American Council on Renewable Energy Blends Passion with a Zen-like Demeanor
A few months ago I interviewed Dennis McGinn, the current president of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) for my third book (“Renewable Energy – Following the Money”) that I hope to have available shortly. I’ve also met his predecessor in that post, Micheal Eckhart, several times at various conferences.
I deeply admire both these folks, perhaps mostly for the comportment with which they approach the challenge. It blends a core passion with a calm levelheadedness that I think is important in an arena that invites such controversy. When I occasionally run into idiots who attack me and renewable energy as some sort of anti-capitalist plot whose only economic viability is feeding off the government teat, I try to smile and lay out the facts. But I can feel my blood pressure surge every time I go through this exercise. What if that were my 60-hour/week job? I wonder how long I could keep rising to the occasion without losing my temper.
In any case, Mike Eckhart may be the all-time champ at taking deep breaths at laying all this out so calmly that it’s as soothing as the bed-time story that your father told you 500 times to ease you off to sleep.
His position is that we’re about 40 years into a 100-year migration to clean energy. He starts us off in 1970 when the Clean Air Act was passed andthe EPA was formed, goes on to the Clean Water Act in 1972, the Oil Shock in 1973 that put energy and the environment on the table, the Iranian Revolution and the second doubling of oil prices, the stagflation/inflation in the 1980s and the “valley of death” for renewables until restructuring, deregulation, and the production tax credit was passed, meaning that wind energy was owned by big tax-paying companies, and the new independent power industry was owned by the utilities. He explains how Europe and Japan moved into renewable energy in the late 90s, while the U.S. argued about utility restructuring. The G.W. Bush administration’s national energy plan pushed oil, gas and coal, and the World Energy Council formed to thwart the U.S. focus on fossil fuels. Here we are today, trying to create a level playing field, hoping to extend the initial incentives, and watching China knock the cover off the ball. Again, we’re 40 years through a 100-year process.
For what it’s worth, I agree. Even Shell Oil says that by 2060, all the Earth’s energy will be solar, so perhaps this isn’t all that controversial. And that would be completely true if it weren’t for a few good questions:
• How much damage will we do to human health and our natural environment in the process? and
• Who’s going to make a buck as we move through time here?
The answer is that the oil companies don’t care about question #1 as long as they’re the answer to question #2. That’s what makes all this interesting — and what renders me utterly incapable of discussing the subject dispassionately. People who think like that are, at best, profoundly morally defective. It’s hard to take this lying down.
So true, after all this time, we still are in the same situation, greed keeps everything under it’s foot. In the end, it all comes to personal survival (and of our kin) if we get to the bottom.
The only thing we can do, as individuals is to influence our own neighborhood, our own turf. One by one, example, education, moral principles, all in one package.
Some people will be like the Borgas in Italy, others will behave like Jesus Christ in Israel. Albert Einstein said once: “We should try to be persons of value (where one leaves more than we take from society) [which is not what we hear all around], instead of being a person of success, which is a person who takes more than he leaves behind). “Modern” society is all about success, but t what cost? And really, what is succes?
There is no resposibility in one’s actions when it comes to our environment; the conseuences of our actions are too slow or too far away for us to receive what we have planted or done. It doesn’t hit us in the face that fast. It affects many other people, but who cares?
This is not a morality blog, I know, but I am feeling the effects of others people businesses, and why shouldn’t I do something about it? I feel the smog, I have to see my country full of plastic, garbage, I’m the one having lung problems, I have to go to the doctor and get medicine to feel better (not cured), I am the one that has to see my wife and my children with sore throats, etc. An who pays the bills? I am stoping here, everybody knows what I mean!
2060 will be too late.
My world is 110% Solar now!
I run my 100% electric home, Nissan LEAF and still get paid by the utility for the extra I make. All on a little 4 kW GRID Tied system.
I give them clean energy right during the Peak Hours of each day. I use not water and make no pollution. I then help them a 2nd times each day by charging Off Peak since they have excess in the GRID and can’t store it or turn it down because they have to stay up ready for the next peak.
