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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

bicycle-nuclearI had the good fortune to connect to an old friend just now, Forbes Bagatelle-Black, one of these “Renaissance men” who’s as good with the language (he’s a professional author) as he is with the sciences (he hold a master’s degree in engineering).

I called him because of his passion for renewable energy. His blog called “Cycloculture” is about cycling, and he’s quite adamant that everyone should substitute a bicycle for a car wherever they possibly can.

The gating issue, Forbes tells me, is public relations. “We’re in the PR phase of the migration to renewable energy. People don’t get it. They drive a Highlander hybrid that gets 23 miles per gallon, and they think they’re being green. We’ll never get where we need to be with that type of thinking.”

Forbes sees two major snags, both largely built around our market economy. “First you have the supply and demand issues. We have abundant dirty energy that appears to be inexpensive. It’s actually horribly expensive in terms of long-term environmental damage, but those costs are hidden, and no one’s paying them. We’re billing them to our children and our grandchildren. If we were confronting the true costs of what we’re doing right now, gasoline and coal-based electricity would be astronomically expensive.”

“And there’s another market-based issue?” I asked.

“Right. The other issue is politics. We live in a market-driven democracy, by which I mean we can vote for whoever makes us feel good. You can run for office on the platform that “You can’t drive your Hummer” but you’ll never get elected.”

“Do you see any hope?” I wanted to know.

“Well, I’m delighted that we’ve taken the first step, i.e., voting in an administration whose president and vice president are not oil company executives. But from here, I think we just have to hope that Obama administration imposes tariffs that cause gasoline users to pay the true cost of the fuel. If it does, things will change very quickly.”

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

My colleague Trevor Parker is one of the founders of a company soon to be called Green Collar Machines. The company has a unique business plan that defines the micro assembly and distribution of a patented compact electric tractor that comes  available with a variety of accessories for mowing lawns, plowing snow, etc. It’s a good reminder of the fact that very few aspects of our lives will remain untouched by the migration to renewable energy and electric transportation.

Perhaps the most newsworthy aspect of Green Collar Machines is the enormous help they have received from the state of New York and the local governments in Buffalo and Niagara. “We’re extremely grateful,” Parker says. “A lot of Americans—especially from within the GOP—question the validity of the stimulus package. But it’s not a handout. They have huge unemployment, and we have jobs. It’s a true win-win.”

“Do you want to talk about energy independence?” Parker continues. “The most independent you can be is living off the grid. Lots of folks up here are on micro-wind. The green sector is no longer tree huggers and granola eaters; it’s mainstream. It’s the single most important phenomenon occurring in our economy – and in our society at large.”

PS: Here’s a graphical depiction or “infographic” of the history of renewable energy.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

fun-ride-logoOnce the world has fully moved to renewable energy, we’ll all be able to forget about taking measures to reduce our energy consumption. But until that time, we all need to be thinking of ways to cut back.

No one understands this any better than a gentleman I met a few years ago, Mark Shaffer. Mark is the CEO of FunRide, a car-sharing organization in San Luis Obispo, CA, with a unique vision for the future.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the concept of car-sharing is new to some readers. The idea is simple–and novel. A pool of cars is distributed at various locations in a limited, normally densely populated region—say Boston or Washington DC—and made available to members. For an annual membership and a per-day rate, members go online, look at real-time maps showing vehicle locations, book a reservation, walk to the location, open the car with a special key-chain fob, do their driving, and return the car. Zipcar is the largest car-sharing operation in the country—and has certainly proven that the business model can work.

So what is FunRide’s twist? Eco-friendly cars, in a neighborhood whose demographics suggest an extremely high value on environmental stewardship. I spoke with Mark earlier today.

Craig Shields: Mark, thanks for taking time with me; good to speak with you again.

Mark Shaffer: Happy to. I take all opportunities to get the work out there.

CS: Good for you. Let’s start at the beginning. How did this whole thing get started?

MS: A few years ago, I was sitting in a meeting at the Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition and it came to me. The concept serves so many needs simultaneously. FunRide provides on-demand transportation, in a fun and eco-friendly way—and it gives people the opportunity to try alternative-fuelled cars, giving them an experience that they’ll need before they actually buy one.

