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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I’m back east again.  The weather isn’t exactly nice, but at least this quadrant of the country isn’t paralyzed by two feet of snow like it was last time I was here.

My appointments on this trip are mainly attempts to refine my approach to raising investment capital for companies in various phases of development in clean energy and electric transportation.  In particular, I remain convinced that I can put into place a financial instrument that will provide early-stage capital for a dozen or so promising ideas — all in one package — a kind of mutual fund for those who are looking for upward exposure from this sector, but do not wish to have all their eggs in one basket.

I have a number of high-powered “friends of friends” to see — within walking distance of one another in the “city that never sleeps.”

I’ll let you know how I do.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

DESERTEC, a $496 billion project to generate solar electricity in the Sahara Desert could be exporting electricity to Europe in five years, according to European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, following a meeting with energy ministers from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, which will each house a portion of the project. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

On Feb. 14, U.S. Pres. Barack Obama made a proposal to Congress to raise 2012 budget funds for renewable energy research. He proposed paying for this budget increase by cutting subsidies for fossil fuels including gas and oil.

This budget increase comes at a rather sensitive time for the White House. Recently, the U.S launched a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute against China. The dispute is regarding the country’s support for wind power production and research. Additionally, Japan recently initiated a WTO dispute against Canada for their support of renewable energy subsidies.

Even though the U.S. disapproves of China’s support of wind manufacturing, Obama still seems to be placing a high priority on green energy as a whole. He undoubtedly recognizes that certain measures need to be taken if the U.S wants to compete with other countries that have already gone to great lengths to develop renewable energy technologies and resources.

Obama has proposed an amount of $29 billion for the Department of Energy in 2012. This number is up more than 4 percent from the 2011 budget and more than 10 percent from the 2010 budget, a substantial sum. And $8 billion, more than 30% of the Department’s total proposed 2012 budget, is earmarked to support renewable energy initiatives. These initiatives include research to support wind and solar power and new nuclear energy technologies.

But these budget increases will not come with out a cost to other areas of the budget. Pres. Obama is asking Congress to revoke almost $4 billion dollars in fossil fuel subsidies. If approved, this number would jump to over $46 billion over the course of ten years. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Jim Bell is a brilliant author and social observer who believes that nuclear power represent one of humankind’s most tragic errors.  In this excellent article on the perils the nuclear age, he argues that, if we survive it, our descendants will wonder what we were thinking to justify leaving them nuclear power’s toxic legacy.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

We’ve come to think of sustainability as a “nice to have,” rather than a “must have” feature in our lives. Perhaps that’s because the very notion has long-term consequences, as compared to, say, the diminution of our retirement funds, the threat of job loss, or any of the pressing matters that occupy our immediate attention.

When it comes to sustainability, we are prepared to say, “Hey, I have problems right now.  I can’t really be expected to worry about what life might be like 100 years hence,” or, “Things can get a bit out of balance in the biosphere, but as long as they come back around in the long-term, everything will be just fine.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal


I just had a very interesting conversation on one of my favorite topics: solar thermal, or concentrating solar power (CSP).  I came across Ahura Energy of Campbell, CA on the fantastic online resource OnGreen.com, and spoke with Dr. Fareed Sfard, the company’s CEO, who boasts over 20 years experience in the solar industry. Because we have no NDA in place at this point, Fareed needed to speak at a high level. But if what I was told is correct, the company’s patented Concentrating Solar System, that can be used in both utility scale and rooftop deployments, has a huge cost advantage over competitive approaches. “The system” (whatever this eventually turns out to be) moves the reflective and refractive elements without motors or electric actuators.

“But how?” I asked innocently. I could hear Fareed laughing politely. “That’s the secret sauce,” he chuckled. “In a given space, it produces 350% more power compared to traditional solar systems at one third the cost per kilowatt-hour.”

“Well, Dr. Sfard, I know some people at Ausra, which, of course, was sold last year to Areva. I’m sure I could arrange a conversation, if you’re interested in selling or licensing your technology.”

“That would be possible, though they see us as a threat,” he allowed.

“I would hope they do, sir!  That’s a good thing,” I replied. “In my experience, that’s the impetus behind most deals. Until business people are threatened, there’s no motive to deal with the problem,” I replied. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

From time to time, I’ve wondered what a movie version of Renewable Energy – Facts and Fantasies would look like. Well, I don’t have to wonder anymore. It’s been made. And it’s in theaters now. Check out CarbonNation.

It’s really as if I had written the script for every single participant in the film. There are lines like:

“It doesn’t matter whether or not you believe in global warming, as there are half a dozen other reasons to end our dependency on fossil fuels.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I’m in the process of developing a presence on two different Internet radio sites. One wants to take all our video archives and broadcast them in a way that will require zero additional work on our part. It will cost us nothing, and the folks have made us partenrs in the business.  Needless to say, I like the sound of all that.

The other wants to try to make me the “Dr. Laura of renewable energy,” where I’ll host a radio talk show that the company’s CEO believes can become quite big. Of course, I like the sound of this too, although I’m unconvinced.  But I’m also up for the effort if it will forward the cause, even though it’s obvious that there will be serious work involved.

The CEO told me in first of our numerous conversations, “I spent hours listening to your stuff and making notes before I called you. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Plans for cuts to Germany’s solar incentive scheme provoked a stand-off earlier this month when Germany’s upper house, the Bundesrat, voted against the reductions. The government proposed cutting domestic installation incentives by 11 percent, while reducing feed-in tariffs for roof panels by 16 per cent.  The government also want to drop plans for new feed-in tariff payments for solar sites on agricultural land. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

Have you ever had difficulty getting the people in your life to share your passion on a subject?  This happens to me all the time.  I’ll try to get a friend, or my wife and kids to watch a certain really cool video, and I just can’t seem to muster the enthusiasm. 

I can’t count how many times I’ve recommended The Story of Stuff to people, only to realize that most folks simply won’t take the 20 minutes required to have what I know will be quite an enlightening experience, and leave them a better person for having made the investment.  (more…)

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