Funny, seems anybody these days can claim they’re going to build the world’s largest solar power station. The latest claim comes out of China, which says it will build a 100-megawatt solar generating facility over the next five years at a cost of $766 million (U.S.).

And what about Australia’s claim of a 154-megawatt station? Or the 300-megawatt project being explored in New Mexico? What’s the criteria these days to claim “world’s largest”? Until we see any of these projects break ground, I’d consider them for what they are: PR.

That said, if such projects are serious and we keep seeing more of them announced, this industry indeed has a bright future. These massive projects will also go a long way in bringing down the cost of solar to everyone’s benefit.

If you’ve got some time to spare and are interested in how biotechnology could impact the future of Canada by 2020, have a read of this report from the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee, a body of external experts established in 1999 to advise the federal government.

The report envisions a country where rural Canada can supply 25 per cent of the country’s fuel, chemical and synthetic products from renewable biomass. It also conceives of a national “biowaste to bioproduct” strategy based on the conversion of commercial food wastes, household compostable wastes, manure, aquaculture, agriculture and forest residue into biofuels and feedstocks for use in newer, cleaner chemical processes that reduce fossil fuel consumption.

It’s tough to know whether the report is a wish list or a prescription, but in any event it contains many powerful ideas worth serious consideration. In a nutshell, the report analyzes the role of biotechnology in relation to sustainable development. Definitely worth checking out.

Many thanks to Dr. Stuart Lee, Canadian Biotechnology Secretariat and member of the biotech advisory committee, for pointing out this report and supplying links.

NOTE: Here’s a link to a new report (just out today) by the Biotechnology Industry Organization out of Washington, D.C., which asks the question: Can American farmers feed the growing biofuel industry?

I had a chat the other day with Jigar Shah, founder and CEO of solar energy service provider SunEdison LLC, about the SunPower and PowerLight merger and what it would mean for the industry.

If you’ll recall, I wrote in an earlier post that the deal makes sense on the surface but could piss off some of SunPower’s customers if the perception was out there that PowerLight would get special treatment in the market. I also mentioned that it looks like SunPower is trying to position itself vertically in the market by purchasing a system integrator.

“I don’t think the story goes that way,” said Shah, pointing out that SunPower downplayed PowerLight’s integration business in the conference call and focused more on the company’s products — its sun trackers and other structures that support solar deployment. “I think SunPower is going to take its modules and combine them with PowerLight’s structures.”

He said the overall goal is to reduce the cost of solar installations, recognizing that module/panel costs are only part of the equation. “This merger helps reduce the cost of solar because they’re going to be doing better integration between their modules and installation techniques.”

The bottom line is that Shah believes the deal is good for the industry, which will likely continue on its current path of consolidation. “We are very bullish on this deal,” he said. “We think it’s a great move for the industry.”

SunEdison, you’ll recall, purchased system integrator Team Solar Inc. this summer.

For a different take, click here for Neal Dikeman’s view and here for Joel Makower’s view.

My podcast this week is an interview with VRB Power’s CEO Timothy Hennessy. We talk about the economics of energy storage, how his flow-battery system works, and what opportunities lie ahead to couple flow batteries with wind farms and solar farms, both off-grid and grid-tie. Of course, there are other applications discussed as well.

I had the good fortune of attending an evening event last week hosted by the David Suzuki Foundation. There must have been at least 50 people at this cosy event, and the objective was to gather Bay St. and other business types who share a common concern for the environment. Ron Dembo of Zerofootprint Energy gave a detailed slide presentation talking about the risk of not acting quicky enough to combat global warming. He also spoke convincingly about the role geothermal energy can play as a renewable replacement for electric heaters and air conditioners.

My friend Jose Etcheverry from the foundation also made a heart-felt speech about the need to take action now, pointing to developments in Europe that should be happening here. Finally, David Suzuki — the main attraction — spoke about how ridiculous humanity is behaving around the issue of global warming. To paraphase, he said it’s like we’re all in a car heading 100 kilometres an hour toward a brick wall, but we’re all arguing about who’s going to sit where, rather than trying to turn the wheel and apply the break. Meanwhile, he added, NGOs like the Suzuki Foundation are locked in the trunk of the car so all you can hear is their muzzled shouts in the background. Nicely said.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable night. When all the formal speeches were done, a microphone was handed around to anyone in the crowd that wanted to talk. At least three business men, two of whom I know personally, stepped forward and talked about their own hopes of pulling together business personalities who can get behind the cause. Nick Parker of the Cleantech Venture Network, for example, pointed to California and the influence the business community and venture capitalists there have had in pushing through progressive legislation and policy.

From my perspective, as a journalist, I’ve seen nothing come from the business community within the context of Ontario and its 20-year plan to overhaul the electricity system. What I have seen are dozens of press releases from the establish industries — i.e. Canadian Nuclear Association, AECL, Power Workers’ Union (biased towards coal and nuclear), Gas Association, Electricity Association, etc.

To be fair, I’ve also seen the other side of the debate (i.e. the push for renewables, conservation and distributed generation) from NGOs like the Suzuki Foundation, Pembina Institute, WWF-Canada, GreenPeace and Sierre Club. But, as Dr. Suzuki pointed out himself, they’re all locked in the trunk of the car. What’s desperately missing from this equation is the voice of the business community. We need leadership to come from top business leaders who aren’t necessarily in bed with the established power industries.

So, given this need, there’s hope that last week’s event will spark discussion amongst Ontario’s business elite. And who knows? Perhaps we’ll see this crowd begin to mobilize over the next two months as the Ontario Power Authority puts the finishing touches on its 20-year plan. An election is coming next October, after all. Much can still be done to persuade the current government or any future government about the need to accelerate the move toward clean energy, conservation and energy efficiency.

If such a group does ever mobilize, I’d advise a full-page ad in a major daily newspaper that shouts, “We’re here, and we’re staying in this debate.” That should get the government’s attention.

On a side note, Jose, thank you for the invite. And Dr. Suzuki, it was a pleasure meeting you.