But my favorite vehicle is my bicycle, also made in the USA. I getting an ELF peddle assist vehicles for those cold days, rainy times and even very hot days since it partially enclosed for shade and shelter. We also car pool when we use the electric and drive for max miles per kWh!
PS all our veggie food come from the Sun too. Photo synthesis. It feeds the world, no animal are harmed by our life style!
Its important to remember that corporations exist just to make a profit. This is a huge fundamental flaw in the way society is structured because *by law* they are required to make profit their most important goal, and morality is totally beside the point. Thus we have these huge powerful entities running amok and causing all manner of harm. They *own* our government. That sentence was too short… THEY OWN OUR GOVERNMENT. Is it any wonder that things are the way they are?
I was reading my new Road & Track today and in a section of questions and answers with Bob Lutz ,he replies that he is not sure if the oil companies are getting gov’t subsidies in his answer.I consider this man intelligent and politically aware ( even if he is a global warming bad guy) and yet he is oblivious of this important fact.I just don’t understand why it is so hard to get the information out there .It’s like there is a alternative universe out there (funded by the kochs)
I hear people say “save the planet” and the planet is going anywhere; we are. The resources are running out and there will be a day when there is no more oil. The oil producing nations have limited the production rates to insure 100 years of oil but not for the world for themselves. So after 100 years there will be no more oil and we can not afford to wait as it will take 50 years to set in motion the fully electric economy that will be powered by solar energy. In fact all energy is solar with oil being concentrated solar energy accumulated over time, but the days of burning oil will end. All we need to now is focus our efforts in the solar direction implementing nanotechnology to significantly improve solar cell efficiencies and develop graphene capacitors that can store the electrical energy at an energy density equal to gasoline that can be charged up in less time than it takes to fill the gas tank. The solutions are here but there is a lack of will. The VCs do not want to invest in the new technologies because they fear that they will lose their money and the politicians fear the flow of funds from taxiing the sale of fuel as rules are being floated to make hybrid car owners pay an extra tax to capture the lost revenue due to the decrease in fuel purchases by people with cars with increased fuel efficiency and so the madness continues over money and the fear of losing money.
Instead of waiting for Godot to come and solve these pressing environmental problems, why don’t we create a green consumer revolution to by changing our consumption now?
Addiction. We are addicted to an “all or nothing” savior mentality. Point blank, most do not have a clue and the rest do not want one. jobs for jobs and reasons for excuses. Until the bottom drops out. Man’s systemic disorder of the icon leagesy of a fools folly of broken parts to fix what we do not understand, let alone fix. :Agree and follow”…isn’t that what we are told to do? That will means that people will have to wake up and THINK. Wow, imagine that which moves us is actually a biological genesis; to doubt ourselves. Is this the act of thinking? is the living truth found there? Question. The answer is found when you do not have to ask, because every one knows. Everyone knows. Say it over and over. How do we get to a place where “every one knows” reality. Certainly not by Imperialism; nor an icon masked slave state. But hey, we are asking way to much from the educated icon converts who study just what to say and why. Fear runs our symbolic lives.
If there is a biological fear [our mover of direct knowing] that is our genesis friend we better make is so soon. What makes thought and most do not want one. just remember your taught lines, jargons, symbolic premise and run with the agreement process that cradled the entire world in some kind of mental biological stasis. a neural decrepitude of sorts. Government taxation and processing human beings [legalism of high paid empowered right] but for what? How about a binary evolution of mindless drones indebted to the structured mind shift of the systemic reason is parallel to slavery. We are the product of a long term commercial grade reasons we hold today as our idiom of IDEAL. Enter the little man syndrome. Believe in the unreal that pays well as our real human nature slides into ever present excuse to dismiss sincere question. What are we really doing to each other calling it the JOB? Now add the Question of ADDITIONS. james…www.seadrive.us
So true Steven Andrews, we should try to be persons of value.