Blog – Page 1257 – 2GreenEnergy.com

Take a COOL Guess – the Fun Quiz on Clean Energy. Today’s Topic: The Health of Our Coral Reefs

craigshieldsPosted on April 11, 2015 Posted in Climate Change

Question: What percentage of our planet’s coral reefs have died over the last 30 years due to the warming of the oceans? What percentage of ocean species live on these reefs?

Answer: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers.

Relevance: According to New Scientist: These reefs create a microcosm story: they are a metaphor for where the world is going, and one of the strongest signs of an impact of climate change on ecosystems.

Tagged with: Fun Quiz on Clean Energy, Health of Our Coral Reefs, impact of climate change on ecosystems, New Scientist, take a cool guess

New Concept in Ocean Current Hydrokinetics

craigshieldsPosted on April 11, 2015 Posted in Hydrokinetics

A colleague sent me this piece on a Dutch company’s introduction of a floating apparatus that generates electricity from tidal currents (pictured), and asked for my opinion. Here goes:

I admit that this device offers an advantage over those that are anchored into or tethered to the seabed, i.e., ease of maintenance. Having said that, there is obviously an unavoidably huge BoM (bill of materials) associated with this device, and I seriously doubt that the cost of all this stuff will be justified by that advantage.

I’m still a fan of these guys, in terms of over all cost-effectiveness in ocean current hydrokinetics, which is why I consider them a good clean energy investment opportunity.

Tagged with: anchored into or tethered to the seabed, cost-effectiveness in ocean current hydrokinetics, floating apparatus that generates electricity from tidal currents, ocean current hydrokinetics

Tesla Motors: A “Different” Car Company In So Many Ways

craigshieldsPosted on April 11, 2015 Posted in Electric Vehicles

When Thomas Edison introduced electric lighting to Americans in the late 19th Century, he went out of his way to minimize the psychological impact on the customer. For instance, though he knew he could illuminate a room better with a lamp on the ceiling, he declined to do that, and offered only wall sconces (and fed the wires through the gas lines that were now of no use). Why? (more…)

Tagged with: Tesla all-wheel drive 70D, Tesla Motors, Tesla’s abrupt replacement models

From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: How to Ensure Your Home is Circulating Clean Air During the Hot Summer Months

craigshieldsPosted on April 11, 2015 Posted in Sustainable Building

When temperatures reach an all-time high during the summer months, most people prefer to stay indoors and leave the air conditioning running just to stay cool. Instead of suffering outside in the sun, it’s much more enjoyable to feel comfortable in a colder climate. With the air running throughout the day, it’s common that dirt and dust is circulating. To ensure that you’re breathing in clean air, there are a few steps to take before the summer season arrives. (more…)

Tagged with: energy efficient windows

From Guest Blogger Brooke Chaplan: Green Seam — How to Make Home Renovations Eco-Friendly

craigshieldsPosted on April 11, 2015 Posted in Sustainable Building

(The woman pictured here is using organic paint, which presumably explains her broad smile. – Ed.)

When attempting to renovate your home, it is best to do so in as eco-friendly of a way as possible. It is also important to have good builders on board with your project who understand how to maximize your eco-friendly renovation efforts and make their efforts more sustainable. In most situations, green home renovations in Edmonton will save you and others a lot of money while having far less of an impact on the environment. The following are a few green renovation tips that will help you carry out your home renovation project.

(more…)

Tagged with: eco-friendly home renovations, sustainable building

Take a COOL Guess – the Fun Quiz on Clean Energy. Today’s Topic: Processing Tar Sands Crude

craigshieldsPosted on April 10, 2015 Posted in Fossil Fuels

Question: Is the practice of turning crude from tar sands into gasoline more environmentally destructive than the processing of conventional crude? If so, how many times more damaging is it?

Answer: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers. (more…)

Tagged with: dangers of filthy tar sands oil, environmentally destructive, Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, Natural Resources Defense Council, Processing Tar Sands Crude, take a cool guess

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Tackling the Tough and Often Enigmatic Issues in the Developing World

craigshieldsPosted on April 10, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

Recently I had the pleasure of listening to Melinda Gates present a candid assessment of what she’s learned over the years about sub-Saharan Africa. The take-away for me was how wrong we Westerners can be in our assumptions of what life is actually like in the developing world, and how many of the things we take for granted represent huge challenges for the people living in these horrible conditions. (more…)

Tagged with: best way to alleviate human suffering is to manufacture less of it in the first place, family planning, information and communications technology, Melinda Gates, Smart Cities Council, sub-Saharan Africa

Ocean Current Hydro Project Faces Political Hurdles

craigshieldsPosted on April 10, 2015 Posted in Hydrokinetics

A colleague of mine is hard at work developing a solution for ocean current hydrokinetics, and I happen to believe that his approach is the best and most cost-effective method of all those that I’ve reviewed over the years. He and his partners have spent a great deal of time over the past few years in Florida and Madagascar, refining their product through meticulous testing and refinement in the Gulf Stream and Mozambique Channel. (more…)

Tagged with: Gulf Stream and Mozambique Channel, Madagascar, Ocean Current Hydro Project, ocean current hydrokinetics

Sometimes We Can Only Stand In Awe of Superior Intelligence

craigshieldsPosted on April 9, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

I ask my guest bloggers to confine their monologues here to items that pertain to clean energy—or perhaps to sustainability more generally—and I try to do the same, but sometimes I’m so blown away with something in another arena that I feel compelled to mention it. Over the years, I’ve been reading the cartoons written by a fellow who goes by pen name Tom Tomorrow whose work, called “This Modern World,” is syndicated to hundreds of weekly magazines. The dude has such an exceptional intelligence and wit that I felt I simply had to pass it along. Catch this one, and see if you share the awe I feel at his ability to provide fresh and hilariously funny comments on the issues of the day. (more…)

Tagged with: clean energy, sustainability, This Modern World, Tom Tomorrow

Renewable Energy Passes the $2 Trillion Mark in the Last Decade

craigshieldsPosted on April 9, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Business

We all find it hard to admit mistakes at times, and some of us (myself included) are often shy about pointing out that they were right as rain all along. Having said that, I’ll momentarily set aside that inhibition and say that it appears I’m correct about the rapid migration to renewable energy.

I titled my fourth book “Bullish on Renewable Energy,” after subtitling my third book “Following the Money,” and what I meant was simply this: you can either: (more…)

Tagged with: Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Bullish on Renewable Energy, climate change deniers, following the money, Frankfurt School, international consensus in emissions reductions, IPCC, oil companies’ ownership of the U.S. Congress, Renewable Energy Passes the $2 Trillion Mark in the Last Decade, RenewableEnergyWorld, the Koch brothers, United Nations Environment Program