Energy initiatives: Talk is cheap

Everyone knows the world needs a diverse offering of energy sources. But, to paraphrase the late U.S. President Harry Truman, the buck stops here: No more talk, let’s just get down to it and get the job done.
That thought came to mind as politicians and business thinkers from Europe, Asia and the U.S. joined in a Tuesday meeting at the World Energy Dialogue at Hannover Messe in Hannover, Germany.
“There are a lot of problems going on, but there is a positive mood coming on again,” said Jochen Homann, state secretary o the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. “In a crisis, (Germany) must refer back to our technical performance and our strengths. This is not a crisis, this is an opportunity to perform over the crisis.”
Countries can not do it alone, they have to join to understand and then fix the problems.
“In stormy times like this, we are all sitting in the same boat, that is why we have to work together to overcome our problems,” said Youn Ho Lee, minister of knowledge economy of Korea.
“We know things are headed in the right direction,” said Dr. Hans-Peter Keital, president of the Federation of Germany Industries (BDI). “It is important to remember traditional power generation. Take coal plants, we can replace coal fired plants with cleaner more efficient ones.”
He also said nuclear plants are also a possible area for energy growth. But Germany, he said, has to continue to work on new initiatives.
“We need intelligent networks and smart grids,” he said. “It is not a question of government money; it’s about regulations. If you can make it more attractive for investors, that will bring in billions of dollars.”
“We want to get regulatory parity that will set the scene for decades. We should work at the overall European level to have one voice. We should set new goals within the European Commission (EC) to set goals.”
But when it comes to tackling the energy issue, Homann said, “we have the technologies, you just have to do it. A lot of these companies are ready to go. We just need an overall strategy for energy supplies and stick to it.”
Not only is finding sustainable energy and issue, but so is using it properly.
“We need to use energy more efficiently,” Homann said. “We also need to do more to utilize renewable energy.”
Keith Cooley, chief executive of NextEnergy in Michigan, hit upon the efficiency angle.
“We (in the United States) are beginning to learn what you (in Europe) learned quite a long time ago. The greatest challenge we face is changing the sense of entitlement we have when it comes to energy usage.”
Finding quality energy usage and living in a green world is key, especially in Korea.
“Greenhouse gas emissions in Korea have doubled since 1990,” Lee said. “It is time for a paradigm shift like our new green deal.”
Korea is looking to increase nuclear energy and renewables in addition to boosting its solar energy.
“Since 1990, we have built 11 nuclear facilities,” Lee said. We have also spent $4.6 billion in the promotion of green energies.”
With the potential of oil prices going down or leveling off, the green movement may take a step back, but Lee said that could be a great time to grow. “This is the optimal time for investment in green growth,” Lee said. “We want to start a green revolution and we think this is the only way for Korea and the world to grow.”