Obama's Sputnik moment boosts clean energy in state of the union

The bed had barely grown cold from Hu Jintao's visit to Washington and Chicago, than Barack Obama has invoked China's enthusiasm for renewable energy technology in his state of the union address. After comparing Google and Facebook to other innovators such as the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison, he said:

"This is our generation’s Sputnik moment. Two years ago, I said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we haven’t seen since the height of the Space Race. In a few weeks, I will be sending a budget to Congress that helps us meet that goal. We’ll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology – an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people."

Barack Obama can only admit defeat at Hu Jintao's clean energy record

President Barack Obama will most likely be anticipating the arrival of China's premier Hu Jintao with no small amount of trepidation.

In 2009, the two countries announced cooperation on clean energy. US energy secretary, Stephen Chu, and Chinese representatives this morning signed a joint plan on the Clean Energy Research Centre. But since that first agreement two years ago, US commitment to the "green revolution" has not kept pace with China.

The New York Times reported at the weekend on the closure of Evergreen, a solar PV manufacturing plant in Devens, Massachusetts, which is moving operations to Wuhan, China. It's a familiar story across the country. Obama's green incentives for manufacturers of solar panels and wind turbines seem never enough to stem the flow of manufacturers to Asia.