It already has to some extent.  I hate to be overly pessimistic, but sometimes you can’t just “make do.”  With the exception of high expectations from the Obama administration, things don’t look particularly great between the news of job cuts from Ausra, SunTech, OptiSolar and the abysmal rate at which new companies (and projects) are getting financed. Since the valley-jarring Sequoia deck slowed down bandwidth throughout the bay area in a display of viral marketing that rivaled anything put together by web 2.0 gurus, valuations have gone down, budgets have gotten stretched, and start-ups with great teams and traction have been told to jog in place.

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MMA Renewable Ventures, employer of one of our Bloggers, announced earlier this morning that it has fully deployed it’s Solar Fund III, contributing nearly $200 million to the creation of new solar energy.

Knowing the team there fairly well, the news doesn’t surprise me given how capable their well respected engineers and development associates are.  What will be more interesting is how quickly, in this current climate, they can raise new funds to take advantage of depressed module prices and further establish themselves as one of the 900 pound gorillas in the world of Solar and Renewable Finance.

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I wrote earlier about the US Green Building Council’s LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) certification program.  LEED is a 4-tier rating system for high-performing buildings that encourages a systemic approach to sustainable design.  Historically, most LEED APs were architects, mechanical engineers, and other niche green building professionals.  With the demand for green buildings and sustainable design booming, an increasing number of professionals are becoming LEED AP certified (more than 75K and climbing rapidly). For about $650 and a lot of focused studying and serious dedication, you too can become a LEED AP.

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An Earthship is a type of passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials. Designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, NM. Earthships are a type of off-grid home, which minimizes their reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. Passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials, thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization and renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills. Watch the video after the jump.

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Interest in glass bottles is growing as a storm of environmental and health-related concerns are brewing around plastic packaging (more specifically, “PET”).

In my last post, I promised to highlight industries where disruptive technologies could make significant inroads.  The glass bottle industry, which is ripe for innovation in the manufacturing, packaging, recycling, and refilling stages, is highlighted here.

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Job seekers, chin up! You are not alone. You have company, but you’ll need to have some tenacity because Q1 2009 will not provide you with many easy opportunities. If you are keen on getting a job in renewable energy and you don’t have any experience or situational awareness…. then you had better start getting some or else the 300 former Optisolar employees will get your gig.  Optisolar’s struggle to find additional financing is not unique.  In the Bay Area companies that received funding with the expectation of raising another round in late ‘08 early ‘09 will continue to slash their burn rate by going through the painful process of off loading expensive and experienced workers that they painstakingly researched, hired and trained in previous months.

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If you check out our open events calendar and you’ll likely find some interesting events going on in your area – including two sustainability and cleantech focused business plans being held on 28 February 2009.

A few months ago at the culmination of another business plan competition Steven Vasallo of Foundation Capital reminded an audience that “a crisis was a terrible thing to waste.” It is no secret that the economy’s immediate future doesn’t look particularly strong through Q3 2009. Many job seekers are finding the same disheartening response when they apply or speak to would be employers.

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According to the EIA’s Annual World Energy Outlook 2008, total electricity usage in the world is supposed to approach 203 million GWh by 2030 across all sectors- residential, commercial and industrial. This number translates to a growth rate of 1.6 percent per year. Additionally, the last infrastructure report from the American Society for Civil Engineers downgraded the U.S. national power grid from a D+ to a D rating (on an A-F grading scale) and Europe also recognized the necessity to upgrade its transmission capabilities given infrequent, yet serious blackouts in the last few years. While most if not all agree that cleaner sources of energy are imperative, it is indisputable that that significant “gains” can be achieved through conservation and efficiency improvements. As the load demand reaches grid capacity in many areas, this is where some of the “low-hanging fruit” will be found.

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President Obama, welcome to the center stage, the country and the world are expecting great things from you and your team of 306 million people. Please lead us all wisely.

This morning Barack Hussain Obama became 44th President of the United States before a backdrop of mounting environmental concerns, national security fears, economic instability and a very expectant, demanding and increasingly impatient constituency. Today he humbly called on American and the World’s citizens and to help him.  The future of clean technologies of every sector require forward thinking politicians and intelligentsia to wean the public from energy sources that “strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet“.

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Crikey!! I seem to have started a bit of a debate about the validity of the word expert and its use in our courageous clean tech world. It appears that some of you are happy in your expert skin. While others are more coy and think of the term as a passing trend, which makes sense in that if you are currently the only one with a bit of an answer then you my friend are most definitely it for the time being – whether you like it or not.

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