Denver Post
No. Green is still unsustainable
By William Yeatman, Competitive Enterprise Institute think tank
It’s been a rough stretch for Colorado’s “new energy economy.” Over the last few months, the Centennial State’s green energy industry, which the new energy economy was supposed to kick start, has been beset by a series of setbacks. Loveland-based Abound Solar went bankrupt; Vestas Wind Systems laid off almost 200 workers at its Windsor blade plant; and General Electric pulled the plug on a planned solar manufacturing plant in Aurora.
The troubles of renewable energy companies are not unique to Colorado; they extend nationwide. U.S. taxpayers ponied up $60 billion for green energy “investments” as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the stimulus bill. The results are only coming in only now, and they are not good. The list of “stimulosers” — of which Solyndra is only the most famous example — is long and growing. It includes Beacon Power, Evergreen Solar, Amonix, A123 Systems, Nevada Geothermal Power, and many others.
Continued: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_21960082/no-green-is-still-unsustainable
Yes. State’s ‘new energy’ is strong
By Tom Plant, former energy chief under Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter
Mark Twain famously said, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”
Today, we read similar reports concerning the demise of Colorado’s “new energy economy.” The fact is, due to comprehensive efforts toward regulatory, legislative and programmatic reform taken during the Ritter administration, Colorado’s new energy sector continues to thrive, serving a growing market here and around the globe.
Clean Edge, Inc., has ranked Colorado’s new energy economy fifth in the country for the second year in a row. Colorado has moved up to third in the country (behind California and Massachusetts) for venture capital directed toward innovative advanced-energy companies. These are companies that will not only supply Colorado consumers with clean and secure advanced-energy technologies, but that also will serve a rapidly growing global market.
Continued: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_21960076/yes-states-new-energy-is-strong?source=jBar
Also: Gas and Oil Industry Making Inroads in Austin, a Haven for Clean Energy Jobs/The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/us/gas-and-oil-industry-making-inroads-in-austin.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
