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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

There are a few weapons in my arsenel as an advocate for renewables, and one of them is a fairly comprehensive calendar of events.  I use it primarily to schedule travel, trying, as I have all my adult life, to maximize the value of each mile flown, by combining trips to see clients, prospects, book interview subjects — as well as family and friends.  If you click on the link, you’ll notice that there are normally half a dozen of so different energy-related events somewhere in the world — every day.

You’ll also notice that the preponderance of these events concern renewables.  There is an occasional symposium on shale gas, but most of the talk is on solar, wind, geothermal, storage, integration of intermittent sources, clean energy financing, etc.  (more…)

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

On October 13th, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GRM Research released the “U.S. Solar Market Insight” report covering industry action in the first half of 2010. The news is encouraging: the report reveals there is growth in the solar industry despite the struggling capital markets and economy.

“First half solar installations grew beyond expectations as a result of declining prices, continued government support and improving financial conditions,” said Shayle Kann, Managing Director at GTM Research in a press release on October 13th. “In spite of the macroeconomic woes, the U.S. solar industry is on track to have a record year in 2010 for both installations and manufacturing.”

There is a 55% growth in grid installed solar over 2009, with 339 MW grid installed power to date.  The PV (photo-voltaic) market is up 69% over 10 years in the U.S., from 3.9 MW in 2000 to 435 MW installed by the end of 2009. The U.S. placed fourth worldwide in 2009 for installed PV power, after Germany, Japan and Italy.  The chart below illustrates the growth, courtesy the SEIA report:

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I’m back from my annual chili cook-off with what’s left of my Peruvian Chili. No honors this year. I had to use beans, since I had it so hot it would have incapacitated most of the crowd had I not scaled it back, and the judges hate beans. Oh well. Live and learn.

Now how could such a remark possibly be relevant to a blog on renewable energy? Well, one of the reasons I love this event is that several of its participants teach university classes in international relations, and I never fail to learn something relevant to the macro forces that underlie global current events. And normally, when you trace these things back to the root, you find the world’s insatiable appetite for energy. (more…)

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

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My mother is not concerned that Christine O’Donnell dabbled in witchcraft. I suppose I’m not either. My concern is she dabbles in ignorance – in fact, she frolics in it. How does a person run for public office — let alone senate — who doesn’t have the vaguest understanding of the US Constitution? Here she is, debating her challenger in the Delaware senate race.  Skip to the end if you’re bored. 

It will be really interesting to see if this Tea Party stuff has any staying power with Americans.  Of course, this is coming from a guy who laughed when he first heard rap music and told his friends: “Can you believe that?  This garbage will be gone in about two weeks.”

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I had the first in a series of interviews with Dr. Robert Pollin from UMass Amherst’s Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institute this morning, in an effort to triangulate on a central issue:

What is the precise economic impact of the migration to “new energy” – both efficiency and renewables? (more…)

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I happened to be driving across the Los Angeles basin yesterday to see a local client when I heard the radio commentary of Robert Reich (Labor Secretary under Bill Clinton)  on the exact issue we’ve been discussing here: the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision to allow hundreds of millions of dollars to pour into advertisements for and against candidates — without a trace of where the dollars are coming from.

The transcript is linked above.  He’s quite a thinker, IMO.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Biomass

A few months ago, I ran across a human dynamo by the name of Mary Jo Shaub, and I am now busily adding her creds to the website as an associate, in order to address a need that I’ve long wanted to fill.  Mary Jo has 20+ years’ experience in helping agricultural businesses explore their renewable energy potential, especially biomass — utilization of farm waste.  And she makes it happen, by writing grant proposals and assisting with loan applications. 

Mary Jo and I met initially at a dairy farm nestled in the Blue Ridge.  Great learning experience.  Glad I wasn’t wearing my best shoes.

I’ll hope anyone interested will contact us to pursue a conversation.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

There is a lot of research and system development going on in the renewable energy field right now. Vector gives you a taste of some very different technologies that could – some day – change the economics of renewable energy generation.

Two of our research technologies are nano-materials. Working at molecular level, scientists are creating new materials with extremely useful properties. Once the materials have been designed, they can be scaled up for mass applications.

Our third example concerns developments in tidal power, one of the few sources of renewable energy that is as reliable as clockwork – in fact, as reliable as the orbiting moon. The moon’s gravitational pull is the source of tidal power.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s a discussion I’m having with a reader on the subject of the Supreme Court ruling of January 2010 that grants the rights of real persons to corporations. I hope other folks will join in. 

PS: I don’t understand how corporations can “extend their powers” as a result of the Supreme Court ruling you mention.

Craig: It’s fairly simple. Let’s take an example. Chevron made $24 billion profit last year.  Now I’m not saying that they will do this, but as of January, 2010, they can spend as much of that as they want influencing our elections, ensuring the victory of a candidate who supports them, who will make things difficult for renewable energy and electric transportation while continuing or expanding favors for oil, which currently include: (more…)

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Not to carry on too far on this subject of the US Supreme Court’s decision to empower corporations with the rights of real persons, but I’ve begun to realize how truly intractable the problem is, and why:  virtually no one knows about it.  My mother, who reads the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer every day of the week, wasn’t exactly sure what I was talking about when we discussed this on the phone a few minutes ago.  David Cobb, the attorney who gave the lecture that I attended on the subject last Sunday, says he’s had no coverage whatsoever from the mainstream (corporate-owned) media.  Of course, this isn’t at all surprising, but it creates an incredibly difficult condition to overcome.

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