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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Green car blogger Jon LeSage and I had identical experiences early last week. We both came across each other’s names, recognized them from our travels in the industry, and said, “I want to talk to that guy.” This all culminated in a three-hour lunch yesterday in Santa Monica, CA.

Jon is the Automotive Editor, Green Initiatives at Automotive Digest Weekly Green, which goes out to about 60,000 readers/viewers. I had come across his stuff largely in connection with the role I play at EV World, consulting to various types of players in electric transportation. Jon has a fantastic command of the language and real personality and voice as a writer.

More importantly, he’s on the right side of the issues here. In fact, if I had any complaint about the lunch experience, it was that we agree on practically everything; I like a bit of controversy with my crab and arugula salad.   (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics, Uncategorized

A wonderful gentleman, Peter Kusterer, blogger extraordinaire from North Carolina called me the other day, and we chatted for some time. At the conclusion, he graciously asked me to send him any concluding thoughts I might have before he published his report on our talk. I thought I’d put them online:

Peter:

I so enjoyed our talk the other day. At the close, you asked me to summarize my thinking on our prospects for clean energy and how this affects the trajectory for our civilization. In a nutshell: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Africa faces the greater challenge of energy access, energy availability and energy affordability than all the rest of the world. Assessment undertaken in 2008, Africa was the lowest per capita energy consumer averaging 0.66 tons of oil equivalents (TOE) compared to the global average of 1.8 TOE. The greater challenge to energy development especially renewable energy is weak or lack of policy and effective renewable energy development institutions, low technology acquisition, low investment and inadequate financing. Government policy and unfavorable political good will rank higher as factors.

Successful development of renewable energy requires strong political will, government regulatory and fiscal muscle, incentives for private sector, innovative financing, considering the opportunity in clean development mechanism and technical capacity building. Policy makers in African governments have not given adequate attention to the potential of meeting renewable energy challenges of Africa. The continent is endowed with vast renewable energy resources, the continent has 1,750 TWh potential for hydropower and 14,000 MW potential geothermal, and potential for solar throughout the year. Wind power potential is also abundant.

(more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I’d like to call readers’ attention to this discussion of the validity of electric transportation.  In fact, the discussion began earlier in this piece on bashing electric vehicles.   There are a lot of interesting ideas here that challenge the way the EV community generally sees the issue.

I would like to add one more variable into the equation: distributed generation. I bring this up partially because I know people who spec’d the solar arrays they put on their roofs specifically to charge their EVs, and partially because distributed solar (not to mention  distributed wind/geo/hydro), has a real shot to change the energy paradigm in the not-too-distant future. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

Did you know that is takes electricity and water to make oil  into gasoline ? This is part of the refining process. The following facts are from a great article that Peder Norby did on oil refining. He walks the talk driving his MINI-E electric everyday and making the electric for it on his Solar system.

He shows how it takes more electricity to make a gallon of gas that you can drive in an EV! (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Hawaii has been known as a land of paradise. They have a great climate and can grow anything anyplace. But did you know Hawaii runs most of paradise on oil-generated electricity? Of course, all of the oil is imported too.

Recently becuase of fast growing prices they started looking at renewable energy in Hawaii. They found they have great solar, wind, hydro wave and currents and even geothermal energy. They are now just starting to develop these great renewable energy sources.

In Hawaii they have have many small islands and micro grids that are not connected. This makes it difficult to combine all the great renewable energy sources they have into an efficient grid. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

It’s the birthday of Mark Twain, who said, “Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing the matter with this, except that it ain’t so.”

I’m afraid he’s nailed something here. There is a great deal of truth in what we are doing in our advocacy of clean energy, but if it does indeed win the day, it certainly will not be due simply to that one characteristic.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Glenn Doty is an extremely senior scientist who studies the macro-world of energy, and doesn’t like what he sees regarding electric transportation. He writes:

While I have tremendous respect for you and the work that you are doing, I have very little respect for the people who compiled that study that you referenced.

The simple truth is that you cannot claim “grid mix” for a new marginal increase in grid demand. If you plug in a new toy (EV), they can’t do a rain dance to get additional energy from the hydropower dam… nor will they amp up the local nuclear reactor to provide more power… The only possible source for the energy going into NEW demand will be what is currently SPARE capacity – that’s natural gas and coal. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

A friend from China writes:

A pleasure speaking with you on Skype. I believe that with your connections we should be able to develop cleantech companies in China and more renewable energy projects in this part of the world.

The city of Beijing government on the 15th of June 2011, during a closed meeting with Embassies, Consulates and some of the top 100 foreign companies in China announced that the City of Beijing has RMB60 billion (US$10 Billion) to support foreign cleantech companies in China, to make Beijing the first truly green city in the world. I have attached a brief article on China’s Green Technology Program.

Thank you for the book. I appreciate it very much.

My reply includes:

Thanks. I’m sorry for not having sent the book to you earlier. As we discussed, there is much for Americans to worry about re: IP protection in dealing with China. But you folks out-invested us by a factor of 24:1 last year in solar alone ($34B vs. $1.3B). So, while there is much to fear, there is much to be gained.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Noted environmentalist and energy expert Bruce Severance will join me for December’s webinar: How to Increase the Energy Efficiency of Existing Structures – and WHY.

Now, if that title carries with it a certain feeling of mystery, that’s not an accident. From his vast experience as a design engineer, Bruce will offer us tips on eco-friendly construction and retrofit. But it is from his life-long advocacy for the environment that he proposes to tell us exactly why what we’re doing here and now has such a dramatic effect on the quality of the planet we’ll inhabit in a few years.

Hope you can join us. Sign-up information will be available soon.

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