A friend sent me this story about his local (Philadelphia) region: “Offshore Wind Farm Rejected in New Jersey.” Rightfully, he’s dismayed.
The analysis here shows how flawed our whole approach is to providing energy to businesses and consumers. The whole thing needs to be ripped out by the roots, and replaced by an energy policy at the federal level (we have none at all now) that points in the direction we as a nation want to take, and contains a few main tenets:
Sun, wind and water are the three most common renewable sources. They have a record of being incredible and help in keeping the environment clean. Compared to traditional power sources like coal and oil, they do not damage the energy sources and the environment.
If only 0.02% of the sun’s energy that actually reaches planet earth is tapped, it would be enough to suffice the energy demands of the world. The sooner we put to maximum use this free gift, the faster we will make this world a better place to live.
I know many of you share my concerns about the vast damage being inflicted to human health and the environment by coal-fired power plants. You’ll be happy to learn that, at least, in the U.S., this lethal and archaic form of energy is under a great deal of pressure, and a significant number of coal plants are slated for decommission in the near future, as illustrated in this map.
A fellow EV-advocate argues that electric transportation is beneficial to the environment in the U.S. right this minute, based on the EPA’s calculator, according to which he believes that switching to an EV has “lowered his CO2 footprint by four tons per year,” and that his “experience is shared by thousands of EV/PHEV drivers around the country.”
I respond:
Sorry to say, but what you and thousands of others *think* you are doing, versus what is actually happening, are two different things. That calculator, and almost all of which I’ve seen like it, bases its mathematics on the average grid-mix in the U.S., only a bit north of 30% of which is coal.
Is it just me, or has the quality of judgment of the venture capital community experienced major slippage lately? Obviously there are the extremely visible failures like Fisker Automotive and Solyndra (yes, both were also backed with public dollars). But here’s a little beauty you may have missed: “Outbox.”
The premise: It’s easier for people to process email than snail mail, so this new business will employ people to drive around in cars to customers’ physical mail-boxes, open all the mail, scan it, and email it to the customer.
The result: Bankruptcy.
As I’ve mentioned, I receive several new clean energy business concepts per week, mostly rooted in proven technology. The scientific mechanisms behind solar, wind, biomass, hydrokinetics and geothermal are all very well-established, and have been for a great period of time. Every day there are improvements, and in some cases, important ones, and that’s a good thing. But with each email I open from an inventor somewhere on the globe, I’m constantly hoping that I’ll get something legitimate but really new – not just a claim at an incremental improvement on an old technology.
Like most people, I judge the legacies of civilization’s finest contributors to the arts and sciences by how far advanced their contributions were from the work of their predecessors. Here’s a quick story on the subject:
After we’ve spent an entire winter at home, it is finally time to open the windows, letting the fresh spring air in. Its time to chase away the cobwebs and bring out the best of our home. The following tips will cover both cleaning and some simple organizing you can do to stick to a more green outcome of your spring cleaning:
A colleague sent me this piece on the roadblocks that the utilities are throwing up to impede distributed generation. He notes, “Everyone will decide where they come down on these issues, but the utility industry is now using a monopoly position to work against battery storage, solar, and independent electric vehicle infrastructure; they are stunting progress. Now the industry will talk back, and so will the younger generation.”
You’re absolutely right, my friend. There are huge pressures mounting up associated with utilities and distributed generation. I’ve always advocated for a wholesale reform in the way utilities are regulated that is fair for all concerned while encouraging the things that are obvious social goods: distributed generation, storage, renewable energy, smart-grid, and, ultimately, V2G. That our society allows the utilities to work actively against clean energy is stupid, to put it kindly.
Never at any other time in history has it been this easy to travel half-way around the world at a moment’s notice. In the early 2010s, flying to some of the greatest and most beautiful cities and regions in the world is child’s play indeed. And with rising airline competition (including those budget airlines) flying is becoming cheaper and cheaper. These new developments have opened the world for more and more people to see and enjoy, and it’s a fantastic time to be alive.
However, the increase in air travel around the world is not without its own issues and concerns, especially in relation to how it can impact our environment.
Like many other developed countries around the world, Australia have been committed to pulling out all the stops when it comes to the preservation of the environment. On a recent trip to the land down under, I was particularly impressed with this nation’s response and commitment to creating a more sustainable way of living for its citizens, and those who visit from abroad. I believe Australia could become a model country on sustainable living, and other nations would be wise to follow in their path.
