Posts Tagged by Renewable Energy
Predicting the Future in Energy Policy — Thanks to Survey Respondents
| May 21, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Politics |
My thanks to everyone who has participated in the recent 2GreenEnergy survey. I note that Dr. David Doty, one of the greatest intellects I’ve ever run across, boldly predicted the following for the coming five years:
Oil, coal, and gas will steadily become more expensive at a mean rate of ~20%/year. EVs will have negligible impact on oil usage – for decades.
Global economic growth will still continue at a rate of ~2%/yr, and inflation in the U.S. will remain low.
The gap between the rich and the poor will continue to widen. It will take 10-12 more years of this before something close to revolution (major rioting) comes to the U.S. We will not see another period of sustained strong growth in the U.S. until several years after that happens.
We will not see serious and effective commitment to reduced CO2 emissions until after we’ve seen several years of strong economic growth.
Much of what you’ve written here is so counter to most people’s thinking — not to say that this means it’s wrong. 20% CAGR? Read More
Solar Photovoltaics in Small Model House
| May 19, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Photo-voltaics |
Tomorrow my daughter and I will spend the afternoon on a project for her science class at school: building a model house whose electrical power is delivered with solar photovoltaics. I have a small solar panel that (I believe) will put out about 5 Watts in the full sun, and a couple of flashlight batteries of different types. I think I’m going to have to experiment with series vs. parallel circuits, different bulbs, etc., before I get this right. Should be fun.
Survey: Given Our Energy Policies, How Likely Is It…..?
| May 19, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Politics |
I’d like to ask a favor, if I may. We have a quick survey up on the 2GreenEnergy website – one that, interestingly enough, calls for you to predict the future. Given our current energy policies and the rate at which they’re changing, what do you think the world will be like five years from now? What events do you believe are likely to occur between now and the year 2017? Which do you think are improbable?
As usual, we’ll tabulate the results and offer you a free copy of the report that comes as a result.
And as always, we appreciate your help.
Here’s the link:
http://2greenenergy.com/survey-what-will-happen-in-the-next-five-years/
Does Our Society Value Its Scientists?
| May 18, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
Rogelio writes:
I think that anybody contemplating a career in clean energy has always to take a look at the engineering and scientific aspects of the field to find a very demanding and yet rewarding career, why because we live in a technical field….There will always be better ways to extract energy from the sun, the wind, earth and the water…. Lawyers, accountants as well as marketers cannot lead the way; they lack the tools and the vision to understand and unleash the forces of nature in our benefit. Cheers, Mate.
Rogelio, thanks very much for this great insight. It reminds me of Read More
Video: The Migration to Renewable Energy
| May 17, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
Here’s another episode of the television show “Our Ventura” in which host George Alger interviews me with respect to the adoption of renewable energy. I tried to answer as many questions as the 15-minute time-slot would allow. How far have we come? How far do we have to go? What are the consequences of success? Failure? What are the imperatives? The challenges? Who are the supporters? The detractors?
I’ll be interested in your feedback.
From Guest Blogger Douglas Santos: Finding Renewable Energy Sources Promotes a Greener Environment
| May 15, 2012 | Posted by AmyWiltbank under Renewables - Science |
Traditional methods of generating energy are giving way to new environmentally-friendly ideas. Instead of stripping the land for coal mining and clearing miles of land for oil fields or natural gas pipelines, the concept of renewable energy is evolving. The term “renewable energy” is an often-used buzzword, but how does using green energy affect animals in their native habitat?
Saying “No” to Fossil Fuels
Global warming is the biggest threat facing the planet today but sustainable energy is a cleaner and safer way to generate needed power. Everyone has seen the sad images of birds living near the ocean with their feathers matted with slick black oil after an oil spill, or thousands of dead fish washed up on the shore because of water pollution. The use of renewable energy from the sun and wind gives animals a second chance at life. Read More
From Guest Blogger Alia Haley: 7 Ways Homeowners Can Power Their Homes with Renewable Energy
| May 15, 2012 | Posted by Alia under Renewables - Science |
You can see lots of attention is focused towards alternative and renewable energy systems. This is due to the soaring energy costs and the need to decrease the climate change effects over earth. Though these solutions may seem complicated for the homeowners in their daily chores, however, the fact is that they are now becoming more accessible to common man. There are number of options available for homeowners which can prove pretty affordable financial investment. Also, by treading these paths, you can benefit from state and federal tax and avail the utility rebates and incentives. The below are the top seven ways which the home owners can heat and power their homes via renewable energy systems.
A Career in Clean Energy? Here’s Some Advice
| May 14, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Business |
Each week I receive several emails requesting my advice on career paths within the clean energy space. I thought I’d take a few minutes and jot down a few of the ideas that I normally try to express in response.
First, I congratulate people who want to work in this industry, especially if their interest is rooted in a love of the natural environment and perhaps a sense of duty, or at least a wish, to do something good for mankind and the other 8.7 million species of life forms here on our home planet. But regardless of motive, clean energy is one of few arenas in which there exists a beautiful confluence of the profitable and the philanthropic; we’re helping mankind whether that’s our aim or not. Read More
China’s Investing in Renewables — But Why?
| May 13, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Politics |
Frequent commenter Duke Brooks writes in:
Americans who rail against U.S. polluters should probably spend a few days in the world’s most polluted city, Beijing. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, as they say. But the lack of outrage from the American left over China’s mass particulate output would tend to expose them for what they are: A political, not ecological, movement.
I don’t think anyone argues that China’s building coal-fired power plants at the rate of one a week is anything other than an abomination; there isn’t too much controversy there — regardless of where one stands politically. Yet China is the world’s leading investor in renewable energy, and they face a far larger challenge than we do in terms of supplying energy to a skyrocketing number of energy-hungry consumers; it’s one that dwarfs ours here in the U.S.
I don’t know whether you saw this report I wrote a few months back in an attempt to make sense of this paradox: China Is Investing in Renewable Energy — But Why?
From Guest Blogger Brian McGowan: Solar Cooking — Because I Can
| May 13, 2012 | Posted by Brian McGowan under Solar Thermal |
For amusement only….
Today I cooked mashed potatoes in my solar oven. The oven is made of one of those shiny windshield shades, a rack from an old countertop oven, a very large clear plastic pretzel container and a 2lb 13oz Prego spagetti sauce jar which I painted black with high temperature paint except for a stripe I left so I could look at what was going on in there. I peeled and cut potatoes to fill the jar and added water and put the arrangement out in the sun around 12:30. About 6:30 I retrieved the arrangement and brought the jar in to see what I had.
