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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal

PhotobucketI was delighted to see Siemens’ recent acquisition of Israel-based Solel Solar Systems for US$418 million.  To me, this again signals mega-corporations’ commitment to the concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) market. René Umlauft, CEO of Siemen’s Renewable Division remarked in an interview, “The market for solar thermal energy is highly promising, and vigorous growth is expected to continue for Solel.”

The German technology behemoth appears to be pursing a strategy of vertical integration, building or buying companies that provide troughs, collectors, and other components required for solar thermal deployment.

As I’ve often pointed out, solar thermal is not right for every geography; if you’re Iceland, you’re going to have to come up with a different plan if you want renewables. But a huge percentage of the Earth’s population lives in areas that would be conveniently served by large, hot, and otherwise unusable land masses, like the deserts of the southwestern US. Likewise, Siemens recognizes that solar thermal power production is most efficient in the sunbelt, and predicts significant development in the Middle East and Chile.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Current Book Outline – Shooting for April Publication

Working Title: “Renewable Energy – Facts and Fantasies”

 Chapter Concept  Current Status — All Completed — Interviews Conducted with ..
 1. Introduction (written by Craig)
 2. Peak Oil Matt Simmons
 3. Oil and National Security James Woolsey
 4. Global Climate Change Dr. V. Ramanathan
 5. Renewable Energy and the US Federal Government National Renewable Energy Labs’ George Douglas
 6. Preserving the Wilderness Audubon’s Brian Rutledge
 7. The Smart Grid and Vehicle-to-Grid EPRI’s Mark Duvall
 8. Fuel Cells Steve Ellis
 9. Business and Consumer Incentives – The Regulatory Environment Electric Drive Transportation Association’s Brian Wynne
 10. Electric Vehicle Advocacy Plug-In-America’s Jay Friedland
 11. Sociology of Driving Trinity Universty’s Dr. Michael Kearl
 12. Washington Watchdog National Resource Defense Council’s Johanna Wald
 13. Mobilizing the Private Sector Carbon War Room’s Jigar Shah
 14. Solar Thermal Ausra’s David Mills
 15. Wind  Energy Clipper Windpower’s Dr. Amir Mikhail
 16. Geothermal Energy Ormat’s Paul Thomsen
 17. Hydrokinetic Energy Universiry of Washington’s Dr. Brian Polagye
 18. Photovoltaics Bruce Allen
 19. Biofuels Scripps Instutution’s Dr. Greg Mitchell
 20. Renewable Energy Media Renewable Energy World’s Steve Lacey
 21. Renewable Energy Activism Sustainable Business’s Dr. Rona Fried
 22. Renewable Energy Economics 2GreenEnergy’s Bill Paul
 23. Intelligent Energy Management Steve Nguyen
 24. All the Physics Most People Will Ever Need to Know in 10 Pages (written by Craig)
 25. Cutting-Edge Physics – Possible Faces of Renewable Energy in 50 Years Wally Rippel
 26. Renewables in Municipal Government Santa Monica’s Rick Sikes
 27. Conclusion (written by Craig)
Again, thanks for your help!
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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

PhotobucketAdvocates of electric vehicles understand that there are many interesting variations in potential drivetrains, and that ideally, we would combine ultracapacitors with batteries to deliver stored energy as needed to provide power intelligently, based on the needs of the driver.  Where batteries separate positive and negative charges chemically, capacitors do so physically, much like the static electricity that builds up on the surface of a balloon. And where a battery relies on a chemical reaction to release energy, which is relatively slow, the discharge rate of capacitors is typically much faster, which is handy for creating rapid acceleration.

Though batteries tend to gather more attention in the news, I’m always interested in breakthroughs in either device, as both are important in moving the migration to EVs along.  Augmenting a battery back with ultracapacitors increases the range of an EV by as much as 400% over that which would have been achieved with batteries alone — so this is a very big deal, as one can readily understand.

I spoke just now with Jack Mastbrook, the chief marketing officer of Northern California-based Reticle Carbon, whose technology seems to represent a quantum leap in the appeal of capacitors in EVs.

Briefly, capacitors are typically granulated, porous, highly conductive carbon. The problem that most manufacturers face (e.g., Maxwell and Nesscap) , is that the process of consolidating this material greatly compromises its utility; the glues and resins reduce the carbon’s porosity and conductivity. Reticle’s patented breakthrough is a consolidation technology that does not use these binders, resulting in much higher surface area and conductivity of the carbon, thus a thicker electrode. The result: 10 – 20 times the power density. Jack is understandably both proud and excited. “To augment a 350V lithium-ion battery pack, Maxwell’s capacitive array weighed 150 pounds. Ours would have weighted 20 pounds,” he told me.

