During March 3-7, 2008, I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC), touted to be the largest international conference on renewable energy in the world. WIREC was actually three events rolled into one—a ministerial conference for policy makers, a business conference, and a tradeshow. Most everyone involved in renewable energy was there.
From the size and the diversity of the corporate landscape represented at the panels and on the tradeshow floor, it was obvious that companies in every industry want to be considered committed players in the renewable energy space.
BP, among the largest oil companies in the world, paid $1 million to be the lead sponsor of this three-day event. Other non-traditional green companies, including oil major Chevron, waste-to-energy power company Covanta Energy, and auto maker GM, were also principal sponsors.
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One of the under-reported heroes of the environmental cause is Patriarch Bartholomew I of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The story below reflects his efforts.
Before turning to the story, I’d like to quote some words of the Patriarch from his visit to the US ten years ago:
To commit a crime against the natural world is a sin. For humans to cause species to become extinct and to destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation, for humans to degrade the integrity of the Earth by causing changes in its climate, stripping the Earth of its natural forests, or destroying its wetlands … for humans to contaminate the Earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life with poisonous substances — these are sins.1
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In the litany of failed technologies introduced by industry leaders, Sony’s Betamax—a videotape technology superior to its rival, VHS—probably leads the 20th century list.
Topping the 19th century list is Edison’s direct current (DC) electric transmission. At low levels, Westinghouse’s alternating current (AC) seemed a more efficient, safer means of transmitting power locally.
It may be that Edison had it right. DC allows transmission across greater distances with less power loss than AC. That may be crucial in bringing more wind and solar power on line. Suitable sites for wind and solar farms tend to be far away from the cities they’d supply. So says the July 26 Economist.
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