Blog – Page 1559 – 2GreenEnergy.com

The U.S. Has a Responsibility At This Point In History

craigshieldsPosted on December 20, 2011 Posted in Fossil Fuels

Bill Moore, editor of EVWorld.com has written a splendid article on the failure of certain of the early electric vehicle companies, in which he points out:

Breaking into the automotive business can be relatively easy; making a success of it is pretty damned near impossible, regardless of what type of propulsion system you favor: ICE-age or otherwise; and it’s especially tough if you decide to go electric. Beyond this, the reasons for individual failures are myriad and multiple: right product, wrong time, wrong product; wrong time, etc. Management missteps, unrealistic investor expectations and impatience, government responsiveness, inept marketing, unanticipated technical setbacks, product shortcomings, public resistance to change: the list is long.

I don’t dispute any of this, but let’s look at the subject from a “big picture” perspective. As a country, we’re still married to fossil fuels, and we’re doing essentially nothing about it In particular, we have no energy policy. Hell, we’re about to build an oil pipeline (more…)

Tagged with: alternative energy, burgeoning urban/consumer populations globally, clean energy, countless dead and wounded, crippling debt, ecological disasters, global climate change, global warming, green energy, healthcare, lung disease, national security, ocean acidification, peak oil, Renewable Energy, responsibility at this time and place in history, skyrocketing debt, terrorism, – war we can't afford

Energy Infographics Put Renewables Into Perspective

craigshieldsPosted on December 20, 2011 Posted in Renewables - Science

My team and I are working hard to develop a series of infographics that introduce relative newcomers to the subject of energy — and renewables in particular.

I had fun with the first one, which looked at the history of renewable energy on this planet. The second one, which pointed out that all energy on Earth has come to us as a result of the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, was even more interesting, in that it inspired a bit of controversy among certain religious folks that I hadn’t even imagined when I put the idea together.

I’d like to see this bloom into a dozen such graphics over the coming year or two.

Tagged with: alternative energy, clean energy, energy infographics, green energy, putting renewables into perspective, Renewable Energy

News from the U.S. — Federal Government Takes Final Step to Suspend Constitution

craigshieldsPosted on December 20, 2011 Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s a piece of U.S. legislation that is unimaginably unAmerican: the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012, Section 1031 which provides broad authority for the federal government to use the military in domestic operations in order to detain Americans indefinitely and without trial. Such a move nullifies the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as well as the natural rights of Americans. (more…)

Tagged with: 4th Amendment, detain Americans indefinitely, National Defense Authorization Act, natural rights of Americans, NDAA, Section 1031, suspending the Constitution, unAmerican, use of the military in domestic operations

2GreenEnergy’s Financial Wizard Bill Paul on Shale Gas

craigshieldsPosted on December 19, 2011 Posted in Fossil Fuels

2GreenEnergy financial guru Bill Paul has a natural gift for looking at the macro issues affecting renewables. Here’s a high-level summary of his thinking on clean energy vis-à-vis shale gas, in which he summarizes:

There’s a distinct possibility that Wall Street’s going to start diverting big bucks away from green tech and into shale gas, if it hasn’t already. I see the billions going into shale gas infrastructure posing a huge impediment to developing clean tech. (more…)

Tagged with: alternative energy, Bill Paul, Chesapeake Energy, clean energy, ExxonMobil, green energy, Renewable Energy, shale gas, solar energy, solar panels, solar power

Taking Aim At the Dirtiest of Coal Plants

craigshieldsPosted on December 19, 2011 Posted in Fossil Fuels

It’s hard to find too many people who approve of the job that U.S. President Obama is doing. The right wing thinks he’s essentially a socialist who’s done a terrible job with the economy, that he’s pushing for bigger, more repressive government and a redistribution of wealth. The left is disappointed that he’s backed away from many of his more progressive campaign promises, and believe that he’s just as much a product of Big Money as are the Republicans.

However, from my perspective as an observer of the energy scene, he’s a whale of a lot better than the guy who preceded him. Here’s some gratifying action aimed at dirty coal plants, of which everyone with lungs should approve.

Tagged with: alternative energy, clean energy, green energy, Obama, Renewable Energy, Taking Aim At the Dirtiest of Coal Plants

German Village Produces More Energy Than It Needs

craigshieldsPosted on December 19, 2011 Posted in Efficiency

Here’s a story of a German Village that produces over three times as much energy as it needs. And I bet fathers (like me) are STILL telling their kids, “Mach das Licht aus!” (Turn off the light.)

