Where the money goes

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Earth: The Sequel, the new book by EDF President Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn, is filled with interesting facts. Here are ten numbers that may surprise you. 

Government dollars
China spends 200 times more on solar energy than does the U.S., and the U.S. spends six times more on subsidies to the gas and oil industries than it does on renewable energy research. Hmmm...

• $6 billion - Amount the federal government gives to the oil and gas industries each year in subsidies and tax benefits, page 11.
• $1 billion - Amount the federal government spends each year on research into renewable sources of energy (this is less than ExxonMobil earns in a single day), page 11.
• $200 billion - Amount China has committed to invest in utility-scale solar power, page 65.

Solar energy
As China clearly recognizes, judging from its investment, solar power has great potential. But solar power is underutilitized. Worldwide, that's starting to change.

• 100 square miles - Land area needed to power the entire U.S. if only 10% of the sun's energy could be converted to electricity, page 15.
• 6.6 gigawatts - Total worldwide energy production from solar in 2007, compared to 1000 gigawatts from coal, page 16.
• 0.05% - Percent of U.S. energy produced from solar, page 16.
• 44% - Percent growth in the world's solar energy-generating capacity in 2005 (at this rate, by 2050 the Sun could supply ten times the Earth's energy needs), page 14.

Solar jobs
The benefits of solar power go beyond the environment. According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, solar thermal energy can generate jobs, as well as electricity.

• 3,400 - Number of construction jobs that each gigawatt of solar thermal-generated electricity will create, page 65.
• 250 - Number of permanent jobs that each gigawatt of solar thermal-generated electricity will create, page 65.
• $500 million - Amount of tax revenues that each gigawatt of solar thermal-generated electricity will create, page 65.