Blog – Page 1545 – 2GreenEnergy.com

Big Advancements in Electric Vehicle Batteries

craigshieldsPosted on February 29, 2012 Posted in Electric Vehicles

A reader asks my opinion of Envia Systems‘ lithium-ion battery. I reply:

If these claims are true, it’s a really important breakthrough — potentially even more significant than that of my friends at Eos Energy Storage.

The number one issue that electric vehicle nay-sayers throw in the face of us advocates is resistance of battery technology to rapid change: both in terms of cost and energy density. In particular, they say that where Moore’s Law (the idea that the functionality of technology increases exponentially over time) applies to things like integrated circuits, it absolutely does not apply to power systems like motors and batteries. I believe the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, and perhaps this is evidence of that. We’ll see.

Tagged with: batteries, big advancements in electric vehicle batteries, Chevy Volt, electric transportation, Electric Vehicles, Envia Systems, Eos Energy Storage, Nissan Leaf

You and I Hold the Key to Civilization’s Success in the 21st Century

craigshieldsPosted on February 28, 2012 Posted in Sustainability

It pains me to hear people moan about how frightening and horrible these times are, while they actively dismiss their role in the outcome. When I hear people say, for instance, that our government is out of control, I immediately wonder whom they count on to bring it back to the way they think it ought to be. Perhaps they believe in miracles.

I happen not to believe in miracles; to the contrary, I assert that we hold our fates in our own hands. United in our common humanity, we and we alone will determine whether the 21st Century will be the end of civilization, or the mere rounding of a scary corner. (more…)

Tagged with: 16th Century French author Michel de Montaigne, 21st Century is the end of civilization, civilization's success in the 21st Century, government is out of control, Henry Kissinger, U.S. anthropologist Margaret Mead

Aeroponics Can Be a Real Game-Changer

craigshieldsPosted on February 28, 2012 Posted in Sustainability

The investment opportunities we endorse on 2GreenEnergy are all “socially responsible” in the sense that each of them holds the promise to make the world a better place. But there is something about the business concept embodied in the aeroponics project I’ve been talking up recently that I believe is unique. This is an innovation in agriculture that has the potential to deal effectively with the shortages of water and food, while providing meaningful work for large numbers of unskilled people. (more…)

Tagged with: Aeroponics, agribusinesses disregard for the health of their customers, food’s nutritional content, innovation in agriculture, mineral-depleted soils, Monsanto, shortages of water and food, socially responsible investments, SRI, toxic chemicals

Thanks to Jason Scorse, Ph.D. For His Contribution to “Is Renewable Really Doable?”

craigshieldsPosted on February 28, 2012 Posted in Renewables - Business

I was lucky to happen across Dr. Jason Scorse in my quest to interview an economist who could shed light on the migration to renewables.

Jason is currently Associate Professor and Chair of the International Environmental Policy Program at The Monterey Institute of International Studies, a graduate school of Middlebury College. He has consulted for numerous environmental organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club. (more…)

Tagged with: International Environmental Policy Program, Is Renewable Really Doable, Jason Scorse, Middlebury College, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, The Monterey Institute of International Studies, What Environmentalists Need to Know About Economics

U.S. Military Eagerly Adopting Renewable Energy, Electric Transportation

craigshieldsPosted on February 28, 2012 Posted in Renewables - Business

Obviously, there’s a certain irony here, as the role of the American military is, in large measure, to ensure our access to oil on an ongoing basis. But anyone can see the rationale: depending on gasoline and diesel while you’re actively in battle or defending a military position is a potentially lethal place to be. According to my understanding, more of our soldiers are killed defending the supply line of oil to military bases and outposts in the Middle East than in any other single activity.

Thus the interest in clean energy here is rooted in self-preservation – which is more than fine by me; whatever gets the job done. I’m like anyone; I hate to see young people killed or wounded – for any reason.

Tagged with: electric transportation, Renewable Energy, U.S. Military

Aeroponics: Growing Organic Produce in Air, Water, and Nutrients

craigshieldsPosted on February 27, 2012 Posted in Sustainability

I’m working on a project to popularize the concept of aeroponics, the science of growing plants in areas where land is scarce, using a mixture of air, water, and nutrients. Imagine robust, organic produce grown indoors, on rooftops, etc. Now realize a potential downside: you need containers, most of which are made out of plastics that come from petroleum and do not biodegrade.

OK, what about bioplastics, derived from the cellulose in plants? I’m willing to learn a bit more. How about you? I hope you’ll check out the article linked above.

Tagged with: Aeroponics, bioplastics, organically grown produce

Thanks to Ray Lane For His Contribution to “Is Renewable Really Doable?”

craigshieldsPosted on February 27, 2012 Posted in Renewables - Business

I’ve had the pleasure of bumping into Ray Lane at numerous industry conferences, and have been lucky enough to hear him speak on subjects that include the financing of renewables and electric transportation. I was thrilled when he accepted my invitation for an interview, as I knew it would add a much-needed perspective of the real-world, no-nonsense exigencies of big money. After all, we can talk about the theory of money—but we can also look at the way in which billions of dollars actually change hands. (more…)

Tagged with: Ausra, battery-electric car, Fisker Automotive, Hewlett-Packard, Is Renewable Really Doable, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, KPCB, Ray Lane, Th!nk NA

Claims About Violations of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics Are Made By Both Crackpots and Charlatans

craigshieldsPosted on February 27, 2012 Posted in 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.

Tagged with: alternative energy, charlatans, clean energy, crackpots, first law of thermodynamics, green energy, Renewable Energy, second law of thermodynamics

Comparing the Environmental Impact of Conventional Vehicles, Hybrids, and Plug-ins

craigshieldsPosted on February 26, 2012 Posted in Electric Vehicles

Thanks to longtime reader Roberto DePaschoal for alerting me to this recent white paper from the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at Carnegie Mellon University, comparing the environmental impact of conventional vehicles with hybrids and plug-in vehicles. The study considers the entire lifecycle, from extraction of the raw materials, construction, operation, and decommissioning. (more…)

Tagged with: alternative energy, clean energy, comparing environmental impact of vehicles, electric transportation, Electric Vehicles, EVs, green energy, hydrids, plug-in vehicles, Renewable Energy

Thanks to Wally Rippel For His Contribution to “Is Renewable Really Doable?”

craigshieldsPosted on February 26, 2012 Posted in 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.

Tagged with: Caltech, Caltech electric car, cold fusion, Electric Car Race against MIT, Is Renewable Really Doable, politics invaded science, Wally Rippel, Who Killed the Electric Car?