Top 10 "Clean Energy" Topics to Keep an Eye On

6. Renewable Energy Standards

As I just reported the other day, implementing a strong nationwide renewable energy standard would create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Of course, despite claiming they are for the working man, conservatives seem to be against these, because they encourage clean energy companies more than the dirty energy companies that own these politicians pockets and pens. Want jobs? Implement a strong RES. (see topic #1 again)

7. Wind Power

Wind power has been growing more than any other energy sector in the US and Europe recently. Wind power capacity grew 31% worldwide in 2009. It more than doubled in China last year and China is now looking to build a wind turbine farm 25 times the size of the world’s largest in the coming years. With plenty of effort still going into new designs to make wind power dramatically more efficient, I don’t think this gust of wind is letting up anytime soon.

8. Clean Coal Technology

Not a fan favorite of environmentalists, but with China and India looking to build their economies significantly while using coal heavily and Obama committed to developing “clean coal” technology, this might become more than a back room topic. (Of course, there are serious problems with mountaintop removal, coal ash, toxic mercury in our oceans, and tens of thousands of pollution violations that “clean coal” can’t address, but may have to pay for financially one day.)

9. Nuclear

Looks like this topic is ripe to explode. Obama has been backing it strongly, including in his State of the Union address. The Senate Energy Committee is apparently all about “nuclear, nuclear, nuclear”. Yet there are so many issues still to address. And will the public (and major environmental groups) ever support this?

10. Climate Change & the Media

Why isn’t this higher? Because I think the main driver for the clean energy technology that will help to address climate change is going to come from the jobs incentive more. However, this is a major issue I follow and, very sadly, one of the worst-represented in the media due to hijackers who somehow find a way to vilify honorable climate scientists and misrepresent climate science through completely illegal and abhorring means and yet still get the media on their side. For constant news addressing these issues in an informative light, keep your eye on the highly acclaimed Climate Progress or on Planetsave where I occasionally summarize some of the biggest stories and add my own 2 cents.

Have more ideas? Comment below.

Image Credit: Samuele Storari via flickr under a CC license