, fuel cells, clean fuels, hybrid electric cars, etc. - are being readied for mass adoption.

Solar and wind have been sharing the spotlight as broadly discussed and early adopted technologies for clean energy. But there are equally important, if not more impactful technologies that will play key roles in addressing our energy security, climate change and energy efficiency challenges going forward. Specifically, I'm talking about electric and hybrid vehicle technologies, alternative clean fuels, and fuel cells for stationary power and motive applications.

Pure electric and hybrid electric vehicles, especially plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), may have the greatest potential for reducing oil consumption and harmful greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide. By many estimates, mass adoption of PHEVs in the United States would emit "far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than those the last century". When you add in the potential of wide-spread conversion to clean fuels - natural gas, biofuels, hydrogen, etc. - some studies suggest that greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced as much as 86% compared to gasoline.

When fuel cells are added to the mix, you can begin to envision an integrated network of energy technologies that work interdependently to not only enable the 2020 goals of California's global warming initiatives, but propel us beyond to 2050, where carbon dioxide emissions are less than 20% of today's levels and oil is no longer the energy driver of the global economy.

Next time, I'll delve more into the community of the near future, where clean energy technologies are integrated into smart-grid distributed energy networks deployed within smart-growth communities.

Until then, Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Keep well, Jon