Germany Has Built Clean Energy Economy U.S. Rejected in 80s

The Fukushima nuclear disaster, following the earthquake and tsunami on March, 2011, in Japan warned the whole word the danger of nuclear energy. Many governments reacted by seeking for a cleaner and more sustained energy sources. German is one of the pioneers in the new trend by using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and tide, etc. and gradually stops ultilizing fossil fuels and nuclear power. They planed that renewable power will account for 80 percent of the amount of energy usage in German in 2050. This plan is fully supported by citizens because about 80 percent of Germans are now against nuclear power.

However, this shift in energy did not go smoothly in the U.S. since the economy has led by giant oil and coal multinational companies although the U.S. was the leader in research and production of renewable energy 30 years ago. One of the government's big achievements is substituting coal for natural gas, which leads to release less pollutants such as noxious smoke, fumes and fine particles into the atmosphere. Recently, there are some positive signals. For example, on May, 2012 President Obama went to Iowa to promote clean and renewable energy technologies and planned for a bigger tax credits to encourage investments from American companies. One month later, Former President Bill Clinton attended energy summit in Las Vegas to push clean energy legislation and jobs.

In Texas, Mayor Parker announced a project of development friendly and energy-efficient homes. These houses will be powered by 100 percent natural gas. She promised that home¬owners won’t pay utility bills for at least a decade and they even can sell excess electricity to other energy companies. Of course, the price of these special houses is not cheap, range from $200,000 to $225,000. This is a lot higher than the average home value in this area, usually only about $60,000. But the good news is that homeowners can enjoy discounts on property insurance and tax.

Since many national governments have reinforced regulations and laws to cut the pollution from manufacturing and daily activities. It is necessary and important for firms to change their energy utility system. It is not about saving and using energy economically but looks for a new and cleaner source to meet these requirements. The cost to upgrade the plants, and educate employees surely will be very expensive and can put many companies under financial pressure and difficulties. Firms need to plan, research and evaluate energy reform thoroughly to have a better chance of success. These changes are not only corporate social responsibility but also a potential opportunity to produce efficiently and effectively .

References

Davidson, Osha G. (2012). Germany Has Built Clean Energy Economy U.S. Rejected in 80s. Bloomberg. [Available at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-13/germany-has-built-clean-energy-economy-u-s-rejected-in-80s.html]

Kever, Jeannie. (2012). High-tech, energy-efficient homes will be in historic neighborhoods. Fuelfix. [Available at http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/11/30/high-tech-energy-efficient-homes-will-be-in-historic-neighborhoods/]

Obama to push clean energy technologies in Iowa. (2012). Businessweek. [Available at http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-05-22/obama-to-push-clean-energy-technologies-in-iowa.]