Shai Agassi courageously works to change the nature of transportation in Israel; Mr. Agassi’s company has the eventual goal of expanding their operations to countries all around the world. As founder and CEO of Project Better Place, Mr. Agassi created his business based on the idea that consumers can support a shift from fossil fuel cars to electric cars. This blog writer agrees heartily with Shai Agassi that consumers would love to support a green technology if it were made affordable to them.

In order to provide these commercial options to every day people, there are some deals that need to be made with car manufacturers, electricity suppliers and even some incentive programs within the Israeli government.

Project Better Place worked with car manufacturers to get them to produce a special line of electric cars. So far, they have gotten Nissan to agree to manufacture an electric car. Hopefully all the auto makers will jump on board soon.

The next step was convincing the Israeli government to create special tax subsidies that would reward purchasers of electric vehicles. These tasks accomplished, the last step is to insure that there is an energy infrastructure in place so that people can charge up their new electric vehicles with ease.

Electric cars have one notable limitation: the fact that they rely on batteries that need recharging. Project Better Place is working on creating a network of recharging stations and battery swapping stations so that people can easily “charge up” their vehicles. While this step is by far the most expensive part of the electric car solution, it is also a business opportunity ripe for the picking; electric charging stations will cost money to run, but they will also be able to charge their customers for the service. Since customers will be able to charge their batteries anywhere, these charging stations would be advised to hook themself up to the electric grid in general, so that they can also sell energy on the grid for domestic use, thereby shielding themselves from sales slumps where their customers simply charge up at home.

Check out the full episode of ECO HEROES with Shai Agassi.

In order to get a geographic appreciation of Project Better Place, make sure to check out Shai Agassi’s Map Marker [www.sundancechannel.com] on Eco-mmunity Map.

Feel free to leave comments on this post and click the following link to find Project Better Place [www.projectbetterplace.com].

Discover More ECO HEROES using the links below:

Jonathan Demme [www.sundancechannel.com]

Ira Ehrenpreis @ Technology Partners [www.sundancechannel.com]

Jerry Fiddler @ Solazyme [www.sundancechannel.com]

Sarah Gitlin @ Dalton High School [www.sundancechannel.com]

Shai Agassi @ Project Better Place [www.sundancechannel.com]

Sherry Strong [www.sundancechannel.com]

Zem Joaquin [www.sundancechannel.com]

Adam Green [www.sundancechannel.com]

Robert Thurman [www.sundancechannel.com]

Joanna Opot @ Starting Bloc [www.sundancechannel.com]

James Wells @ Sustainable South Bronx [www.sundancechannel.com]

Wind turbines in Wisconsin generate
power bought by Alliant Energy
to serve Iowa customers.
(Photo by Todd Spinks courtesy
NREL)

DES MOINES, Iowa, December 14, 2007 (ENS) – Iowa’s initial Energy Independence Plan, submitted to Governor Chet Culver and members of the general assembly today, calls for the state to set standards that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

The plan calls for greenhouse gas emissions standards for new cars sold in Iowa that follow the low-carbon standard pioneered by California.

Written by the newly formed Iowa Office of Energy Independence, the Board of the new $100 million Power Fund, and state agencies, the plan encourages Iowa production of cost-effective, renewable energy, acceleration of infrastructure development, and use of renewable fuels for all transportation in Iowa.

The Iowa Office of Energy Independence was created by the legislature in May to recommend ways Iowa could become energy independent by 2025. There is a long way to go to reach that goal. Today, 95 percent of the state’s power comes from outside sources, a figure that has hardly changed in 25 years, according to the report.

“There is a new convergence of factors that presses Iowa forward,” the report states. “It is no longer possible to maintain an energy status quo.”

“Windows of opportunity have opened as a result of the convergence of time, Iowa’s resources and key external conditions,” the report says.” Those include the volatile cost of fossil fuels, the growing acceptance of alternative energy sources, local eagerness to invest in energy infrastructure, and increasing awareness of climate change.”

“The political will has changed as well, on a global, national, state, and local level. Iowa’s political leadership is critical for successful market transformation to achieve greater sustainable energy usage,” says the report.

