Category: Renewables – Science
Our Energy Policy Should Be Rooted in Logic
| March 10, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
I just started a fine historic novel that my brother gave me for Christmas, The Hangman’s Daughter; the first 100 pages are really good. In addition to the story itself, a murder mystery set in mid-17th Century Bavaria, the author reminds us of the horrors and brutalities of living at that time, e.g., the persecution of witches and the outrageously illogical ways in which this took place. “If she has a birthmark, she’s probably a witch. Stick it with a needle; if she bleeds, then she’s definitely a witch.” How would you like to have been born female with a birthmark in 1650?
To me, the remarkable aspect of this isn’t that people were at one point so stupid to think like this. The truly amazing thing is that this was fairly recent. Almost exactly 2000 years earlier we had Ancient Greece with its fantastic developments in mathematics, science, education, philosophy, theater, focus on virtue, jurisprudence, democracy and the like – not to mention logic. Aristotle Read More
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Losing Patience with Concepts That Violate the Laws of Physics
| March 4, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
I often write here that I’m never nasty or condescending to anyone who submits a business plan, regardless of how asinine their ideas. I have an admission to make: while that was true early, on, it’s no longer the case. Now, I get descriptions of perpetual motion machines and other theoretically impossible devices at the rate of approximately once a week. Each “inventor’ has one curious trait in common: he’s looking for that last couple hundred thousand dollars of investment capital to build a prototype.
True, a few years ago, I had the patience of Job with respect to garbage like this, but it’s wearing thin. I told one guy recently:
Though I don’t know anything about the securities laws in – (wherever he was from; I don’t remember) if you raise money from people here in the U.S., you’ll very likely wind up in prison.
He wrote back tersely: “I don’t need you.” LOL.
Just now, someone wrote me from Armenia with a detailed description of a machine that makes electricity from compressed air (somehow omitting the source of the energy that was required to compress the air). I spent several minutes of my (finite) life reading this, before responding:
Sorry, what you’re describing violates the laws of physics. I’m not saying you won’t be able to find investors, just that you’ll need to target people who lack even the most basic education. Don’t fret though; that’s not too great a challenge in today’s world.
See? I can be both nasty AND condescending. Just thought I’d get that off my chest.
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Thanks to Nate Hagens, Ph.D. For His Contribution to “Is Renewable Really Doable?”
| March 4, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
Nate Hagens is a well-known authority on issues related to global resource depletion. Until recently he was lead editor of The Oil Drum, one of the most popular and highly-respected websites for analysis and discussion of global energy supplies and the future implications of energy decline.
Shortly after we were introduced, Nate suggested that I attend a small, private conference at the Aspen Institute in Washington D.C., at which he and some colleagues made a two-hour presentation to about 30 representatives of various NGOs. I was honored, and overwhelmed to be in the presence of so many brilliant people. As I told them as I was leaving the lovely reception that followed, “Sorry, I have to catch a train. And besides, I’ve absorbed as much as I possibly can in one day. My brain hurts.”
I am very grateful to Nate for his help with the project, and I know readers will find his insights quite enlightening.
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Thanks to The Environmental Law Institute (Spokespeople Jay Pendergrass and Lisa Goldman) For Their Contribution to “Is Renewable Really Doable?”
| March 3, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
In my quest to unpack the issues of government subsidies and incentives, I wanted to ask the Environmental Law Institute to go on record and explain their graphic “Energy Subsidies Black, Not Green” and the accompanying paper, “Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2002-2008.” The organization believes that the current energy and climate debate would benefit from a broader understanding of both the explicit and hidden government subsidies that affect energy use throughout the economy. In an effort to examine this issue, they conducted a review of fossil fuel and renewable energy subsidies for those years.
I thank ELI spokespeople Jay Pendergrass and Lisa Goldman for this wonderfully insightful interview.
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Thanks to Thomas Konrad, Ph.D., For His Contribution to “Is Renewable Really Doable?”
| March 2, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
I first met Tom Konrad, a financial analyst specializing in the alternative energy sector, in my quest to align 2GreenEnergy with some heavy-duty know-how in this arena. He’s a portfolio manager, and freelance writer – best known for the innumerable blog posts he’s written on AltEnergyStocks.com, and at the Green Stocks blog on Forbes.com.