CS: So the special idea is eco-friendly cars. Tell me about that please.

MS: Until the supply of pure electric vehicles increases, we have a variety of cars based on a range of different technologies. We have a ZENN neighborhood electric vehicle, a bio-diesel Jetta, a natural gas Honda Civic, and an E85 Ford Ranger. We also have a Honda Insight hybrid, but ideally I’d like to have nothing that runs on gasoline at all.

CS: How are you promoting the organization?

MS: We have a range of fairly traditional advertising and markerting tools we’ve implemented: TV, radio, listings in directories, appearances on talk radio.

CS: You may recall that my background was marketing. You know what I recommend? PR. I would think that the newsworthiness of FunRide is so extreme that a clever PR practitioner could get you enormous quantities of free publicity.

MS: Thanks. Good point.

CS: What do you see as the major market segments for FunRide?

MS: It’s interesting because there are so many. Out of town guests, workers who take public transportation or carpools to work and need to run errands, universities offering vehicles to students, or people who simply don’t want a second car. The recession has had a positive effect on us, ironically, in that people are thinking hard: Do I really need the second car? For $30 a year, they can get the car only when they need to.

CS: Where are you in the whole process at this point?

MS: This is coming together right now. By the end of next week, we’ll be rolling: We’ll have all the cars, the pods, the signs, and the network online.

CS: Fantastic. Best of luck to you. I certainly hope that you get some traffic from this blog. Keep up the good work.

PS: Here’s a graphical depiction or “infographic” of the history of renewable energy.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

fish-pollutionGuest Blogger Mike Brace is working hard to develop renewable energy sources that can replace coal. Here’s why. He writes:

Here’s news from the Associated Press called “State officials issue fish advisories in Kentucky.” They say “High levels of mercury or polychlorinated biphenyls — PCBs — found in some fish species could pose a health hazard to women who are pregnant or of childbearing age and small children. People who are at risk should limit their consumption to about one meal per month, according to the state health department. Environmental attorney Tom FitzGerald, director of the Kentucky Resources Council, said the state’s response seemed to be appropriate. High mercury levels can be attributed in part to coal-fired power plants as well as some natural sources.”

Is there really such thing as “natural sources” for mercury pollution? As far as I know we don’t mine or process mercury with in US borders.
This is a crock.

PS: Here’s a graphical depiction or “infographic” of the history of renewable energy.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I just spoke with a fantastic young man by the name of Jake Stewart. Not to devaluate anyone’s commitment and importance in the movement, but no credentials are required to be an advocate of renewable energy. By contrast, Jake brings a level of sophistication that really makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Stewart currently directs the ground-breaking Austin Climate Protection Program at Austin Energy, where he is active in integrated distributed generation innovation, smart grid deployment and carbon reduction strategy development. He has been involved with the renewable energy and renewable fuels industries for almost a decade and was formerly an international renewable energy consultant and Executive Vice President at Organic Fuels International, Inc. He has received international recognition for his contributions to the broader renewable energy industry. Stewart is widely known for his development of world’s first renewably powered biofuel production facility—the first time a municipality had embarked on such an effort to produce its own fuel from waste and has garnered international attention as a decentralized renewable energy model.

With his dizzying array of patents, awards, degrees and his advanced background in R.E. technologies including bioenergy, distributed solar, biogas, 2nd generation biofuels, fuel cells, micro-wind, algae oil development and renewable hydrogen production, Stewart is a real joy to talk with.

Perhaps Stewart’s area of deepest passion at this point is the PR that entrenched interests are bringing to bear to create doubt about the reality of global warming. Here’s an except from the conversation:

Craig Shields: I know you’re aware of my position on renewable energy, i.e., that the gating factors are more political than they are technologicial. Do you agree?

Jake Stewart: 100%. I particularly liked your recent post on ‘RE versus its powerful competitors.’ Do you know, they say sunshine is the best disinfectant and fossilized carbon interests are putting out a very steady flow of shady but effective propaganda. The junk must be constantly illuminated. Kudos for you for opening such a streamlined and informed forum for that.

