Monthly Archives: January 2011
[The Vector] Green Technology Offered in New College Program
| January 27, 2011 | Posted by Kathy-Heshelow under Renewables - Science |
Looking to future career and job training in green technology, a new Associate of Arts degree starts this spring in an area reinventing itself for the future – Toledo.
“Green technology is becoming more and more important in our energy-driven society. As the demand for existing and emerging technologies within alternative and renewable energy grows, the need for highly qualified technicians is a necessity,” said Randy Wharton, Owens Community College chair of design technologies and interim dean of the School of Technology.
We highlighted how Toledo, Ohio has reinvented itself into a solar hub and green technology center. Now Owens Community College has local demand by residents interested in clean tech energy careers, thanks to Read More
Related posts:
Toyota Presents Its Plug-In Hybrid Prius
| January 27, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Electric Vehicles |
To its everlasting credit, Toyota changed the transportation world forever when it introduced the Prius – the first production hybrid electric, making use of a battery to improve a car’s gas mileage. But that was over ten years ago — a different epoch – maybe even an era – in automotive time. What has Toyota done since?
I hate to sound unkind, and I know I’m oversimplifying. But the truth is this: very little.
Now, in reaction to the rest of the auto world’s having leapfrogged Toyota several times, we see the introduction of the plug-in version of the Prius, slated for 2013, and perhaps available in 2012. Its highlight? A tiny battery that will provide drivers with 13 miles of battery-only range before the internal combustion engine kicks in and starts burning the gas in its tank. In fact, the battery holds just seven kilowatt-hours, the energy equivalent of less than a quart of gasoline.
The result? A marginal improvement in gas mileage, more than a decade later. I’m not sure that qualifies Toyota as the “visionary leader” it claims to be.
In fact, here’s your new value proposition, Prius loyalists: Read More
Related posts:
The Oil Industry, Ethics, and Wall Street
| January 27, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Business |
Do you remember the wonderful 1987 movie “Wall Street” with Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) and Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen)? Well, I just got off the phone from a cold call from an aggressive young promoter from Morgan Stanley who brought the whole terrific story rushing back to me.
I sympathized with the kid – in his 20s or 30s, trying to make a living – perhaps a big break – in an attempt to establish a relationship with a big-time Wall Street investor like me (joke). But the conversation was no joke at all.
“What is your position on oil?” I asked.
“They make money, and that won’t change anytime soon,” he said. “It’s the world’s most valuable commodity.”
“But what are the fundamentals Read More
Related posts:
The Adoption of Electric Vehicles as Covered at the Advanced Auto Battery Consortium
| January 26, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Electric Vehicles |
I just came back from an afternoon of presentations at the Advanced Auto Battery Consortium in local Pasadena, CA, which I found quite interesting.
I don’t like to come off as overly skeptical or suspicious. But have you ever had the thought that the presenter you’re watching had formulated his agenda long ago, and has since been working like a dog to find data points to support it, while scrupulously avoiding obvious other data that may conflict?
It was clear that the first speaker wanted to point out that gasoline-powered cars are going to be around for a very long time. He pointed out that the cost of gas, when figured against the CPI (consumer price index), wasn’t really that expensive at all. A few minutes later, he left us with his big conclusion: people are generally risk-averse, and the EV adoption curve will be very slow. “Are people going to want to invest $30,000 in the automotive equivalent of Betamax video?” he intoned. Read More
Related posts:
Survey on Green Issues Shows Lots of Emotion
| January 26, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Uncategorized |
Here are the results of a survey a friend of mine conducted of a few hundred random businesspeople regarding their stand on “green issues.” Using his (really cool) Internet presentation technology called PresenterNet, he asked people, “How important are green issues to you?” and requested that they rate themselves on a scale from 1 – 10. Read More
EVs As Popular as iPhones?
| January 25, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Electric Vehicles |
Will EVs be as popular as the iPhone? That’s what Henrik Fisker says, the man behind the 4-door luxury Fisker Karma. The Karma will start production in March and is slated to show up in U.S. showrooms in April. The MSRP is $95,000, but Fisker points out that the starting price on new technology is always high, but descends quickly as manufacturing processes scale up.
Popular as the iPhone? I too expect a robust adoption curve for electric vehicles, though I refrain from hyper-dramatic statements. Of course, I share neither Fisker’s financial exposure nor his super-bombastic personality. Read More
Related posts:
Talking about Renewable Energy on Statewide Nevada
| January 25, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Geothermal |
I have to say that the hosts of these radio shows on which I’m a guest ask some good questions. The fellow this morning, Rodd Stowell of Statewide Nevada (syndicated to 150 stations) asked a great deal about geothermal. “This sounds really promising,” he said. “One local plant started off with four holes, and now they have 12. What’s not to like about that?”
I explained that the answer is actually implied in the question. “Note that they didn’t know what they’d find when they drilled their first hole; it’s oddly reminiscent of oil exploration 100 years ago. If technology existed to tell them what they’d find in advance, they would have drilled all 12 simultaneously. But there was a chance they’d come up empty. Not only do you have to find heat, but you have to find porosity between two points far underground, and that’s iffy,” I replied. Read More
Related posts:
Clean Energy on the Radio: "Brainstormin'"
| January 24, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Business |
I have two radio interviews lined up for tomorrow in which I’ll be interviewed about my book. I’m pleased to note that requests are coming in at a fairly good pace, though I don’t take too much credit for that personally. Obviously, it’s good that we have a hot topic here; I’d hate to be trying to drum up interviews to talk about risotto or the social behavior of the speckled trout.
One of my slots tomorrow is as a guest on a program called Brainstormin’. The host? None other than Billy the Brain.
Yikes. Better run out for some ginko biloba.
Related posts:
Who Will Get Rich As We Migrate to Renewables?
| January 24, 2011 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Business |
Will renewables dominate our energy future? Without a doubt.
Who will get rich in the process? Now there’s a good question.
Here’s a post I put up on EnvironmentalLeader.com that attempts an answer.
I like these folks at Environmental Leader for what it’s worth. Based in Denver, they’ve done a really good job at building a wide cross-section of content on the subject.
Related posts:
[The Vector] $1.45 Billion in Financing for Abengoa Solar
| January 24, 2011 | Posted by Kathy-Heshelow under Solar Thermal |
Abengoa Solar announced recently that it has finalized $1.45 billion in financing to build the world’s largest parabolic trough concentrating solar power plant. Called Solana, the new project will be located about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Abengoa signed a power purchase agreement with Arizona Public Service Co to. buy the energy produced by Solana for a 30 year term. Arizona Public Service Co is Arizona’s largest electric utility.
About 1,700 new construction jobs are being created with the project, and more than 85 are permanent jobs. Read More
