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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Researchers Say Magnetic Fields in Electric Cars Are Not DangerousWhile electric and hybrid cars clearly bring some very significant environmental benefits, and they help improve people’s health by reducing air pollution, which makes them a great alternative to conventional cars, there are those who are saying that they might be dangerous to people, claiming that the magnetic fields they create can be very harmful. Ever since they were first introduced to the market, there have been concerns about the potential negative impacts they can have on people’s health, due to the magnetic fields they produce, which, according to various studies, can cause cancer and other health problems. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Eco Friendly Car OptionsWith gas prices hovering between $3.50 and $4 per gallon, fuel economy and green automobiles have become the king of the road. Maximizing your fuel economy saves you money, and helps reduce the carbon footprint of your daily commute. There are a range of options available for ecologically friendly car options in the US, and there are pros and cons to each. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Why It Is Better To Own Than Lease A Solar Power SystemA major driver of the recent push for residential solar powers systems has come by way of companies offering leases.

These large, well funded companies have done well in selling lease arrangements to less than savvy homeowners. The fact is that these homeowners could have acquired their own financing and saved considerably more. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The Adoption of Renewable Energy Requires Fighting Entrenched InterestsDuring a talk on the adoption curve for renewable energy with a friend this morning, I mentioned that a huge factor is politics; in particular, any gains in solar and wind come as the result of the tooth-and-nail fights with the enormous powers that are dead-set on stopping them.

Here’s an article written by an assembly woman in Wisconsin on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group that is in place specifically to make sure the established industries can maintain their monopolistic positions; in this case, the goal is to impede the progress of renewable energy so that coal, oil and gas can continue to reign supreme.  If you read the article, you’ll learn how: “Legislators from Utah and Oklahoma bragged about slowing the development of solar energy in their states (and how) Oklahoma Senator A.J. Griffin (pictured here) passed a bill to tax individuals using distributed generation from solar panels or wind turbines.”

I wrote a terse note back to the guy who just sent me this piece: “Thanks. That’s nauseating.”

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Smart Grid

Dealing with Power Outages -- Building a More Resilient GridThe increase in the number of blackouts have raised questions on the facts of such events and the vulnerability of interconnected power systems, when operate outside their design limits. The blackout that occurred on August 14, 2003 was recorded to be the biggest in the history of United States power distribution systems.

The power grid – a set of large power plants (one grid being almost half of United States) allows power sharing, it works well as a power distribution system. When breakdown in a power plant or a transmission tower occurs, other parts of the grid pick up the slack. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Why Hybrid Cars will Benefit You and Your CityHybrid cars are fast becoming commonplace and rightfully so as these cars are cutting carbon dioxide emissions down and in the process saving our environment, cleaning up our cities and even saving people money on car tax.

What are Hybrids? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Where Can Sustainable Investments Take YouAs tremendous amount of intelligence and brains about “sustainability” picks up vapor, one’s framework can get lost in a myriad of terms, views, meanings and possibly, idea delusions.

World issues like – sustainability, resource scarcity, labor concerns, environmental costs, economy and finance and community development – are no longer singular and rare rather persistent and are considered growing challenges in a global scale. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

How "Green" Is an Electric Car?Most individuals and organizations consider electric cars are environment-friendly vehicles. They are viewed as important components in the battle against global warming. It is almost taken for granted that electric cars have a far less toll on the environment than cars which run on fossil fuels.

But to say that for sure, what is the exact data that needs to be looked at? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Celebrating Change in the Way We Regulate the Power UtilitiesGood news from the State of New York.  These people appear to be in the process of addressing an issue that’s absolutely crucial to a migration to renewable energy; they’re contemplating a wholesale rethinking of the way they regulate their power utilities.  The heavy-weights back in the Empire State recognize that the instructions they provided Con Ed and the others a century ago are no longer valid in a world of distributed generation, energy storage, smart-grid, electric transportation, etc.

If these folks can successfully re-architect the way their utilities work, and if the rest of the U.S. can use this as a template in the other 49 states, this will indeed be cause for celebration.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

How Elementary Schools Can Practice Going GreenMany industries all over the world have started to go green and become more environmentally friendly. Thankfully, there has been a palpable surge towards eco-friendly products and services in recent years, and large companies around the globe have been busy “greening” their businesses. One of the most important aspects of this move towards eco-fuelled awareness is to teach children the significance of going green, and how to maintain a love for the world around them. We have to educate on the implications of our collective actions and how what we do will have direct consequences on not only our own futures, but also the futures of our children, grandchildren, and so on. (more…)

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