Week in Renewables: New Emissions Targets, Ausra to Sell, Tesla IPO

Despite the delaying of an international treaty at December’s Copenhagen climate change summit, the issue got a global bump this week as three major players promised emissions cuts: Brazil, South Korea and, most surprisingly, Russia.

World leaders seem to feel some level of urgency, with some hoping to get negotiations finished by early next year. But how effective can summits like Copenhagen be, when it seems difficult to inspire widespread concern about climate change? A study of 1,504 Britons found that only 41 percent accept anthropogenic global warming as an established scientific fact.

Given that the United Kingdom’s government has been strident in its warnings about AGW, that’s a remarkably low figure. And aside from the general apathy most show to the issue, there are also signs of more extreme movements blossoming, both pro- and anti-AGW. On one side, more climate change activists are engaging in shock tactics, while on the other, skeptics last week stole emails in an attempt to discredit climatologists.

In the renewable energy industry, the big news this week was that Ausra, one of the more prominent solar thermal companies, is trying to sell itself. The company recently gave up on its plans for massive solar farms in favor of smaller installations; having a powerful owner might allow it to carry off larger projects.

Solar Millenium, another solar thermal operator, refused to give up on its plans for a huge $3 billion farm northwest of Las Vegas, instead ceding to local demands that it cool its plant with something other than water. The company said it would use dry-cooling from fans and heat exchangers, at a loss to efficiency. The acquiescence could set an example other companies are forced to follow.

In the solar panel business, First Solar said that it expects China to set a feed-in tariff soon for the company’s planned 2 gigawatt solar plant in Inner Mongolia, a development that would encourage investors. Sunpower, however, disappointed by stating that it made accounting errors that could force it to restate its past financial results.

The struggling biofuels industry got some good news: scientists have completely decoded the corn genome, opening the path to new breeds and more efficient ethanol production. And Altarock Geothermal is getting a second chance after its failure to complete a drill-hole in fall, with a $25 million Department of Energy grant to drill for volcanic energy in Oregon.

Finally, in transportation, electric car company Tesla Motors is reportedly preparing for its initial public offering on U.S. markets. Electric trains, though, still have problems to grapple with; a University of Berkeley panel found problems in California’s proposed high-speed rail project, including massive overstatement of how many people might ride the train.