Governor Chet Culver, a Democrat, supports expansion of renewable energy in Iowa and across the country.

Thursday, Culver called on all candidates running for president to support extension of the wind production tax credit, which was left out of the Energy Bill passed last night in the U.S. Senate.

“While I support many of the provisions in the Energy Bill, I am disappointed this important tax credit was stripped from the legislation,” said Culver. “However, this does not end this fight and today I call on members of Congress, both Democratic and Republican, and others running for president to join me in supporting the emerging wind industry by supporting the wind production tax credit.”

Wind power production is particularly important to the Culver government, which has attracted new turbine manufacturers, and wind energy producers to the state since taking office in January 2007.

“It is our goal to make Iowa the national leader in energy efficiency, and sustainable energy,” wrote Governor Culver and Lt. Gov. Patty Judge in a letter included in the Energy Independence Plan. “We want to make Iowa what we have called the Silicon Valley of the Midwest with respect to our new energy economy.”

Culver counts plans for the nation’s first cellulosic biorefinery, more ethanol E85 pumps and more distribution lines for bio-diesel among his renewable energy accomplishments since he took office in January.

The plan’s recommendations to the Iowa Legislature, which will be updated annually, include:

* Join 16 states that have adopted or are considering adopting the California emission standards for passenger vehicles

* Set standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050

* Encourage Iowa production of cost-effective, renewably-generated electricity

* Accelerate the infrastructure development and use of renewable fuels for all transportation in Iowa

* Direct power companies to increase energy efficiency efforts, with increased education

* Order the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to consider a facility’s greenhouse gas emissions when considering whether to approve air permits

* Mandatory energy audits and energy-efficiency projects at all state-owned buildings, and new energy standards for new buildings

* Encouragement of telecommuting, ride shares and use of public transit by state employees

* Plan improvements to power lines, pipelines, railroads, trails, and roads needed to promote energy independence

* Set numeric goals for cost-effective energy-efficiency measures

* Require utilities to provide more renewable energy, and provide incentives

* Develop and enforce energy codes for new and old buildings, and provide incentives for projects that exceed the minimum requirements

* Adopt a new labeling system for residential, commercial and industrial complexes that promotes energy efficiency achievements

“Energy independence is essential for Iowa’s environment and our economy,” Governor Culver wrote in his letter attached to the plan. “With the creation of the Office of Energy Independence and the Iowa Power Fund, we have committed our state government to dedicated leadership in this effort, and to making Iowa the renewable energycapital of the country.”

View This Story On Eco-mmunity Map.

In a world where nothing seems to happen unless somebody, somewhere, gets really rich for signing papers, there is finally hope for global environmental health. A new joint report has been released by the European Renewable Energy Council and Greenpeace. This report states, among other things, that the U.S. could create electricity consistent with rising demand and save $180 billion annually by building infrastructure for renewable energy sources. Globally, this would require an annual $22 billion investment increase for renewable energy infrastructure. This all makes so much sense one wonders why the financial backing is not there already.

It is important for humanity at large to consider renewable electricity now. This decade, emerging economies found in China, India and Brazil are rapidly requiring new energy infrastructure to power the growth of their countries. Everyone else in the world should want these emerging economies to be powered on renewable energy sources rather than coal and fossil fuel energies.

Without a real commitment to renewable energy technologies, this planet will pay a dire financial cost in addition to the incredible cost in human lives. Imagine coast lines disappearing, the disruption of hundreds of coastal ports and communities, massive influxes of environmental refugees fleeing floods, and of course, all the rioting and lawlessness that would erupt. Take all that in, sit back in your chair and think about how much money would be lost in financial markets in that situation.

There is hope to mitigate this situation by beginning the switch to real renewable energy infrastructure. This will lessen the global warming trend in the short term and reverse it in the long term. The financial benefits will be real because countries like North America will not have have to import as much foreign oil, which will keep more money and investment potential in our country rather than giving it away to other countries.

If you want to read this report and find out about the organizations that sponsor it, then please visit Energy [R]evolution [www.energyblueprint.info]. Also, you may consider writing your representatives and asking them to make renewable energy happen. You might find that promising your vote in return for action on renewable energy is a very persuasive argument.