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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Humankind’s Position Re: SustainabilityIf you’re a high-level thinker who wants the totality of the world’s news brought to you in the time it takes you to drink your morning cup of coffee, here’s an article that summarizes where we are vis-à-vis global eco-catastrophe.  It certainly nails the highlights of the past year, from Pope Francis’s Laudito Si, in which he urges the 1.2 billion Catholics and anyone else who happens to be paying attention to take better care of the Earth (and each other), to the fact that the oil companies still receive $10 million in subsidies from taxpayers every minute (according to the International Monetary Fund), and the horrible revelation that Exxon has been suppressing the truth about climate change for the past 37 years.

The metaphor “drinking from a firehose” comes to mind.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

There are Super-Powers on This Planet Unconnected to Oil--And They Won't Allow Humankind To Destroy ItselfA reader asks, “Isn’t it possible that the huge tech giants will come out of the clouds and invest heavily in the renewable energy / efficiency sector?”

Absolutely.  I’m sure companies like Google and Apple both have huge plans in the energy space, some of which are visible at this point (e.g., Google’s acquisition of Nest), others of which are not.  That, btw, was the point of one of the chapters in my last book (Bullish on Renewable Energy), i.e., it’s one of the “14 reasons that clean energy investors can’t fail,” i.e., companies like them–and individual billionaires like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg aren’t doing to sit around and watch us turn this planet into a wasteland.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Rooftop Solar in Nevada: The Latest 2GreenEnergy supporter Craig Ruark writes:  Hi, Craig. On December 22nd, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada will be making a landmark decision on the future of residential rooftop solar in Nevada. The last two articles I wrote for the Las Vegas Business Press are linked here and here. Thought you and your readers might be interested.

Yes, that’s very cool.  Thanks very much.

 

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal

Renewable Energy at Enormous ScaleWe all wonder where and when the world will see one single implementation of renewable energy at a scale capable of making a huge impact on our use of fossil fuels. It’s a good bet that this will come in the form of a concentrated solar power (aka solar thermal) plant in Northern Africa that will provide electricity for not only that region, but for Europe as well.

Though we are a long way from that day, the project described here in Morocco is a first glimpse at what this overall effort might look like; this is a 160-megawatt CSP plant utilizing molten salt energy storage, the subsequent phases of which will enable Morocco to provide power to a million homes and replace half of its fossil fuel consumption by the year 2020.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Nuclear Energy:  Where Is It Going?A colleague in the pro-nuke camp writes to the group: Unfortunately, another horrible opinion piece, from Gregory Jazco, former NRC Chairman.  Please comment!

Wilco.  Those of us that understand the urgency of creating a low-carbon energy future see the need to understand the potential contribution of nuclear power. To that end, it’s a good idea to review an occasional article on the subject, like one linked above from the former commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, outlining the practicalities associated with the further expansion of nuclear facilities. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

U.S. Political System? We in the U.S. suffer under a political machine that systematically ignores the will of the people, as in the article excerpted here:

Here are a few facts that came from a recent presentation that Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig gave to a large and earnest audience. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Huge Order for EVs Generates Excitement on the Adoption Curve for Electric Transportation2GreenEnergy supporter Gary Tulie writes from Buckinghamshire, England as follows:  Hi Craig, Panda New Energy has just placed what has to be the biggest order yet for electric cars – They have ordered 250,000 cars for $12 billion from Nevs, a Chinese car maker which took over Saab.

Yes, thanks for that.  Those trying to keep tabs on the electric vehicle adoption curve should note the article linked here. News of a $12 billion order for electric vehicles doesn’t come along every day.

Of course, to the degree these cars are charged with coal-fired power plants, they are a net negative for the environment. All this heightens the need to find alternative sources of energy, and get rid of coal on this planet as soon as possible.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Many of you are making an effort to keep yourselves abreast of the unfolding chain of information associated with the fossil fuel industry’s attempts to suppress the truth surrounding climate change.  To that  end, you should be keeping track of work emanating from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). In particular, here’s the beginning of their report called:

The Climate Deception Dossiers (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Efficiency

Keeping the Lights On--How to Optimize your Home's Electrical EfficiencyFar too many people waste power by leaving the lights on when they don’t need to. Optimizing their energy efficiency can greatly reduce power bills and lessen their impact on the environment. Here are a few ways you can improve the efficiency of your energy use.

(more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Science fiction legend Arthur C. Clark would have turned 98 today.

When he realized he was dying in 2007, he made a video in which he told future generations: “I have great faith in optimism as a guiding principle, if only because it offers us the opportunity of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.  So I hope we’ve learnt something from the most barbaric century in history – the 20th. I would like to see us overcome our tribal divisions and begin to think and act as if we were one family. That would be real globalization …”

Explorer Freya Stark has this to add: Few are the giants of the soul who actually feel that the human race is their family circle.

Good concepts for a winter’s day.

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