I’ve used quite a few images depicting love over these seven years, and here’s one more, this one from Reuters. The caption: Two activists with the EU flag and Union Jack painted on their faces kiss in front of Brandenburg Gate to protest against the British exit from the European Union on June 19. (more…)
What’s happening in “vehicle-to-grid” (V2G), the concept of using an intelligent, bidirectional flow of electrons between electric vehicles and the power grid? Well, at a macro level, the honest answer is: not much. Pretty much everyone would like to live in a world without gasoline and diesel, where our automobiles–as well as our buildings–are powered by a carefully monitored blend of renewable resources and energy is moved about seamlessly from point to point as required in real-time. But getting there is the ultimate in the chicken and the egg phenomenon, i.e., (more…)
I thought I’d write a little post for any of you who may be planning to visit Santa Barbara for the first time and might be wondering what to expect. I had this idea yesterday while attending the 42nd annual summer solstice festival, the core of which is a parade featuring more than 1000 people in amazing costumes, accompanied by wonderful live music, dance and sing their way up the main drag. (more…)
My friend Cameron Atwood and I were talking about energy policy the other night, and I promised to get back to him about the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and the energy return on investment (EROI) associated with each of the different energy sources. Here’s my response:
To answer the questions you raised in our last conversation, here’s a credible study on the LCOE associated with various resources; you’ll need to scroll down and see the chart. (more…)
Product packages account for a giant portion of waste that our global capitalist behemoth leaves behind, letting toxic mountains and floating islands roam the nature. In some countries, this part of the supply chain produces one third of the total domestic waste. This trend shows no signs of slowing down or leaving less destruction in its wake. (more…)
The plummeting of the stock market following the Brexit vote yesterday should occasion us here in the U.S. to consider what would happen in November of this year if we elect a hateful crackpot with no credible economic plans as president. The 500-point drop in the DJIA we saw today will look like a non-event in comparison.
2GreenEnergy mega-supporter Gary Tulie provided a major contribution to my last book (Bullish on Renewable Energy – 14 Reasons that Clean Energy Investors Can’t Lose), where he wrote several terrific pages on the optimization of wind turbines, i.e., how big is too big? As he points out, off-shore and on-shore wind have their own individual calculus.
Gary wrote this about offshore: (more…)
With the recent scientific development behind global warming and its associated array of problems, it has become paramount for large manufacturers to become more environmentally friendly. Luckily, companies across the globe have taken the initiative to go green and develop business centered on sustainability and health.
Building Lasting Materials (more…)
My friend Cameron Atwood writes: Crass pandering–this (the commercialization of America’s national parks) sickens me.
Yes, it’s an ugly sign of the times, i.e., the decline of the American Empire. The U.S. has fallen on hard times, and now needs to compromise its values in order to keep its fiscal head above water. Too much arrogance, vain, blind militarism/imperialism, corruption/corporatocracy, voter apathy, failure to invest in education, decline in moral standards, xenophobia/bigotry/exclusivity, failure to tax the super-rich, etc.
The chickens are coming home to roost; it’s not pretty to watch.
A reader offers this suggestion: (There is a) study which indicated that slamming opposing points of view is less effective than strongly supporting one’s own point of view.
On this matter, I tend to go both ways, so to speak. I would say that 70% of the words I write favor the things for which I advocate: renewables, sustainability, kindness, etc.; with the other 30% I’m “calling out the bad guys.”
This may not be an optimum distribution, but, not to sound arrogant, I don’t care. I believe that writing from the heart is more important than following a rule for effectiveness in the changing of viewpoints.