Tom’s Ph.D. is in mathematics, specifically “complex dynamics,” a branch of chaos theory. His study here led to his conviction that knowing the limits of our ability to predict is much more important than predictions themselves, a lesson he applies to both climate science and the financial markets.
I feel I’ve learned a great deal from him, and I’ve very much enjoyed the association.
Again, my thanks for a terrific contribution.
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Thanks to Stephan A. Schwartz For His Contribution to “Is Renewable Really Doable?”
| March 1, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
For those who may want a perspective on the migration to renewable energy that you’re extremely unlikely to find elsewhere, I present to you Stephan A. Schwartz, whose life has been spent exploring extraordinary human functioning, and how individuals and small groups can affect, and have affected, social change.
His work in parapsychology, archaeology, anthropology, medicine and healing, creativity, and social policy pair nicely with the questions I ask myself a great deal: What’s really going on behind the scenes when it comes to social phenomena? Read More
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Religion and Energy Policy
| February 29, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
Earlier today we had a very interesting guest-post on Religion and Renewable Energy, in which the author, Brian McGowan, begins:
Recently the subject of religion has come up several times. I try not to discuss it but it keeps coming up and it is hard to avoid.
I respond:
Thanks for this very interesting post. Yes, I try to avoid the subject as well, for fear of coming off as disrespectful to people’s beliefs. Having said that, someone needs to say something when we have elected representatives using a religious platform from which to make important decisions that fly in the teeth of science. For example, last year, Illinois Congressman John Shimkus, Read More
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From Guest Blogger Brian McGowan: Religion and Renewable Energy
| February 29, 2012 | Posted by Brian McGowan under Renewables - Science |
Recently the subject of religion has come up several times. I try not to discuss it but it keeps coming up and it is hard to avoid.
There was a short blog entitled ”Doing the Right Thing About Climate Change – Regardless of Our Religious Beliefs” and also part two of Craig’s series “3 Brass Tacks” where Wally Rippel stated “A great deal of the evangelical world works against environmental friendliness. They seem to see fossil fuels as their allies and ecologically sound solutions as their enemies. I don’t see this as consistant with the idea that all we see around us was the creation of a loving God.” Read More
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Claims About Violations of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics Are Made By Both Crackpots and Charlatans
| February 27, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
A friend in Australia just sent me a claim for a regenerative braking system that recaptures so much energy that the car has unlimited range. He became dubious, however, when the company, based in Canada, would not pay his way to see the demonstration.
I reply:
Yes, I would be dubious too. I come across claims like this, i.e., those that violate the first and second laws of thermodynamics, about once a week. In many cases, they are made by people I would call “crackpots,” i.e., people who actually believe their story, and just don’t know enough about physics to know that they’re speaking gibberish. Others are made by what I call “charlatans,” people who (according to my perception) do not believe their story, but are attempting to defraud investors. I tell them: “I don’t know about the securities laws in your country. But if you raise capital from investors in the U.S. to build a prototype of something that is theoretically impossible (like what you’re describing here), there’s an excellent chance you’ll go to prison.” It makes for a mercifully short conversation.
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Thanks to Wally Rippel For His Contribution to “Is Renewable Really Doable?”
| February 26, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
Wally’s list of accomplishments in science and technology spans half a century; in fact, he is best known for two achievements separated by almost 40 years: In 1968, he built the Caltech electric car and won the Great Transcontinental Electric Car Race against MIT, only to re-appear in the 2006 documentary movie “Who Killed the Electric Car?”
I’ve known Wally for several years, and every time we talk, I feel I’m a better person for having had the opportunity. Primarily a scientist, Wally brings a profound understanding of the impact that technology has on our world in a great number of ways, including ecologically and sociologically.
The focus of the interview here is cold fusion, along with an exploration of the sad and ironic ways in which politics has invaded the realm of science.
I am very grateful to Wally for his help with the project; it’s always fun to chat with this incredible intellect.
