It’s not every day that we come across a political/economic concept that appeals to the Tea Party, the Progressives/Environmentalists, and everyone in between. Yet, as reported in RenewableEnergyWorld, that’s exactly the phenomenon we’re seeing surrounding the Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, that enables “property owners to put the cost of energy upgrades on a property tax bill and pay it off over several years at a low interest rate. (more…)
One of the most important ingredients that figures into the analysis of energy in the 21st Century is “Energy Return on Investment” (EROI). It takes energy to generate energy; this is true; there is no free lunch—but how much energy? We can extract energy from coal, oil, moving water, the photons that reach Earth from the sun, etc.—but none comes free of charge. (more…)
It’s a good bet that many 2GreenEnergy readers receive several emails daily from groups supporting causes that could be called “progressive,” at least insofar as the environment is concerned. Perhaps the most boisterous of these is the Sierra Club, with their multi-pronged attack on the forces that would profit at the expense of the welfare of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, not to mention the health of its people more directly. Today we received this exhortation re: Chevron’s buying elections near one of their plants in Northern California, as follows:
Richmond, California’s City Council voted to sue Chevron after an explosion at its refinery sent over 15,000 workers and residents—15% of the population—to nearby hospitals. Chevron’s response?
Dump more than $3 million in the 2014 election to pack the city council and mayor’s office with pro-industry candidates. Despite being outspent 20-1, Richmond residents defeated all of Chevron’s candidates—an extraordinary victory in an era when corporations spend millions of dollars to influence elections.
Undaunted, Chevron is still at it—trying to elect their hand-picked candidates at the local, state and federal levels in their relentless quest to prioritize profit over public health, the safety of their workers, and the environment.
It goes without saying that I support the Sierra Club here—and in the vast majority of the other positions it takes on a daily basis. But I also want to point out that the process of buying elections is endemic in our society. Stopping Chevron here is akin to building a wall of sand around the magnificent castle you’ve built at the beach with your kids.
Until we get corporate money out of politics altogether, we’ll be fighting skirmishes like this one….forever. Thus the imperative for some of the most important initiatives of our time:
“Mayday,” the initiative to elect leaders who refuse to accept huge campaign contributions from special interests.
It’s like dealing with cockroaches in your apartment. Yes, you can step on them when you see them, but that’s not likely to handle your problem.
Note: Within seconds of my hitting the “publish” button here, I heard my email chime with this little gem:
Comcast has stooped to an all-new low in their attempt to monopolize the cable market by taking over Time Warner.
They know that government regulators could be on the verge of blocking the takeover, so Comcast has started asking nonprofit groups that have received Comcast charitable donations to lobby the FCC in support of the takeover.1
We’re talking about Boys and Girls Clubs, local chapters of United Way and Big Brothers and Big Sisters, autism research groups—nonprofits that rely on corporate sponsorships to work.2 It’s disgusting.
Yes, it is disgusting. Looks like that “cockroach” analogy wasn’t too bad after all…
I’ve mentioned my colleague Jon LeSage, clean transportation guru, several times through the years. Here’s a message I thought I’d pass along, which includes an opportunity to sign up for Jon’s weekly newsletter Green Auto Market absolutely free.
A few recent topics include:
• Hybrid and EV sales up monthly but down from last year
• Formula E comes to Long Beach, California: first run of an annual electric racing series?
• Solar power: a battleground for the future of electric utilities and clean energy (more…)
The comments you receive to your articles are always interesting. The authors are usually very sincere, well-meaning folk who genuinely believe in the righteousness of their ideology, and are frustrated by what they see as a conspiracy by conservative forces and “vested interests,” to maintain the status quo. … When they discover most renewable energy projects lack commercially viable applications, they turn to governments to change the rules. Thus a plethora of projects become seemingly “economically viable,” due to government regulation or funding.
There may be some minuscule amount of truth to this, but it’s essentially incorrect. Here’s why. (more…)
If there is one single most important ability one takes away from business school, it’s the ability to conceive of the world in quadrants and to publish reports based on these perceptions. You know what I mean: Perhaps the Y-axis is affordability and the X-axis is functionality. Only the dinosaurs are in the lower-left quadrants (unaffordable products with limited functionality); everyone wants his product to be placed in the upper right—as far up and as far to the right as possible. I’m sure I will not live to see the day that these representations (normally oversimplifications) fall out of favor. (more…)
A friend wanted my comment on this, a notification that Ford is offering a service that offers local rides for people, not unlike Uber and Lyft. I hate to sound cynical, but:
a) This sounds like a terrible solution versus Uber et. al. as (from its description, anyway) it will take longer to get from A to B. Do you know anybody who wants that? (more…)
My marketing associates and I are available to take on additional work for clients at this point. If you’re struggling to find a world-class source of talent in any of the following five arenas, please let me know and let’s talk about your particular situation.
• Strategic Business Planning. Over the years, I’ve learned a heck of a lot about the technology, the economics and the politics (at least in the U.S.) that affect each of the dozens of sub-industries underneath the cleantech umbrella. Often, this comes in handy in helping clients make top-level business decisions.
• Writing and Other Aspects of Content Creation. This can mean anything from ghost-writing a book to generating content for your blog, presentation materials, proposal templates, email marketing campaigns, newsletters, infographics, corporate website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, etc.
• Marketing Strategy, Branding, Positioning, and Research. This, of course, is my core strength as a businessman; it’s how I was successful in my “past life” with my clients that included IBM, H-P, Philips Electronics, FedEx, Sony, AT&T, 3M, Porsche, Penske Logistics, Deloitte Consulting, Unisys, ABB, 3Com, Oracle, Microsoft, Fujisi, Mitsubishi, etc.
• Establishment of Strategic Business Partners. Again, this is fairly broad, but it can include: the development of sales channels, technology licensees, beta-customers, contract manufacturers, OEMs, distributors, and rep organizations–as well as your relationship with regulatory and advisory bodies and industry luminaries.
• Demand Generation. Once the core message is in place and the sales channels are established, business success is a matter of getting your story in front of the right people.
I hope you’ll get in touch, and I look forward to the conversation.
One thing that can help give a home a distinctive look is its windows. Windows are also a determining factor in how energy efficient a home can be. However, you don’t have to sacrifice style for energy conservation. Below are a few different window fashions that will make your home more energy efficient. (more…)
It’s not every day that we come across a political/economic concept that appeals to the Tea Party, the Progressives/Environmentalists, and everyone in between. Yet, as reported in RenewableEnergyWorld, that’s exactly the phenomenon we’re seeing surrounding the Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, that enables “property owners to put the cost of energy upgrades on a property tax bill and pay it off over several years at a low interest rate. (more…)
