At 2GreenEnergy.com, we often tackle the subject of sustainability in a way that goes far beyond the borders of the energy industry. For example, it’s a good bet that most of our readers want to know the cause and likely disposition of ISIS and other forces for violence, repression and brutality in the world.
Here’s the answer in 8 minutes.
Energy-efficient homes are more popular than ever, but buyers should expect to pay more if they aren’t careful. In some markets, green homes are sold for as much as nine percent more than the average home. For those that are just now looking at the green housing market, here is a guide to help you make the most out of your investment. (more…)
One of the most gratifying aspects of functioning as the editor of this website is the opportunity to make friends with folks around the world, many of whom work in disciplines that lie outside of clean energy per se.
Longtime 2GreenEnergy supporter and deeply-committed humanitarian Leo Schwaiger wrote just now to suggest that our readers check out this book on human health, which contains the indisputable line: The simple truth is that most doctors are good at treating acute illnesses but bad at preventing chronic disease. (more…)
Rajendra Pachauri, chief of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and overseer of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), was good enough to grant me an interview for my third book (Renewable Energy–Following the Money). Here is a fabulous picture-book that walks the viewer through some of the most inspirational achievements of 2015 from an environmental perspective.
And there have been a truckload of them. Enjoy.
Let’s celebrate. And then get back to work.
A reader notes: In 20 years or so, literally 1% of the land will be covered by PV.
I respond:
Even if we powered the whole world with solar, we wouldn’t need 1% of the Earth’s landmass to do it (though you’re at the right order of magnitude). 1% of the Earth’s surface is 1% (4 pi 4000^2) square miles ~ 2*10^6 square miles. The landmass is ~30% of that, or ~ 6*10^5 square miles ~ 1.5*10^13 square feet. At 20 watts/square foot and a 15% capacity factor, that’s ~ 4.5*10^13 watts = 45 TW which is ~ 3 times more than we’re using now globally. (more…)
Regarding my post: The Path to Clean Energy, a university professor in Arizona notes: Craig, I agree with everything, save one thing: why can’t we lead a worldwide effort to spaced-based solar, with huge energy fields in China and India to proliferate clean solar. It is too expensive for us to do it alone, but a pooled effort might be a spectacular cooperative effort. And now Space-X can lead the way with reusable launch vehicles. (more…)
Contrary to popular belief, plants represent a net zero in terms of capturing CO2. While they’re alive, they convert carbon dioxide to sugar, but after they die, those more complex, higher-energy molecules break down and that carbon is re-released into the atmosphere.
If our civilization is to avoid catastrophic climate change, it has two basic choices: (more…)
For those harboring the erroneous belief that the quality of marketing messages has remained largely unchanged over the past few decades, I offer this: (more…)
It’s hard to over-estimate the importance of biomass as a component to a sustainable mix of renewable energy resources—largely for its capacity to convert streams of waste, many of which are toxic, into useful chemical or electrical energy.
That’s the good news. As far as the bad news is concerned:
• Many of these “waste streams” are not waste at all, but rather plant material grown specifically for this purpose. In these cases, we need to consider the footprint of creating the feedstock: planting, irrigating, fertilizing, harvesting, and processing, not to mention the issues associated with the use of the land.
• Processing biomass without creating its own stream of toxic waste is still an evolving science. (more…)
I met Bruce Wilson in the sandbox in kindergarten, where we were schoolmates in Philadelphia. Though we lost track of one another for many decades, I’m happy that we’ve reconnected via 2GreenEnergy, where he offers a steady stream of cogent remarks, mostly on the need to improve the energy efficiency of the built environment, a subject to which he’s dedicated his entire career. I salute you for the work you’ve done, and I thank you for your comments.
Yesterday, Bruce noted: I like to think that the future of energy is distributed power with many small local producers helping bring greater balance to a shared system much like the rural electrification program. (more…)
