Blog – Page 1248 – 2GreenEnergy.com

Is Cold Fusion Real?

craigshieldsPosted on May 10, 2015 Posted in Nuclear

A colleague asks for my viewpoint on low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR, aka cold fusion). I wrote:

It’s funny you ask, as my belief has changed over the last few years. If you will read the short chapter on the subject in my first book (Renewable Energy – Facts and Fantasies) starting on page 171, you’ll see that my mentor on the subject, Wally Rippel (pictured), an extremely senior physicist, is (or at least was) a believer on the subject. Subsequently, however, he’s become far more skeptical. The problem I have with it is that there is no theory that explains how LENR could possibly work; the issue isn’t that there is insufficient energy potential, but that sustained reactions can happen at speeds much slower than 10^-22 seconds at temperatures much lower than hundreds of millions of degrees. As another high-ranking physicist told me, “It’s a subject better suited to séances than sciences.”

Tagged with: cold fusion, Is Cold Fusion Real, LENR, low-energy nuclear reactions, Renewable Energy Facts and Fantasies, Wally Rippel

Our Corrupted Democracy Has Its Lighter Moments

craigshieldsPosted on May 9, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s an excerpt from the remarks Steven Colbert made at an awards dinner honoring Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people shortly before our 2012 elections here in the U.S. The full transcript is linked above; it’s just too good…

Of course, all of us should be honored to be listed on the TIME 100 alongside the two men who will be slugging it out in the fall: President Obama, and the man who would defeat him, David Koch.

Give it up everybody. David Koch. (more…)

Tagged with: Charles Koch, Corrupted Democracy, David Koch, MoveToAmend.org, Saving American Democracy, Steven Colbert, Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people

Conservatives Victorious in the UK—But Environmental, Low-Carbon Policies Prevail Nonetheless

craigshieldsPosted on May 9, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Politics

On top of what I wrote yesterday, here’s another reminder of what the Conservative (“Tory”) government in the UK has achieved vis-à-vis the environment. Of course, we can only speculate as to how progressive the Labor Party or the Liberal Democrats would have been, but the point is that the term “conservative” means something quite different in the UK than it does in the US. (more…)

Tagged with: Conservative Tory government, Conservatives Victorious in the UK, Environmental Low-Carbon Policies

UK Conservatives Support of Progressive Environmental Policies

craigshieldsPosted on May 9, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Politics

Frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes: The results of the (yesterday’s) UK general election are evidence of what can be achieved by “conservative, responsible environmentalists.” The voters’ rejection of Green-left politicians, in contrast to the popularity of environmentalists like the conservative Mayor of London, and newly elected Tory MP Boris Johnson, shows the public’s willingness to accept rational environmental policies.

All this is true, but we’re using the word “conservative” in two vastly different senses. (more…)

Tagged with: David Cameron greenest government ever, David McKay, Green-left politicians, Progressive Environmental Policies, UK Conservatives Victorious, UK renewable energy grid-mix 19%, “Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air”

The History of Oil

craigshieldsPosted on May 8, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Politics

When we think of political humor here in the U.S., we think of television personalities like Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert, and John Oliver, as well as a long line of stand-up comedians that may have begun with Will Rogers and Lenny Bruce before being incarnated into George Carlin and the many folks who have taken up that mantle since.

In my opinion, however, there has never been anyone who even remotely resembles British comedian and political activist Robert Newman. (more…)

Tagged with: battle to replace fossil fuels, books on renewable energy, History of Oil, political activist Robert Newman

Trying to Be a “Quick Study” on Renewable Energy Concepts

craigshieldsPosted on May 8, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Business

I’ve reviewed almost 3000 clean energy business concepts since the launch of 2GreenEnergy in 2009. That may sound like a lot, but most of these are quite easy to process. Take this one for example: (more…)

Tagged with: 2GreenEnergy, clean energy business concepts, clean energy electrode for fuel cells, hydrogen generator, lithium ion battery technology, Renewable Energy Concepts

The Folly of Carbon Taxes

craigshieldsPosted on May 8, 2015 Posted in Fossil Fuels

Frequent contributor “MarcoPolo” has written dozens of comments here over the years. Judging by his remarks, it’s clear that he’s a Libertarian, yet he has a keen and heartfelt concern for the health of the environment. In what he wrote in response to my piece on the subject (which is too long to duplicate, but too dense with good ideas to abbreviate), he argues eloquently against a tax on carbon, while suggesting a powerful alternative.

I would only add in summary: smart people (and big corporations can afford to hire plenty of them) will always find a way to beat a certain tax, and especially a new one, where even the most obvious “end-runs” and unintended consequences have not been fully explored. (more…)

Tagged with: Buckminster Fuller, concern for the health of the environment, largest single cause of both environmental ( climate change) and toxic emissions, Marine Grade No. 6 Fuel (bunker oil), tax on carbon

“Energy Gang” Bullish on Renewables

craigshieldsPosted on May 7, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Business

The Energy Gang, GreenTechMedia’s weekly podcast on the migration to renewable energy, is emceed by my colleague Stephen Lacey, a young man from whom I’ve learned a great deal via our many talks through the years. I like to follow the show, mainly because it takes on the big ideas in the energy industry.

The episode that was published on April 27, 2015, entitled “Why Renewables Can’t Be Stopped,” began by covering the implications of the rebound in clean energy investment. In particular, after a two-year dip in global clean energy spending, the world saw a record $310 billion invested in solar, wind, storage and energy efficiency in 2014 (though this needs to double if we are to turn the corner on climate change by the year 2020). (more…)

Tagged with: big ideas in the energy industry, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Bullish on Renewable Energy, Bullish on Renewables, Energy Gang, Energy Gang GreenTechMedia, fossil fuel industry has lost the long-term race for electricity generation to renewables, Michael Liebreich, migration to renewable energy, rebound in clean energy investment, record $310 billion invested in solar wind storage and energy efficiency, Stephen Lacey, world energy consumption

Hedge Connection Publication "The Edge" Features Doty WindFuels

craigshieldsPosted on May 7, 2015 Posted in Synthetic Fuel

Here’s my monthly post for the Hedge Connection, an online link between investors—now called “allocators”—with hedge fund managers. I contribute articles to their publication called “The Edge,” which is read by a large and growing number of high-level people whose job it is to seek out solid investment opportunities, some of which are in renewable energy and cleantech more generally.

This month I feature Doty WindFuels, a breakthrough in synthetic fuels, i.e., gasoline, diesel and jet fuel synthesized from point sources of CO2, the hydrogen from electrolyzed water, and off-peak wind energy. As I mention in the post, “If this gets the financial backing it deserves to make it happen, it’s going to happen big.”

Tagged with: Doty Windfuels, Hedge Connection, hedge fund managers, investment opportunities in renewable energy, investors allocators, off-peak wind energy, synthetic fuels

The Trajectory for Getting Rid of Coal

craigshieldsPosted on May 7, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Science

In my post suggesting that we need to cut the cord with respect to fossil fuel subsidies, senior energy analyst and regular 2GreenEnergy commenter Glenn Doty writes: It will take decades to get society to a point where we can shut off all coal power generation for good. Not years. Decades…..During the super-Renaissance of renewable energy that we’ve celebrated and fought to perpetuate, the total electricity generation from coal has been reduced by 21%. If we can maintain that pace, we’ll eliminate coal by 2055.

Your argument is that we can extrapolate the incursion we’re making into coal linearly, and (more…)

Tagged with: Bullish on Renewable Energy, Renaissance of renewable energy, shut off all coal power generation, Trajectory for Getting Rid of Coal