CS: Thanks for the kind words. But please tell me specifically where and how you see this so-called ‘junk.’

JS: We are dealing with a lot of this in the climate change arena where the ‘climate skeptic’ campaign has managed to garner a remarkable (and sad) amount of public penetration — predominately on AM radio and the likes, of course. In any case, I’m hopeful that science and truth will ultimately come out on top thanks to efforts like yours focused on getting accurate and palatable information out through the smoke.

CS: To be sure. And I’ll try to make sure this blog is a never-ending source of truth in this space. But can you recommend other good sources?

JS: Some of your readers may not have come across something that came out a couple years ago; the CBC did a fantastic piece on the inner-workings of this effort. It’s very worth watching. It’s a brilliant piece that pulls back the curtain on the makings of the ‘counter climate’ campaign, which, of course, was funded by our friends in the oil and coal industries, a sample of which includes:

‘ExxonMobil has manufactured uncertainty about the human causes of global warming just as tobacco companies denied their product caused lung cancer,” said Alden Meyer, the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Director of Strategy & Policy. “A modest but effective investment has allowed the oil giant to fuel doubt about global warming to delay government action just as Big Tobacco did for over 40 years.’

CS: Yes, good point. Coinicidentally, I’ve mentioned that exact piece in a recent article I’m publishing on cold fusion as part of me “Three Brass Tacks of Renewable Energy” series.

JS: Great. On the topic of simplifying the complexity of climate change and bringing it to the masses, another piece that your readers will want to watch is one that ABC did a couple months ago called ‘Earth 2100.’ They interviewed the world’s top climate/energy minds and generated an artist’s rendition of what it might be like for a child born today based on the latest modeling. They follow the fictional character through her life in dealing with the effects that are now underway. It’s in two parts — and fairly heavy at times — but it’s based in the latest projections/trajectory and leaves the viewer with a sense of empowerment to make a better future. I was impressed by what they produced; your readers might also find it interesting.

CS: Thanks so much, Jake. You’re one of the good guys.

JS: I was glad to.

PS: Here’s an infographic that depicts the history of renewable energy at a glance.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

green-energy-moneyI do not claim to be an expert in the process of petitioning the Obama Administration’s Department of Energy for grant money in renewable energy. However, I very much realize that this is important to a great many readers. For that reason, I will post links to important sites on this subject. This article called “Show Me the Money — And How To Get It” from Renewable Energy World.com is a fabulous piece that I came across this morning.

The article begins, “The U.S. departments of Energy and Treasury announced on July 9 that guidelines would be available for companies wishing to apply for $3 billion in stimulus payments” — a considerable chunk of change.

PS: Here’s an infographic that depicts the history of renewable energy at a glance.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

turimiquire-logoSadly, only a few of us who grow up in our western civilization really consider an alternative to becoming a part of the traditional economic machine. While we try to choose a career path about which we feel a certain spark—a spark that may come from helping others—only a few of us make enormous sacrifices and take on lives of pure compassion.

For a moment, I’d like you to reflect on the story of Steven Bloomstein and his friend Bob Albert who met as classmates at Harvard in the late 1960s. Like all products of top universities, the boys realized they had been groomed to become legislators, doctors, captains of industry, etc.—but when they recognized that none of these pursuits held any real attraction, they decided to go in another direction altogether.

After graduation they bought an abandoned hacienda in a remote part of Sucre, a state in the eastern part of Venezuela—a 3½-hour hike from the nearest road. They built an organic farm, and hired on the local campesinos (rural slash-and-burn subsistence farmers) who were uniformly illiterate, unspeakably poor, and previously unaware of sustainable agriculture practices.

In 1995, Steven and Bob registered a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that they named The Turimiquire Foundation, after the nearby mountain range, and began to formalize the delivery of a variety of services in education, medical care, and reproductive counseling. Along with dozens of devoted volunteers, including Steven’s younger brother Willie, who runs the administrative operations in the U.S., they’ve dedicated themselves to helping tens of thousands of poorest of the poor to lead healthier, happier lives.

