A wave of government bailouts around the world and a sharp deterioration in existing infrastructure could lead to as much as $35 trillion in public works spending over the next 20 years, according to a new study by CIBC World Markets.

The study, released last week, says that many of the countries that balanced their budgets over the past 10 years did so by skimping on the construction costs for new public assets and the maintenance of existing buildings and roads, CBC reported.

“The global economy is running a major infrastructure deficit as the cost of decades of under-investment is now surfacing,” said Benjamin Tal, the analyst who authored the study.

Canada, for example, has eliminated an enormous budget deficit left over from the 1980s, but built up an infrastructure deficit of $120 billion in the process.

Governments have come to realize that …

This year has been a big win for those who have been rooting for a larger renewable energy industry and reduced dependence on carbon based fuels. There have been several initiatives, legislation, and events that are expected to invigorate the growth of solar, wind, and other alternative energy markets.

– In October, the 30-percent Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) was extended for 8 years. Notably, this extension removed the low monetary caps for residential installations. Additionally, for the first time, publicly regulated utilities can now monetize the ITC, making direct investment into solar project assets less costly.

– In November, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected a permit for a new coal-fired power plant in Utah. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment also denied permits for two large coal-fired units. Each of these decisions results in a reduction of greenhouse gas pollution as well as questions the future of

ECOtality, Inc., a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, expressed optimism today about President-elect Obama’s comprehensive energy plan, a set of programs that would invest billions of dollars in support of hybrid and electric vehicle development. The press release applauded the move to confront the country’s dependence on foreign oil, building a clean energy future for America, and pointed to key elements of the plan:

• $150 billion invested over 10 years for the commercialization of plug-in hybrid vehicles, renewable energy, low-emission coal plants, fuel infrastructure upgrades, and a new digital electricity grid • Commitment that half of all cars purchased by the federal government will be hybrids or EV by 2012 • $7,000 tax credit toward the purchase of, or conversion to, advanced technology vehicles • Mandate that 10% of all electricity generated come from renewable resources by 2012

ECOtality president and CEO, Jonathan Read, commented on what all this