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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

I’m in the television studio this afternoon, shooting a series of short videos explaining the basics of renewable energy, for use in introducing newcomers to the subject. If there is a theme to the series, it’s “No Free Lunch.” Each one of the dozens of different flavors of clean energy technologies come with its own unique set of pros and cons. Some are expensive, some are intermittent, some are quite “early-stage” (experimental), and they all have a certain amount of their own environmental impact. My job, as I conceive it, is to present this with as much fairness and objectivity as I can possibly bring to the table.

And speaking of fairness… (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Jim Boyden earned his Ph.D. in physics from Cal Tech the same year I graduated from kindergarten (1960). I joked with him during our interview this morning: “So, while I was trying to master the alphabet, you had risen to a somewhat loftier academic level — and the subject of your dissertation was…. ?”

“High energy particle physics,” he smiled modestly.

I wanted to interview Jim as a part of my third book, “Renewable Energy, Following the Money,” because, since he left academia, he’s been one of the most successful business people that the world of technology has even known. In particular, during his tenure at Hewlett-Packard, Jim started a business for the computing giant in the arena of printing – first laser, then ink-jet: now a mere $20 billion in annual revenues. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Steve Cohen, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Columbia University’s Earth Institute sees the climate change issue in much the same way we tend to here at 2GreenEnergy: shamefully divided across party lines – yet not hopeless. On his blog at the Huffington Post, Cohen points out that Republicans really have changed their minds on the legitimacy of climate change. He comes away, however, on an upbeat: “Young people understand the challenges of global sustainability and I am convinced that the situation is far from hopeless.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Descending the nearby mountain I had hiked last Sunday afternoon, I slipped a bit, and almost sprained my ankle.  Though I quickly recovered my balance, the brief incident caused me to think about how clever nature is; in the case of such a trauma, my body would have instantly provided pain and swelling to the injured joint, limiting motion, thus minimizing further injury.

Of course, this is one of many self-limiting systems that helps regulate individual organisms, and society at large. We laugh about the annual Darwin Awards, posthumously bestowed on people who accidentally kill themselves in the process of attempting extraordinarily stupid things, thus unintentionally performing acts of kindness, removing bits of “stupid DNA” from the human gene pool.   (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I just got off the phone with long-time 2GreenEnergy supporter Ron McCurdy who reviewed his electric trike website with me.  He’s looking for dealers and other business partners; anyone interested can reach him at freedex@rogers.com. 

Ron also pointed me to Organic Transit, another group with a vision for low-impact urban transportation, and a cool, futuristic design.  

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

On the hike I’m about to take, I’ll be contemplating the future of renewable energy while walking up the north-facing slope of the Santa Ynez mountains.  At the top is a clearing providing this view of the Pacific.  

There are a lot worse ways to spend a few hours.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Hydrokinetics

I’m working on another in our series of renewable energy infographics, to present the basic concepts in a way that’s immediately understandable for newcomers to the subject.  My current project is writing up “The Pros and Cons of Renewables.” The main point: all forms of energy, clean or dirty, come with a certain financial and ecological cost.

One of the main challenges associated with the migration to “new energy” is infrastructure, as unfortunately, renewable resources tend to exist far from our population centers, which requires an expensive build-out of our electrical grid. This article on Hydrokinetics in Alaska is a case in point. They have 350,000 miles of roaring rivers and tides that are incredible. Southern California, whose population is 40 times that of Alaska, is as hungry for those resources as a bear, fresh out of hibernation, fishing for a salmon.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Hydrokinetics

I’m working on another in our series of renewable energy infographics, illuminating the basic concepts in a way that’s immediately understandable for people who may be new to the subject. The piece I’m writing now on “The Pros and Cons of Renewables,” points out that, while there is a lot to like about clean energy, there is no “free lunch” here; everything comes with a certain financial and ecological cost.

A point some people miss is that certain forms of renewable energy are limited in their availability. For example, where there is, for all intents and purposes, an infinite amount of solar energy, other forms, e.g., run-of river-hydro, exist only in limited supply.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

30,000 people in Ecuador are one step closer to achieving justice in their case against Chevron. On Wednesday, an appellate court upheld the $9.5 billion judgement that would force the oil giant to pay for the clean up of a huge tract of land, damaged by Texaco, before its acquisition by Chevron. If you have a strong stomach, the talking points of the Chevron C-suite and PR team are at ChevronThinksWe’reStupid.org. And here’s a video made by Amazon Watch, a small but fierce non-profit that’s been working hard to focus world attention — and bring justice — to this horrific matter.

But how close are we to a resolution? Don’t hold your breath. As I’ve mentioned, Chevron’s team of attorneys is among the largest and most talented bunch of people on Earth. They’re playing for blood, and they’re licking their chops over the success that ExxonMobil enjoyed in dragging out its payment on the Valdez oil spill in Alaska for more than 25 years before agreeing to pay a small portion — over a quarter of a century later. No fewer than 8000 beneficiaries of the ExxonMobil restitution died while they were waiting for their money to come in.

This looks like a long, hard slog. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Someone once asked novelist E. L. Doctorow about his routine as a writer, to which he replied: “Here’s how it goes: I’m up at the stroke of 10 or 10:30. I have breakfast and read the papers, and then it’s lunchtime. Then maybe a little nap after lunch and out to the gym, and before I know it, it’s time to have a drink.”

Speaking for most of us mortals who try to crank out a book every year, it doesn’t work exactly like that.

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