Solar, Wind, and the Future of Human Civilization
Frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes: The solar and wind industries are both heavily dependent of government and consumer subsidies. When those subsidies are modified or withdrawn the industries suffer massive constrictions. Solar and wind employment is a little like a gold rush. Booms always look statistically spectacular at first, because they start from a low base. ( 1+1= 2 a 100% increase!). You remind me of one of those spruikers for the California gold rush!
Let me begin by thanking you for teaching me a new word: spruiker. Apparently, it’s used predominantly in Australia (Americans would say “huckster”), but it’s good to know anyway. (more…)
Not only is conserving energy in your home good for the environment, it also can be good for your wallet. The less energy you use, the less it will cost you. Electricity is the energy used the most in most homes, so finding ways to conserve is important. Here are four ways consumers can save electricity every day. 
The solar and wind energy industries are growing at rates that even experts didn’t predict. 
The claim: 
A reader mentions a series of meetings he attended on technologies that can be applied to coal plants to clear up their emissions, and, in reference to one of them, notes: This is just one of many potential “cleaner fossil fuel” technologies presented. Like most new technologies, I try to keep an open mind, while accepting that many will never be commercialized.
Red is the warmest color, or at least it was. Nowadays green is hot, especially in today’s economy. Going green means saving money, water, energy, and other valuable resources. Those who’re seeking to enter the world of eco-friendly business should do so right now. 
The green movement continues to grow, spurred by innovations in a variety of industries. Continued developments in the automobile, energy and recycling industries lead the way in influencing people to adopt a greener way of life. Many of these developments, such as advances in solar energy, have made its adoption cost-effective for individuals and businesses. 
When it comes to energy saving tips for your home, there are a lot of options to choose from. Between conducting an entire home renovation or replacing the washer and dryer, how do you choose what will make the biggest impact on your energy consumption usage? 
One of the challenges facing solar and wind energy is capacity factor, i.e. the ratio of the total energy generated by a device to the total energy that it’s potentially capable of generating (multiplied by 100, to make a percentage). One of the points of value of baseload power plants, e.g., coal and nuclear, is that they have enormous capacity factors, i.e., that they run at optimum capacity almost constantly. 
Frequent commenter Marco Polo offers this suggestion to a reader who’s weighing her options re: cleantech: Like most consumers, you will decide on the technology’s convenience and value for money first and ideology second. That’s not wrong, it’s just common sense; the rest is just arrogant nonsense by ideological advocates seeking to impose their own philosophies and lifestyles on others.
