The Ten Most Important Renewable Energy Stories of 2009

Within hours, 2009 will be coming to a close:  a perfect time to take stock of what this past year had to offer. 

For starters, 2009 saw the creation of EnergyBoom Media, Inc. (perhaps the most important cleantech development of the year).  And, it is safe to say the first year of operation has been a success--EnergyBoom posted over 1,000 stories, and has been on the scene reporting every big movement in the clean energy universe.  Even more, the organization is growing everyday, and is looking forward to exponentially expanding its operations and capabilities in 2010.

Yet, we are getting ahead ourselves a little bit.  It is still 2009, therefore, we should maintain our focus on this moment and this year.  Looking at what has transpired this year, it does not take long to realize it has been an extermely successful year for clean energy with technologies and projects being developed at an ever-increasing pace, despite world economic woes.  Even disregarding all the government and private funding and massive multi-billion dollar projects, renewable energy has had a fantastic year. 

No longer is alternative energy relegated to the "Kids Table" in energy discussions.  Not only have renewable technologies blown off the "great idea, but, unfortunately, totally impractical" label once held by major policy-makers and electric utilities, but also they have penetrated the conversations of the oft-forgotten mass population.  Never has alternative energy held such political, financial, and social esteem.  This alone makes 2009 a remarkable year.

Nevertheless, there have been many clean energy highlights.  So, EnergyBoom has done it's best to sift through all the headlines and distill the most important renewable energy stories of the year.

And, in the category of the Top 10 Renewable Energy Stories of 2009, the winners are...

1.  Desertec Plans Massive Solar Project for North Africa - Some people may consider 2009 a down year for the solar industry.  Yet, that did not prevent twelve companies from not only creating the Desertec solar project, but also moving it forward.  If this €400 billion solar project is completed, it will be the largest in the world.  Desertec will be composed of multiple solar fields located in the African desert that will have the potential to supply Europe with 15-20% of its power needs by 2050.

2.  Who's the Slimiest? 10 Companies in the Race to Commercialize Algae - In 2009, algae became the posterchild for alternative fuels.  Although it is not quite commercially viable, algal biofuels are poised to replace first-generation feedstocks as the dominant biofuel.  And, as this article points out, the switch could be happening very soon.  As a result of its soaring reputation, algae has caught the attention of governments and giant oil companies alike, whose well-laced caufers are only speeding up the development of this biofuel.

3.  Investing in Alternative Energy: A Bright Future - Investment in clean technology rose, actually skyrocketed, in all three reported financial quarters of 2009.  Furthermore, clean energy is not only being seen as a savvy short-term investment in a depressed market, but it is being viewed by some as "the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century."

4.  DOE Accelerates Geothermal Energy with $338 Million in Awards - 2009 has been a renaissance of sorts for geothermal power.  Although geothermal is by no means a new technology, it has definitely been a forgotten technology.  However, geothermal energy stepped out of the shadows in 2009 as venture capital and government funding flooded the industry in an unprecedented manner.

5.  Smart Grid Could be Worth $20 Billion in Five Years: "1,000 Times Bigger than the Internet" - Out of all the clean technologies, smart grids might be the most important at the moment:  you can generate all the renewable power you want, but if you do not have the capabilities to transmit that power to homes and businesses it is worthless.  As a result, smart grids and smart meters have become the hottest commodity in the cleantech world.  Big businesses such as Microsoft, IBM, Google, Duke Energy, and Cisco, as well as governments around the world, have invested billions of dollars into developing smart grid technology so that they can capture a chunk of this soon-to-be burgeoning market.

6.  India's Ambitious National Action Plan on Climate Change - Although released in 2008, India's plan of action to combat human-induced climate change did not receive noteriety until 2009.  The plan has high goals, which if attained would be astounding.  These goals include installing over 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022, and instituting incentives and mandates to promote the adoption of energy efficient technologies and appliances.  As one of the largest polluters in the world, this National Action Plan is an important step towards shifting energy use in India.

7.  New Study Shows Tremendous Potential for Wind Energy Worldwide - The global wind energy sector rebounded from a down year in 2008 to continue its perennial growth as one of the most dominant renewable energy sources in the world.  2009 was marked by the development of massive wind farms, new technology, and studies outlining the immense potential of wind power to meet world energy demand.

8.  Energy Dept. Announces $8B in Advanced Car Tech Loans to Ford, Nissan, Tesla - The development of electric vehicles (EVs)--cars, trucks, scooters, and bikes--continues to soar.  With the inauguration of Barack Obama as the President of the United States of America, 2009 saw the U.S. finally jump aboard the EV train in a significant way.  The question going forward is: who will dominate the industry, China or America?

9.  Wave Energy Companies Striving to Catch Up With Offshore Wind Power - 2009 witnessed a big growth year for marine (wave and tidal) energy technologies.  Multiple startup companies took huge strides this year toward commercially developing their technology.  Wave and tidal power hold immense potential as energy sources, and the technology is progressing rapidly.  For example, the United Kingdom recently became the site of the first operational wave power device.

10. House Clean Energy-Climate Bill A Major Win for Obama - Here's a caveat: the Waxman-Markey Bill can be seen in both a negative and positive light, depending on the individual's perspective.  The fact that the bill has not been put to vote in the Senate, despite making it past the House in June, is a negative; the fact that the bill was not passed into law in time to be a key negotiating piece at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December is another negative.  However, the bill did make it past Congress, which is a positive.  Also, there has never been such a comprehensive piece of legislation concerning American energy use proposed in the federal government--another positive.  Combining both the failures and the successes of the Waxman-Markey bill with the fact that high-level officials in the United States have been seriously discussing greenhouse gas emissions, energy sources, and climate change make this one of the most important stories of 2009.

Happy New Year.  Here's to a fantastic 2010.

Image courtesy of Flickr