From the standpoint of renewable energy and environmental stewardship, the relevance is obvious: slash and burn, as the name implies, is horribly debilitating to the environment. Not only does it reduce the amount of vegetation that consumes CO2 and produces oxygen, but it pumps CO2 and other far more noxious chemicals into the atmosphere. Thus the presence of Turimiquire has been a considerable boon to the world in which we live in a great number of ways.

To me, the story of Turimiquire serves as a reminder that there are hundreds of different equally valid ways of life. We’re not here forever, and we shouldn’t waste our time foolishly conforming to other people’s ideas of success and meaning.

Please visit http://www.turimiquire.org/. I know you’ll be as impressed as I am by this story of passion and beauty. Unfortunately, the meager donations that my wife and I have been able to make over the past six or so years haven’t been terribly meaningful, but we’re proud to be supporters nonetheless.

PS: Here’s an infographic that depicts the history of renewable energy at a glance.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As I’ve suggested, we’ve long since passed the point at which we had the technology to harvest sufficient renewable energy from the sun to provide power to all the people of Earth. At this point, the political and financial issues are the gating factors, not our ability to make it happen technologically. This article is just one example of how the coal industry has presented a totally false picture of its value. Until we can get our leaders to see past this garbage and embark upon a full and fair discussion of the true costs and benefits of each technology, renewable energy will remain a pipedream.

PS: Here’s an infographic that depicts the history of renewable energy at a glance.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Over time, guest bloggers and I will post articles that will enable readers to learn about the various forms of renewable energy that are feasible at various places around the world. We will also encourage you to question our leaders as to why the transition to renewable energy sources is occurring at such a ridiculously slow pace.

I happen to favor solar thermal — concentrated solar power — for North America. In brief, the Earth receives 6000 times more energy from the sun each day than we humans use. A solar thermal farm in the shape of a square 105 miles on a side in the southwest US desert would provide sufficient power for the entire continent, using extremely common and inexpensive materials, principally concrete, aluminum, glass, and salt (to store the heat energy so that power can be generated at night).

Of course, solar thermal is valuable only in places that have deserts; if you’re in Iceland, for instance, you’ll need to look to tidal, geothermal, etc.

As I’ve written extensively, there is no reason (beside the enormous money/power behind coal, nuclear, and petroleum) that we can’t develop solar thermal quickly and easily.

PS: Here’s an infographic that depicts the history of renewable energy at a glance.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I just interviewed my friend Bruce Severance, who has been an outspoken advocate of renewable energy for several decades. “SURE I’ll talk to you,” he said when I called just now. “Did I tell you that I wrote my first report on solar energy when I was 11, and took a whole bunch of classes in environmental and architectural design in college? It’s been a passion of mine for a long time,” he explained. I was already aware of this — in a big way.

In the course of the conversation, he told me a few stories that I thought readers would find interesting. Here’s one:

“Corporate America has clearly been schizophrenic when it comes to the development of electric vehicles. We see evidence of this all the time. The GM story as told in ‘Who Killed The Electric Car’ is obviously one in which a certain group within GM really wanted the EV-1 to sell, where others didn’t want that at all, and worked hard to get it killed.

“Sometimes we’re suspicious that political lobbying is influential in the way these things get played out. But I was right there is the room one day and saw it happen right in front of me. My press pass had gotten me access to an interview that Martha Cone of the Los Angeles Times was doing with the head of CARB in 1992. She asked a direct question: ‘Was your decision to rescind the ZEV mandate in any way related to pressure you received from (then governor) Pete Wilson, the State Assembly, or any other governmental body?’

“We all watched in complete awe as he answered a totally different question. Fortunately, Cone persisted: ‘Perhaps I wasn’t clear,’ she said. I have a very specific question that I’d like you to answer.’ Which she then repeated verbatim. Again, his answer did not even touch about the focus of the question. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. He was blatantly refusing to answer the question. That was all the proof anyone could have needed.”

PS: Here’s an infographic that depicts the history of renewable energy at a glance.

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