The company’s trying to raise investment capital. Given the interest in EVs in today’s market, that doesn’t sound like too difficult a task.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

PhotobucketI just got back from California Polytechnic Institute, or Cal Poly as it’s popularly called — at which I interviewed Dr. Tom Mackin, chairman of the mechanical engineering department for my upcoming book. The focus here, of course, is nurturing innovation in the next generation — and I can tell you, few people are more dedicated to the cause than Tom.

I guess what impressed me most was the idea that every incoming freshman hears moments after stepping on campus: “If you can dream it, you can build it.” Here you have thousands of kids from all over the world, in one of the most intellectually stimulating environments imaginable, coming to grips with the realities of science and technology — and how they apply to overcoming the challenges of the real world. Some are developing human powered vehicles that go 60 MPH; another team is working on a gas-powered mini-car that gets 2200 MPG.

And, outside of safety, there are no rules. Think a different approach to aerodynamics will reduce turbulence? Go for it. Whatever you’re doing, you’re free to build it in the most innovative, most imaginative way possible. Tom told me as I was leaving, “Perhaps the greatest thing about the world today is that we do not stigmatize failure. It didn’t work? No problem. Try again.”

Thanks for making a difference in thousands of young lives, my friend.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Yesterday’s interview with my friend Wally Rippel that I conducted for the book I’m preparing on renewable energy is a moment in time I’ll never forget. I know I’ve commented on Wally numerous times here, and so I’ll try not to burden readers with too much repetition on the wonderful grasp he has on both physics and philosophy, blending what we must do with why we must do it.

Perhaps my favorite few minutes of our dialog over lunch concerned the “Drake’s equation” – the famous attempt to quantify the probability of extraterrestrial life. Drake famously identified and multiplied together the many factors that come together to affect this number: the total number of stars in the universe, the percentage of those with planets, the percentage of those planets with carbon, water, etc.

Wally pointed out the most important factor in all of this may be the brief period of time between which life initiates on a planet until that life is extinguished. Until the advent of nuclear weapons less than a century ago, few people considered the possibility that life on this planet could come to an end in the absence of an extremely unlikely, naturally occurring event, e.g., a collision with a huge asteroid or the sun’s burning out. But now we have the interesting possibility that extraterrestrial life might be hard to find because there is a very brief window between the point that a civilization develops radio technology (enabling us to find them) and the time at which they develop nuclear weapons (enabling them to destroy themselves). The question then becomes, of course: Are we teetering on the edge ourselves?

This subject came up when I had exhausted by list of questions about from quantum physics and its applications to real-world technology. From there, we moved to a discussion of the politics that makes certain technologies far more likely to be deployed than others. Not to oversimplifiy, but the question is really one of good and evil. I hesitate to make such broad generalities, but I really see people who actively inhibit the rapid migration to renewable energy in a world desperately trying to stem global warming as evil. I wouldn’t know what else to call someone who considers his personal profit more important than the health and safety of the other 6.8 billion people on the planet.

In any case, I have to say that the process of conducting these interviews is among the most stimulating thing I’ve ever done in my 54 years traipsing around this planet. As I told my wife when I got home last night, if a fraction of the leaders of this world were as enlightened as Wally, this would be a terrific world in which to live.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

PhotobucketAs I have often written, cleaning up government is integral to success in the migration to renewables.  Big Energy routinely spends millions of dollars influencing legislation that will protect itself from the incursion of new technologies that will disrupt their profit stream. And in an effort to comprehend the enormity of the task in front of all us in government reform, I ask you to watch a video: a session of the House Government Reform Committee.

At first clance, this may appear a bit off topic. Why concern ourselves with the corruption from Big Pharma? Well, to me, it’s just another way of coming face to face with corporatocracy and the corruption it brings: how powerful and evil it is, and ultimately, how difficult it will be to eradicate.

Here we have the pharmaceutical industry paying off one or more representatives to insert favorable, protective language in a bill that has nothing to do with pharmaceuticals at all and — best of all — must be passed on an emergency basis and therefore cannot be reread in its final form before the vote that will pass it into law. Here is all the protection Big Pharma will need from their malfeasance in profiting from faulty, dangerous vaccinations, inserted at the last minute, in the middle of the night, immediately before congress approves the Homeland Security Act. Now millions of families with brain damaged kids will be denied the recourse to which they would have been entitled, because of the brazen criminality of the pharmaceutical industry.

