Posts Tagged by clean energy
Where We’re Going In Clean Energy
| May 2, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Photo-voltaics |
Here’s an article that gets to a couple of important points that are illustrative of where we are and where we’re going in clean energy.
• Financing solar photovoltaics. There is no doubt that homeowners would be more likely to invest in solar if the PV on their roofs could be integrated in their mortgage, just like their plumbing, HVAC, or electrical system.
• Integrating electric vehicles. My friend Paul Scott has enough PV on his roof that his Nissan LEAF very rarely has to plug in to the grid; thus the carbon footprint of his transportation is limited to the manufacturing of the vehicle (and the PV) itself. Not bad! Obviously, he’s an early adopter, but this concept is likely to go mainstream over the coming years.
This Month’s Webinar: Sustainable Supplies of Food
| April 24, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
Clean energy is just a part of the overall sustainability movement, yet it stands at the center of so many important issues. For example, the world supply of water and food are dependent on abundant energy, thus our very survival is threatened to the degree that we depend on non-renewable resources for generating energy.
In our webinar this month we will examine the subject of “sustainable food.” We will discuss the direction in which the world agribusinesses are taking us, and explore a cutting edge solution that has the potential to make a big difference here: aeroponics.
My guest will be Rafael Quezada, CEO of Tower Harvest, a leading expert in the deployment of aeroponics. I think you’ll be impressed by how many purely positive effects are created by aeroponics in terms of nutrition and health, energy efficiency, local growing – even job creation.
The webinar is Thursday at 10 AM PDT; I hope to see you there. Here’s the sign-up sheet: http://2greenenergy.com/free-webinar/.
Is “Business As Usual” with Respect to the Natural Environment an Acceptable Strategy?
| April 22, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
I’m delighted to see real progress being made in the public discourse surrounding sustainability. While most people still have the idea that continuing with “business as usual” with respect to our environment is an acceptable strategy, more of us are questioning this concept with each passing month. Here’s an example: a PBS special called The Journey to Planet Earth, featuring one of my personal heroes, Lester R. Brown, environmental visionary and author of “Plan B.”
It also features Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman (oops – Mom’s not going to like this one), Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, and former Governor and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.
I caught the first part of this incredible series last night; it’s beautifully done.
Basics of Renewable Energy
| April 20, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
Just a quick note to let you know that our project to assemble audio/visual learning aids aimed at renewable energy is complete (for now, at least), and ready for distribution to any young people or newcomers in the subject you feel may benefit. It’s a compilation of a few short videos, in which I lay out each of the five major “flavors” of clean energy (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydro), and briefly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each. Also included are “infographics” that further explore these technologies and the issues that surround them.
My aim, of course, is to introduce this subject to as many people as possible, in the hopes that we can drive up the number of informed discussions, so necessary to the success of the democratic process.
Please feel free to send this link to anyone in your life who you feel may benefit. Thanks.
Here’s the link: http://2greenenergy.com/renewable-energy-basic-concepts/
Basics of Renewable Energy
| April 12, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
Ross Guthrie, one of 2GreenEnergy’s web-programming superstars, has just completed this page that offers a compilation of the Basics of Renewable Energy, the videos and infographics that my team and I have been putting together over the past few months. It looks sharp to me, but I’d be interested in your opinion.
I encourage you to send this to young people or newcomers to the subject who may be looking for an accessible starting point.
Frontline on PBS: Nuclear Aftershocks
| April 11, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Nuclear |
I hope everyone gets the opportunity to catch this episode of Frontline on PBS: Nuclear Aftershocks – one that essentially claims that nuclear energy is both unacceptably dangerous but completely necessary. I’m reminded of the way Amory Lovins begins his current-day presentations: “Which would you rather die from? Nuclear holocaust, drowning from rising sea levels, respiratory disease, or terrorist attacks and social chaos from the demand for increasingly scarce oil?” I have to admit; it’s a great way to capture an audience’s attention.
“Aftershocks” did a great deal to explore the dangers of nuclear energy Read More
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Hydrokinetics
| April 10, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
Here’s a continuation in our series of videos made for young people and newcomers to the subject who may benefit from an introduction to certain of the renewable energy technologies. This piece, less than five minutes in length, is a primer on hydrokenetics, i.e., extracting energy from moving water.
Island Nations Are a Good Fit for Renewable Energy
| April 6, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Business |
Don Harmon of LiFeBatt, a long-time 2GreenEnergy reader, writes in about my recent video on clean energy:
Good interview. We are currently working on a project in the Caribbean Islands for solar and wind generation. The islands are a very ripe opportunity now for implementing green energy because they are mostly dependent on buying diesel fuel from Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and the cost is atrocious. So, may we see these islands go green way before the U.S. does? Since there is virtually no infrastructure, we have a blank slate to work with, and of course battery storage backup will be a key ingredient.
Thanks, Don. Yes, I think we’ll absolutely see this, for the reasons you name and more. Read More
The Future of Transportation
| April 4, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Electric Vehicles |
Here’s a terrific article written by 2GreenEnergy associate Dan Sturges, who specializes in the future of transportation. I’m in the process of lining up consulting projects for Dan with forward-thinking municipalities who may want to be a beacon of leadership in terms of sustainable transportation.
As I told Dan on the phone yesterday, “I’m bullish on this, but I wouldn’t expect dozens of clients. Sadly, most cities don’t think this way. They’re not going to become leaders because they never have been in the past, and there is no reason to think they’re going to change magically in the year 2012. But that doesn’t matter. All the world really needs at this point is a few progressive, visionary mayors to stand up and say, ‘The average car on the road in this city weighs 4000 pounds and has 1.1 passengers in it, and that’s a level of waste we can no longer afford. We’re going to rethink the way we commute to work and the way we deliver packages; we’re going to reinvent every aspect of the way we move our bodies and our goods around.’ Once the world has a few of these in place, the case studies in terms of public health, safety, and happiness will speak for themselves.”
I have to think I’m right here.