Tagged with: alternative energy, clean energy, German Village Produces More Energy Than It Needs, green energy, Renewable Energy

A Collaboration on Fuel Cell Vehicles — But Exactly Whose Interests Are At Stake? Not Yours.

craigshieldsPosted on December 18, 2011 Posted in Electric Vehicles

Here’s an article that describes a collaboration between GM and BMW on fuel cell vehicles.

Wow, that’s remarkable. Just when I had started to trust the car companies based on the sincerity of Nissan/Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn and his people who build and promote the LEAF, I see this. A few basic points:

• The oil companies are the main supporters of the hydrogen economy. They see hydrogen as a mechanism for them to continue to retain a service station which will continue to provide the consumer with something they can pump. Electricity, on the other hand, is ubiquitous.

• Creating hydrogen suffers a 4:1 efficiency issue. I.e., generating hydrogen in a renewable way requires four times the number of solar panels that would be needed to make the electricity to put into my battery.

• Fuel cell vehicles’ fuel pods cost $500,000 to $1,000,000 apiece. (more…)

Tagged with: alternative energy, BMW, clean energy, collaboration on fuel cell vehicles, electric vehicle, EVs, fuel cells, General Motors, GM, green energy, Honda, Nissan Leaf, Nissan/Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, Renewable Energy, solar energy, solar panels, solar power

Feedback, Please? My Third Book on Renewable Energy

craigshieldsPosted on December 18, 2011 Posted in Renewables - Business

While I’m waiting for delivery of my second book (“Is Renewable Really Doable? – Exploring Clean Energy’s Opportunities and Tough Realities”), I wanted to run a couple of ideas for my third book by you.

Concept #1: “Renewable Energy – Following the Money,” focused on the U.S., featuring interviews with:

Investors (VCs, private equity, institutional)
Department of Energy
Key people in important states (e.g., California, New York, Texas, etc.)
Industry executives
Representatives of think-tanks
Media (e.g., Wall Street Journal)
Stock analysts

Concept #2: “Renewable Energy: A Global Issue – Interviews with Top People on Six Continents”

An exploration of the migration to clean energy in the most populous areas of the world, perhaps China, India, Africa, the Middle East, U.S., Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, and Oceania, based on interviews with key people who could speak to:

The prevailing political and economic climate
The efforts of key people
The cultural zeitgeist
Alternate fuel transportation
Smart grid and energy storage
Efficiency and conservation
Global climate change and the U.N. conferences on the subject

I’d appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

Tagged with: alternative energy, clean energy, green energy, Is Renewable Really Doable, Renewable Energy, Renewable Energy - Following the Money, Renewable Energy: A Global Issue

From Guest Blogger Iannick Gagnon — Oil: The First Shock (1859-1865)

craigshieldsPosted on December 18, 2011 Posted in Fossil Fuels

This article is submitted with the hope that it will set the tone for a series of others that will follow by covering the origins of the petroleum industry in the United States. The main objective of these pieces is to provide the reader with a historical understanding of shocks in oil prices. Later on, other writings will cover more recent material on the subject and a final piece will offer the reader some predictions of what the future of oil prices might look like in the short, medium and long term.

The task at hand is ambitious, but its value is considerable. Everyone feels a pinch when the prices at the pump crawl higher and higher with no end in sight. History has repeatedly proven to be the best thing we have to go on and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. As a result, we will establish a solid foundation from which we will make an educated guess about the future of the oil industry and what it means for civilization. (more…)

Tagged with: alternative energy, Big Oil, clean energy, fossil fuels, green energy, oil, oil companies, oil price volatility, oil prices, Renewable Energy

Clean Energy Cheap Versus Dirty Energy Expensive

craigshieldsPosted on December 17, 2011 Posted in Renewables - Politics

Predictably, the international climate talks in Durban, South Africa yielded little if any real progress, but some truly wonderful rhetoric. In his article Australia Wants Clean Energy Cheap Rather Than Dirty Energy Expensive, Alex Trembath quotes this piece in the Canberra Times:

Our goal should be to create a world with abundant, clean and cheap energy for all. This is an objective that reconciles progress and planet. This is a challenge that can bring rich and poor countries together in a common goal. If we are to address climate change, we must turn to humanity’s familiar benefactor – technological innovation – and apply it to developing better clean energy.

ZZZzzzzzz. Oh, sorry, must have dozed off there. (more…)

Tagged with: Alex Trembath, alternative energy, Canberra Times, clean energy, Clean Energy Cheap Versus Dirty Energy Expensive, COP-17, Durban South Africa, green energy, international climate talks, Renewable Energy