I think the most common reaction to the video is anger. But when you’ve calmed down, ask yourself: what’s the magnitude of the task in front of us in cleaning this up? What will it take to rid ourselves of a system that has become so rotten, so brutally indifferent to the rules of fair play and decency, so cold in the face of the human suffering it leaves in its wake?  Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Hydrokinetics

PhotobucketInterest in the hydrokinetically-powered electric generator (HyPEG) is really heating up. I had numerous calls with potential investors late last week that show real promise.

Also, for the book on renewables that I hope to have published in January, I’ll be interviewing Dr. Brian L. Polagye, in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. A colleague referred to him as “the nation’s leading researcher on hydrokinetic energy.” As I wrote back, I’m truly honored to have the good fortune for a conversation with a man of that stature; what a learning opportunity this will be.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

PhotobucketThere are so many exciting things happening here at 2GreenEnergy that it’s hard to know where to start. I’ve been asked to attend the Business of Plugging In conference in Detroit October 19 – 21. And although I loved the AltCarExpo in Santa Monica last week, I have to say that this one coming up is probably more strategic to our cause, given its business-to-business focus.

Though I won’t be speaking at the conference, I’ll be there with my characteristic notepad and business cards — connecting to as many people, and learning about as may new technologies and business models as possible. If anyone wants to get me a heads up on someone or something that I should be particularly alert to, I hope you’ll let me know.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

In this post (the blog’s 100th, btw) I offer a video that I put together on the politics of renewables.  I hope you enjoy it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V9vAu4oqI0&w=425&h=344]

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

PhotobucketAeroVironment, or “AV” as it’s more commonly called, is a company best known as the dream of the late Dr. Paul MacCready. A visionary environmentalist and aeronautical engineer, Dr. MacCready drove the development of human-powered aircraft and an array of other fantastic inventions that defied our existing belief systems.  And though AV generates the bulk of its revenues from unmanned aircraft that it sells to the US Department of Defense for reconnaissance, company spokesperson Kristen Helsel was kind enough to speak with me about another of AV’s primary lines of business – one that is more relevant to the interests of most 2GreenEnergy readers: promoting the migration to electric vehicles. AV is, as far as I can tell, the world’s most experienced organization in the development of EV charging stations.

For readers who may not have taken time to consider the subject, here are a few basic concepts:

Chargers: The motto of EV advocacy group Plug-In America (which I like to tell people all the time) is “Unplug your toaster and plug in your car.” It’s almost that simple, but not quite. Though most people park their cars at night within close proximity of electrical power, they need a simple device that safely and conveniently connects their car to their house’s or apartment’s wiring. This charger ensures your batteries are getting the right amount of current for the right period of time.

Basic physics: Energy = voltage X current X time. At 110 volts at a given current, you need twice as much time to deliver a full battery charge as you do at 220 volts.

Level 1, 2 and 3 chargers: Simply, Level 1 chargers work off 110 volts and perhaps 15 amperes, delivering roughly the same amount of power as a space heater. At this power level, 8 – 30 hours is required to deliver a full charge. Level 2 might be 220 volts and 30 amps, and would get the same job done in about one-quarter of the time. Level 3 chargers at quick-charging stations (not something you would have at home) might be 480 volts and 400 amps, and would charge a car in just a matter of minutes.

Here’s a quick transcript of the talk:

Craig Shields: If you would, please tell me about the vision. Where is AV going with this?

Kristen Helsel: We enable the practical adoption of EVs. We tailor the product to the needs of different types of customers. We started out with standard Level 2 chargers, but we quickly realized that different types of people would want various types and numbers of bells and whistles. Someone may want a charger that communicates information in real-time to the owner and to the utility; others may just want to charge their car.

CS: I can see where that level of diversity would be an advantage, but it must take some serious work to manage the development and distribution of all those products.

KH: Yes, but this is a true paradigm shift, and our goal is to make it as easy as possible.

CS: What would you say would be a good example of that?

KH: Well, here’s a simple one: make it obvious when the car is charging and when it isn’t. When you fuel your car today, you know when the gas is flowing. The new experience should mirror the old experience in every way possible. And the product should look great, and it should be a joy to use – like the iPhone. People should love it. Charging should be a positive and re-enforcing experience.

CS: Gosh, this really does sound like an important role you’re playing.

KH: I think so, too. The world has reached a critical point with respect to energy independence, and this time we introduce EVs, it’s going to work. Sure the OEMs have to build the cars. But consumers have to want them. That’s where we come in.

CS:  Thanks so much for your time, Kristen.

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